Johnny Smith

Randy Roberts

In 1962 Malcolm X, a minister in the Nation of Islam, saw the potential in Cassius Clay, not just for boxing greatness, but as a means of spreading the Nation's message. The two became fast friends, keeping their interactions secret from the press for fear of jeopardizing Clay's career-- but eventually their friendship soured, with disastrous and far-reaching consequences. Roberts and Smith reconstruct the worlds that shaped Malcolm and Clay, and reveal how Malcolm molded Cassius Clay into Muhammad Ali, helping him become an international symbol of black pride and black independence.

The Fatal Friendship Between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X

Blood Brothers

The story of Mickey Mantle's magnificent 1956 season Mickey Mantle was the ideal batter for the atomic age, capable of hitting a baseball harder and farther than any other player in history. He was also the perfect idol for postwar America, a wholesome hero from the heartland. In A Season in the Sun, acclaimed historians Randy Roberts and Johnny Smith recount the defining moment of Mantle's legendary career: 1956, when he overcame a host of injuries and critics to become the most celebrated athlete of his time. Taking us from the action on the diamond to Mantle's off-the-field exploits, Roberts and Smith depict Mantle not as an ideal role model or a bitter alcoholic, but a complex man whose faults were smoothed over by sportswriters eager to keep the truth about sports heroes at bay. An incisive portrait of an American icon, A Season in the Sun is an essential work for baseball fans and anyone interested in the 1950s.

The Rise of Mickey Mantle

A Season in the Sun

'My name is JOHN SMITH. Dad says with a name like John Smith no one will EVER make fun of you. Mum says I'm 'one in a MILLION'. But just because I got what my sister calls 'the most BORING name in the history of names..,.' do not judge a book by its cover. My life is ANYTHING but boring! But here's this thing you should know: I have this massive, massive, MASSIVE secret. I can travel into other worlds and go on AMAZING adventures. Granddad was an adventurer too. It's this big thing we share. Granddad says we're members of something called the John Smith Club. He says you don't have to have a fancy name to have a big adventure - just because you sound like a NOBODY you might be a SOMEBODY. Granddad says if you meet somebody called John Smith, he might have this BIG secret too. I joined the John Smith Club on my last birthday and since then I've been on all kinds of incredible escapades. So now you know.' A brand new series by Johnny Smith, the creator of Disney's Gnomeo & Juliet. Book 1: Cap'n John the (slightly) fierce. Book 2: Sir John the (mostly) brave. Book 3: Sheriff John the (partly) wild. Book 4: Spaceman John the (nearly) bold.

Spaceman John the (Nearly) Bold

A "marvelous" (Sports Illustrated) portrait of the three men whose lives were forever changed by WWI-era Boston and the Spanish flu: baseball star Babe Ruth, symphony conductor Karl Muck, and Harvard law student Charles Whittlesey. In the fall of 1918, a fever gripped Boston. The streets emptied as paranoia about the deadly Spanish flu spread. Newspapermen and vigilante investigators aggressively sought to discredit anyone who looked or sounded German. And as the war raged on, the enemy seemed to be lurking everywhere: prowling in submarines off the coast of Cape Cod, arriving on passenger ships in the harbor, or disguised as the radicals lecturing workers about the injustice of a sixty-hour workweek. War Fever explores this delirious moment in American history through the stories of three men: Karl Muck, the German conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, accused of being an enemy spy; Charles Whittlesey, a Harvard law graduate who became an unlikely hero in Europe; and the most famous baseball player of all time, Babe Ruth, poised to revolutionize the game he loved. Together, they offer a gripping narrative of America at war and American culture in upheaval.

Boston, Baseball, and America in the Shadow of the Great War

War Fever

Biri, dünya ağırsıklet boks şampiyonu olduğu gün Müslüman olduğunu beyan eden bir sporcu, diğeri ise hırsızlık nedeniyle girdiği hapishanede İslam’la tanışan bir genç. Biri, Vietnam Savaşı’nda askere gitmeyi reddettiği için tazminata mahkûm edilen ve boks lisansı elinden alınan bir boksör, diğeri ise kitleleri coşkulu vaazlarıyla peşinden sürüklediği için eski dostları ve yol arkadaşları tarafından öfkeyle karşılanan ve ölümle tehdit edilen bir hatip. Biri, geçtiğimiz günlerde kaybettiğimiz efsanevi Müslüman boksör Muhammed Ali, diğeri ise Amerika’da neredeyse bir devlet ideolojisi haline gelmiş ırkçılığa karşı hayatını ortaya koyarak mücadele eden Malcolm X. Ve bu iki insanın inişli çıkışlı dostlukları… Bu kitap, bir macera romanı tadında hem iki tarihsel figürün hayatlarına odaklanıyor hem de onların mücadelelerinin kesiştiği noktada başlayan bir kardeşlik ve dostluğun hikâyesini anlatıyor. Hikâyenin fonunda ise 1960’lı yılların siyah-beyaz bir Amerika silueti eşliğinde, boksun yeniden yükselişi, ırkçı söylemlere karşı sivil hak mücadelelerinde siyahi Müslümanların çabaları, iç içe geçen dostluklar, öfkeler, çatışmalar ve kırgınlıklar yer alıyor.

Kan Kardeşler

Muhammed Ali ve Malcolm Xin Tehlikeli Dostlugu

Kan Kardesler

Johnny Smith is sick of having the world's most boring name. But Johnny is about to learn a massive secret: he can whisk away to other worlds and go on amazing adventures. Suddenly finding himself as a Pirate, Johnny will summon all his swashbuckling bravery and fearless daring to prove once and for all that Johnny Smith is ANYTHING but boring.

John Smith is NOT Boring! 1: Cap'n John the (Slightly) Fierce

A "marvelous" (Sports Illustrated) portrait of the three men whose lives were forever changed by WWI-era Boston and the Spanish flu: baseball star Babe Ruth, symphony conductor Karl Muck, and Harvard law student Charles Whittlesey In the fall of 1918, a fever gripped Boston. The streets emptied as paranoia about the deadly Spanish flu spread. Newspapermen and vigilante investigators aggressively sought to discredit anyone who looked or sounded German. And as the war raged on, the enemy seemed to be lurking everywhere: prowling in submarines off the coast of Cape Cod, arriving on passenger ships in the harbor, or disguised as the radicals lecturing workers about the injustice of a sixty-hour workweek. War Fever explores this delirious moment in American history through the stories of three men: Karl Muck, the German conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, accused of being an enemy spy; Charles Whittlesey, a Harvard law graduate who became an unlikely hero in Europe; and the most famous baseball player of all time, Babe Ruth, poised to revolutionize the game he loved. Together, they offer a gripping narrative of America at war and American culture in upheaval.

8-year-old John Smith might have the most boring name in the world, but his life is anything but dull! All he has to do is say a few magic words and he is whisked off into other worlds to go on amazing adventures. This time he's an astronaut, off on a daring mission in space. John is about to prove he's ANYTHING but boring.

Johnny Smith

Books

Your next favorite book is out there