Two small-time thieves get in over their heads in this literary thriller from the “virtuoso novelist” and author of Soldier’s Joy (The Philadelphia Inquirer). Not quite at home in the backwoods of Tennessee, and even less suited for the service, drifter Macrae lands on his feet in New York City in the 1980s. There, he teams up with a petty thief named Charlie, and the two hit on a scheme to rob people withdrawing money at ATMs. Caught up by their surprising success, they move on to bigger crimes. But as Macrae feels a growing discomfort with the increasing violence and danger of their hardscrabble existence, he wonders if he’s in too deep to make a clean break. With a tightly orchestrated and harrowing conclusion from “one of our most talented novelists . . . This meticulously observed story nevertheless grips us with its lucid prose, its keen psychological insights and the author’s respect for his troubled characters” (Publishers Weekly). “A remarkable read.” —The New York Times Book Review “Bell seems to know intimately the seedy sides of New York, Baltimore and the ex-urban south of housing developments and shopping centers abutting old, dying farms. He renders each locale exquisitely and seems as familiar with street jive as redneck vernacular.” —Los Angeles Times “Ripe for translation to the silver screen.” —Library Journal
Dazed and hurt, Campbell struggled through several more rounds, but in the fifth Baer trapped him against the ropes and scored with a series of hard punches. Too late the referee stopped the contest. Unconscious, Campbell slumped slowly ...
Acclaimed as "stunning" by Kirkus Reviews, this is perhaps the best biography of the popular pugilist, recounting his triumphs and tragedies against the background of America in the 1930s and '40s. Includes 14 photographs.
J. Melville, 145 Bouhler, Philipp, 149 Boyle, Gov. Emmet D., 63, 71, 79 Brack, Viktor, 151 Brandenburg State Hospital and Nursing Home, 150–51 Brando, Marlon, 188 Brandt, Dr. Karl, 149, 150 Braun, Frederick W., 66, 268n68 Brazil, ...
The original essays in this comprehensive collection examine the lives and sports of famous and not-so-famous African American male and female athletes from the nineteenth century to today.
There are several books that are especially important to understanding the early Muhammad Ali. Foremost are Thomas Hauser's excellent oral biography, Muhammad Ali. His Life and Times; John Cottrell's The Story ...
In Donald McRae's William Hill prize-winning dual biography, he compiles a brilliant portrait of the two men, who became close friends despite their very different career paths: within days of Olympic glory, Owens was banned from competing ...
“Te gusta, Barry Blanco?” Montalvo's wife answered the door with their grandchild in her arms. I received and gave a kiss to both while spying Montalvo from the corner of my eye, wearing his pristine Cuban Olympic tracksuit, ...
See also DiMaggio, Joe; Mantle, Mickey; Williams, Ted aging: vs. early death, 14–15; eternal, 143–44; immortality and, 131–32; inescapable effects of, 118–19; physical decline and, 10, 14, 15, 19–20 Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, 20 Alan, ...
Widely reported over the years, though questionable in reality, a story was often told that a North Carolina black man convicted of murder and on his way to his execution cried out, “Save me, Joe Louis!” Joe Louis, black people felt, ...
This insightful study offers a fresh perspective on the life and career of champion boxer Joe Louis.