Heroes Without a Country : America's Betrayal of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens

Rating:
Summary: Heroes amid Horrors
Review: Although the previous professional editorial reviews provide a fair description of this book, it's necessary to emphasize what an important piece of work this is. Heroes Without a Country is at times inspiring and uplifting, and at other times infuriating and saddening. The hatred and hypocrisy that Joe Louis and Jesse Owens had to endure throughout their lives and careers are staggering. Not only does this book discuss the achievements and struggles of these two great athletes, but it also provides a clear, unflinching portrait of what it was like in the apartheid of the South during the '30s and '40s--a reality that many would shy away from. Both Louis and Owens deserve to be considered on the same level of talent as other greats such as Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali. This book shows these men's strengths, their problems, and their triumphs, all of which played out in the midst of the racism of a country that could not accept them for who they were.