Rating: 
Summary: 5 stars 'cause it's Dempsey, 4 stars is probably...
Review: more in line with the substance of what is offered. As most of these reviewers have pointed out, my namesake's biography here is painted fantastically. And, as a life-long boxer myself (yes, go figure that one), I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Part of the problems were found in Kahn's continous digressions into the esoteric happenings of the world that were going on a various times in the stages of the Mauler's life. Yep, when he was Kid Blackie, we get the history lesson "xyz" from everything we ever wanted to know about, blah, blah, blah. I won't go into it all here. But it repeats and repeats at all stages of Dempsey's career and life. While enjoyable, and I'll admit I am a history buff to a degree, I found it somewhat misplaced here and, after a while, annoying. I had wished Kahn would stick to the ropes and Dempsey and left out "all you ever wanted to know about..."
All told though, a dam* fine book and one I will truly treasure. I definitely, definitely recommend this one.
Rating:
Summary: Sport's first real star
Review: Roger Kahn does an excellent job of bringing the 1920s to life in this enthralling portrait of Jack Dempsey, a man who had all the attributes to take sport to another level and turn it into a truely global business.Kahn steps back from boxing to deliver a fascinating portrayal of Dempsey as the epitomy of his times; in a period when America was enjoying unprecedented growth, the only star big enough to personify the country was Dempsey, a true world champion, enthralling and captivating countries worldwide during his blistering reign of terror in the ring. Outside the ring, Kahn leaves the reader in no doubt as to what kind of man Dempsey really was: a hero in every sense of the word, a man of such character that it seems almost impossible to believe. Dempsey has long been a source of fascination to boxing fans due to his rage inside the ring, but Kahn gives us the complete picture in this riveting timepiece. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Kahn-taminated by biases
Review: This book is a pleasant read, with a picturesque style that often conjures up those "Roaring Twenties". Kahn's affection for Mr. Dempsey is often touching, and the retired Champ comes across like a lovable guy.
However, Kahn tends to glide over the unsavory aspects of Dempsey's life. Nice guy or not, Dempsey may well have prostituted his first wife out, definitely slept around, and tended to fall for tramps. Early on, Kahn calls Jack Johnson a few unkind things, but Dempsey was possibly more of a lout.
Also, reading between the lines of this book, it appears that Dempsey was loathed by many. But how many? Kahn doesn't give a clear picture at all of the public's reaction to him in this 450 page book. At times it seems that the writer is the only one cheering for the Champ.
But the biggest flaw for me was Kahn's lack of honesty about Dempsey's boxing career. While documenting that Jack Dempsey was a borderline cheat who threw kidney and rabbit punches, didn't break clinches cleanly, and should have been disqualified in the Firpo fight, Kahn refuses to dot the "I" and cross the "T" about his boy's qualities, or his quality.
Jack fought a lot of bums, beat a fluke champ for the belt, hardly defended it, and lost twice to a bulked-up no-name, Gene Tunney. Kahn repeatedly trashes Harry Wills, a negro who was frozen out of the championship scene, but Wills seems to have been a better fighter than Tunney, who didn't really merit a title shot.
The writer thinks that Dempsey, a 180-190 lb 5'11" man who never lifted weights, would beat huge brothers like Tyson, Lennox Lewis, and Ali, the first two easily. He seems to regard the athletes of the slack, segregated 1920's as superior to modern jocks. That's just silly.
In conclusion, a fun read about a zany era, but perhaps the least objective sports bio I've ever read. Proceed with caution!
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written, fascinating life
Review: This is most definitely the best book I have ever read about Dempsey and his times. Roger Kahn is terrific. I found it hard to leave the book down. I have collected and read every book I could find on Jack Dempsey. Nothing compares to -
A FLAME OF PURE FIRE.
Rating: 
Summary: Far too biased
Review: This purports to be a study of the heavyweight who helped legitimize boxing by being a superb athlete and, outwardly at least, a gentleman. Dempsey was, without question, a very interesting character. This biography, which is actually hagiography, however, is almost usless in showing us Dempsey the man rather than the icon. A man, you see, has flaws, and the Depsey portrayed here - by a starry-eyed, name-dropping adorer who more than once describes the Manassa Mauler as "beautiful" - has none. What about those tales of Dempsey being in with the mob? A myth. How does Kahn know? According to Dempsey, he turned Al Capone down, and that was that. That's good enough for Kahn. Wasn't Carpentier too light for Dempsey, as all contemprary reporters thought? No, another myth. (Even though Kahn quotes Dempsey himself as saying "he's just too light to beat me.") What about rumors of Jack's hands being taped with plaster of Paris? Another myth. But, on the other hand, was Dempsey-Tunney II, which Jack lost, fixed? Without a doubt, according to Kahn. Playing fast and loose with quotes and facts, casting Dempsey's first wife as "a whore" "out of a screaming nightmare" and Dempsey as a knight in shining armor, dismissing all other boxers without any thought, Kahn is obviously far too in love with his subject to have anything useful to say. Oh, it's fairly well written and does give some picture of the era. But Dempsey the man? He's not in this book.
Rating:
Summary: very readable hagiography interwoven with third rate history
Review: Why the biographer of a boxer with zero interest in public affairs has to climb upon his political soapbox throughout his narrative is beyond me. When not talking boxing, Kahn's analysis of the Roaring '20s has all the depth of pancake and is as predictable as that of any ideologue (in Kahn's case, a left of center ideologue.) On top of that, Kahn has an obsession with sexual matters unrelated to his subject that's just weird -- '20s hangers-on are introduced randomly throughout the book for no seeming purpose other than to comment on their bedrooms habits. Strange as this is, though, it pales in comparison to the bizarreness of Kahn's multi-page exposition halfway through the book of a fight Kahn had as a 10 year old boy in summer camp. However, Kahn's description of Dempsey's big fights and his preparation for them is outstanding. As well, his portrayal of the rivalry between Kearns and Rickard over the right to be Dempsey's most trusted promoter gives great insight into business and entertainment environment of the '20s. Indeed, it's when Kahn sticks to boxing that he gives real insight into Dempsey's times as well as the man himself -- mention of 500 gate crashers organizing themselves to attack an arena entrance at once to flood past the helpless ticket takers provides more insight into the era than any of Kahn's embarrassingly simplistic diversions into political or social history. A final point about objectivity. Very few human beings are as honest and decent as Dempsey is portrayed here. If this was indeed the true Dempsey, more explanation is needed about why he was a largely hated champion throughout his career (Kahn's endless attacks on "hard right conservatives" who hounded Dempsey for alleged draft dodging in World War I is too pat explanation for anybody who doesn't have their own political ax to grind.)
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