Book Description
THE CANDID AND INSPIRING STORY OF THE RISE OF A GREAT SPORTS LEGEND, FROM HIS THRILLING CONFRONTATIONS IN THE RING TO HIS PRIVATE STRUGGLES TO ACHIEVE SPIRITUAL WHOLENESS
No athlete has captured America's dreams and imagination like George Foreman. In 1968, when he was barely out of his teens, he startled the world by winning an Olympic gold medal in Mexico City. In his early twenties, he destroyed the seemingly invincible Joe Frazier to capture boxing's heavyweight championship. In Zaire, not long after, he was on the opposite end of a startling upset, losing his crown to Muhammad Ali. By 1977, Foreman had quit fighting, undergone a religious conversion, and begun preaching on Texas street corners.
Which is where George Foreman's story doesn't end, but begins. A decade later, to raise money for his beloved Houston youth center, he shocked the sports world by returning to the ring. They laughed at this middle-aged man, but George Foreman turned their snickers into awe-struck cheers. In November 1994, at the age of forty-five and against all odds, he recaptured boxing's crown.
In By George, Foreman tells the incredible story of his triumphs, defeats, and comeback. He writes openly of his troubled childhood, the rage that fueled his early athletic triumphs, his marriages, and his faith. How George Foreman not only survived but prevailed is one of the most unforgettable sagas of our time.
Including sixteen pages of personal photographs, and with a new introduction by George himself, By George sheds new light on an extraordinary man who has captured the hearts of millions.
Customer Reviews:
A much more honest George than I expected.......2007-01-30
I thought this was going to be a very hokey book. I expected a lot of George was mean and angry his whole life then he meets Jesus then everything is shiny and happy, jokes about George eating too much, George has a dream to heavyweight champion again, George makes the dream come true, and more George and Jesus stuff but this book was surprisingly candid and interesting.
He talks about his anti-social childhood in the crime infested 5th ward in Houston. Going into the job corps where he started boxing and his meteoric rise to the top of the amateur boxing world where he ended up winning an olympic gold medal after having only been boxing for a VERY short time. His "first" pro career including his fights with Frazier, Norton, Ali and others, his nervous breakdown/religious experience after the Jimmy Young fight and his retirement, his ten year layoff, and the comeback which culminated in him recapturing the heavyweight championship of the world.
George is a bit of a shady individual and from a few first hand accounts I have heard he is just as mean as he ever was. That smile instantly disappears from his face and the nice guy act flies out the window the second those HBO or "grilling machine" infomercial cameras turn off. George really sold himself off as I used to be mean but I found Jesus and now I'm Mr. Niceguy to the public and got rich as a result so what really surprised me is how candid he was about problems he has had over the years with women, his kids and his own flaws in his personal life.
Great book to read on a plane.......2006-04-29
This is the fifth autobiography I've read of a great heavyweight boxer. By George takes us into the mind of the former Heavyweight Champion of the World who destroyed "Smokin' Joe Frazier" in the 70s and was thought at one point in time to be unstoppable.
Foreman takes us on the journey from his childhood in poverty, being one of 9 children (the only from a different father) to his troubled adolescence to his miraculous thrust into greatness as an unexpected heavyweight champion of the world to his fall from boxing, to his born again discovery of God, to his amazing run at becoming the oldest heavyweight boxing champion in history.
We get amazing insight on the women of his life and how they affected him. We get an amazing recollection of his memory of circumstances prior to important fights such as how he was not allowed to leave Venezuela without paying taxes to the government after defeating Ken Norton.
Throughout the book, you will get a feel of the soft side of this man once perceived by the public as an angry bully. Behind that tough tiger is a very sensitive lion with a thorn in his side.
I was impressed by his stories of Sonny Liston and his impression of various boxer's during his time. I found the complex relationship he had with his biological father to be powerful. Although sensationalistic at times, even his various prophecy like passages that he contributes to his realization of his belief in God, to be deep.
All in all, reading his story was one that should have a profound affect on providing people information about someone who grew up with nothing in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in all of the US and came out of the other side, a great man who has suceeded.
I still am amazed at how far he went given his limited boxing skills. After reading this book, I am convinced that had been better trained, he would have been the greatest boxer of all time.
The Greatest Heavyweight(Including You Know Who).......2005-10-28
I'm basically a one-dimensional boxing fan whose least favorite division is heavyweight;I couldn't have cared less what the Louisville Loudmouth did inside the ring and I didn't pay any attention to his trash talk outside of it("I ain't got
nuthin' against them Viet Cong...").All boxers lose-and for a better take on the
'Rumble in The Jungle'(than the fight itself) between Loudmouth and George Foreman,check the award-winning documentary,'When We Were Kings'
or Foreman's excellent-and honest-autobiography,'By George' about the thug from Houston who engineered,possibly the comeback
of the twentieth century.And "comebacks" are at the heart of what boxing is about.After losing to the recently deceased Jimmy Young in 1977(my favorite heavyweight of that era-who was robbed in his fight with Ali),Foreman underwent a religious transformation,took off 10 years and in 1994,at 45,became the oldest man to ever win the heavyweight title,by stopping Michael Moorer-no bum-in the tenth round.Actually, the public should've expected this from Foreman,who made his first public impact by waving the American flag after winning the heavyweight title in the '68 games-unfortunately probably best remembered for the black power salutes of John Carlos and Tommie Smith.But maybe the most important reason to buy this autobiography is because of its Introduction:"...I never make references to a human being's color.As I did with bad language,I've eliminated from my vocabulary words that distinguish between people.They're irrelevent to me,and their use only divides us from each other.I know from my own life that the issue of prejudice is much broader than the frame into which people usually try to squeeze it.What separates us is not color but behavior.I once came across some words by Victor Frankl,a man who'd survived terrible atrocities in a Nazi concentration camp at the hands of men,who after all,were the same color as he:"There are only two races of people in the world,the decent and the indecent."So when reading this book,if you find yourself guessing or wondering about one person or another's color,please ask yourself why you need to know."Amen.
You Gotta Love Him.......2005-09-04
Love biographies of real people in the world today that are honest and this one really is - George takes us into his whacky and fun world and where he's been and why ... you may not agree with him but you gotta love him. We'd all benefit by being more like George
My undisputed favorite biography........2004-06-06
Whether it's for his knockouts in the ring, or his grills that knockout the fat, just about everyone in the civilized world knows the name George Foreman. While most sports fans know that Foreman wasn't always the oversized teddy bear that he is now, the stories relayed in the first half of his autobiography, BY GEORGE, will amaze you.
Throughout the book, Foreman not only outlines the rise of his boxing career from the Olympics to the professional ranks and the heavyweight championship (twice), but he also delves into his personal life in a detailed manner that provides the reader with an in-depth look into the George Foreman that many never knew existed.
The somewhat underlying story in this book is his relationship with God. In the first half of the book, Foreman tells of how, when he was young, he thought that religion was for the weak and it wasn't something he needed in his life. More amazing is that Foreman, now a Baptist minister, nearly became a Muslim before his legendary fight with Muhammad Ali in 1974. Following his bout with Jimmy Young in 1977, his final fight before his 10 year layoff, Foreman had a 'religious experience' in his locker room, found the Lord, and started to become the George Foreman that the world knows and loves today. In the second half of the book, the reader truly begins to see Foreman's love for God, and how God influences every aspect of his life.
While many know the ups and downs of his boxing career, it's very interesting to relive those moments through the eyes of the man who was there. His mentality change between his first and second boxing careers is astonishing. As a Christian, this book has added meaning for me due to the issues mentioned above. Simply put, this is a book that is an inspiration to one and all.
Amazon.com
There are sporting events that transcend the world of sports, and the 1974 heavyweight title fight in which Muhammad Ali regained his crown by improbably kayoing George Foreman in the middle of the African night was certainly one of them. Metaphorically, it was a writer's dream: two imposing black warriors, one all grace, the other brute force, one the iconoclast, the other the blind patriot, battling each other. Fatefully, the appropriate writer threw his pen into the ring. Norman Mailer's masterful account goes far beyond the ropes to capture the primal ethos of the sport, the larger social canvas this particular fight was drawn on, and the remarkable cast of personalities--not the least of which is Mailer himself--who converged to make this "Rumble in the Jungle" a landmark in sports history and a clear knockout in Mailer's journalistic portfolio.
Customer Reviews:
Mailer At His Self-Indulgent Best.......2007-01-05
Norman Mailer delivered a classic in his coverage of the October 30, 1974, "Rumble in the Jungle," in the May 20th Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire, when heavy underdog Muhammad Ali shocked the world one more time with his 8th round knockout of champion George Foreman.
Referring to himself in the third-person, Mailer captures the various angles of the fight that was oftentimes more interesting with the personalities and controversies outside the ring.
There are interviews with George Plimpton and Hunter S. Thompson - the Gonzo journalist who could go toe-to-toe with Mailer in the world ego championship - along with the bitter Joe Frazier and vastly underrated contender Ken Norton. This was Don King's first boxing promotion, who got into the game with a boost from Ali.
While Mailer gives perhaps the best sketch of Ali's famous cornerman, Drew "Bundini" Brown, it is nearly a throwaway comment on what appeared to be Ali struggling at times with his quick quips that may have been one of the earliest signs of what became permanent neurological damage.
Going into the fight, Foreman - who earlier in his pro career enlisted Sonny Liston as a sparring partner - was considered unbeatable, with fears that Ali would get severely hurt in a heroic, but losing effort. After the loss, Foreman claimed - though later recanted - that his water bottle was tampered with & he was drugged.
Foreman also claimed - but also recanted - that members of Ali's had loosened the ring ropes, so his punching power was negated by Ali leaning his upper torso & head far outside the ring.
The Fight is not the typical coverage of a sporting event, but Mailer proved to be up to the task and delivered some of the best writing in his storied career.
Right Hand Jab..........2006-06-25
Kinhasa Zaire...1974...One of the most publicized and adored fights of the 1970s, and what better writer to depict the settings than Mailer. This book was a tough find until '96 when the legendary documentary, "When We Were Kings" was released. Mailer's descriptions of the fight throughout the film were compelling enough to make me search out his read.
Many people forget that the fight was postponed for two weeks by Foreman's camp, and the fight almost didn't go off, which leads to chaotic story. Mailer's settings in the Zaire heat and his descriptions of icons such as Hunter Thompson, George Plimpton, Jim Brown, and Don King roaming the lobby of Zaire's Inter-Continental Hotel are so good that you'll feel as if you've been thrown back for two weeks through a time-machine to 1974. A true time period when sports was straight-up for men's men
Now, I'm not so into the romaticized Ali depictions seen through the eyes of Michael Mann, 'limo liberals' and other misinformed academians, and I will never adopt the modern day pre-fabbed tributes to Ali. Accompany this read with a viewing of "When We Were Kings" or with a read of Thomas Hauser's "King of the World" and Mark Kram's "Ghosts of Manila", and you'll catch my drift.
Avoiding a Ali tribute, Mailer loves the sport of boxing, and it shows throughout the book. "The Fight" is a great read that depicts a chaotic time, Zaire, the characters and the life surrounding the classic fight.. Lead with a right-hand jab, and pick this read up. -BD 5/03
Bigger ego: Ali or Mailer?.......2004-11-18
The Rumble in the Jungle is a seminal moment in boxing, and for that reason alone it deserves an account. The fact that a boxing fan/skilled writer and social critic wrote the account would appear to be to the benefit of the reader. And Mailer does two things particularly well. The first is his description of the fight itself, which captures the drama of the struggle in a captivating and thrilling manner. The second is Mailer's attention to the political struggle in Zaire during the '60's (This is akin to holding a title fight in Serbia in the mid-90's). But, Mailer has to ruin a great little book by injecting himself into the action. He doesn't have to be the fly on the wall and he has every right to admit his personal bias. But it's nauseatingly tiresome to refer to yourself in the third person and speculate as to how people think about you, "the famous writer." What an unbelievable ego. It's not only an annoying personal trait, but it disrupts the flow of the book and takes from the titular reason that many people picked up this book. See if your library has it, but don't bother paying for a very good account marred by one man's need to talk about himself.
Enjoyable romp.......2003-12-16
Brilliant, self-indulgent and wildly subjective, this is a dazzling one-off effort.
Why read this?.......2003-11-21
With so many good books out there just waiting to be explored, why would anyone read Norman Mailer? This book is a testament to the author's own arrogance, and we the reader are forced to suffer through all its self-indulgent twists and turns. Don't read books by this neanderthal. He's way past his prime. Actually, he never was in his prime. All of his books are equally dreadful. So let's put Mailer's books in the trash bin where they belong. Haven't we had enough of these writers who write and publish by hubris alone? Go away Mailer, your time us up.
Book Description
Hibbert delivers a superbly detailed picture of the life and times of George IV including his exorbitant spending on his homes, his clothes, and his women; his patronage of the arts; his “illegal” marriage to Catholic Mrs Fitzherbert, and lesser known facts such as his generous charity donations and his witty one-liners, including one he uttered when he met his bride-to-be (Caroline of Brunswick) for the first time: “Harris, I am not well, fetch me a brandy.” George IV was the son of George III (who went insane and inspired “The Madness of King George”) and was the founder of the prestigious King's College in London.
Book Description
In 1974, boxer George Foreman lost the heavyweight championship of the world. In 1994, at age 45, he won it back. Filled with action and photographs, this is the easy-to-read biography of one of America's greatest heroes.
Despite some low points in his life, George Foreman has always succeeded in turning himself around. He transformed from teenage thug to Jobs Corpsman and Olympic gold medalist in the 1960s. Then, after becoming heavyweight champion of the world by routing Joe Frazier in 1973, George lost his title to Muhammad Ali in a stunning upset. Foreman was humiliated and eventually quit boxing, but he found happiness by going home to Houston to become a preacher and help underprivileged boys. George returned to the ring in 1987 and, at the age of 45, miraculously regained the heavyweight crown by knocking out Michael Moorer on November 5, 1994.
In addition to winning fights, the two-time champion uses his great sense of humor to win people's hearts. Overweight throughout his comeback, George good-naturedly confronted fat jokes by saying he was on a "sea food diet… whatever I see, I eat." With his shaved head and large stomach, Foreman looks like a cross between Santa Claus and Mr. Clean. But his image of himself is so good, he named all four of his sons "George."
Customer Reviews:
It's a Knockout!.......1999-01-08
It's great to know that someone still writes the kind of books that made me fall in love with sports and reading. McCoyd's inspirational and true tale of George Foreman's rise from the Houston ghettos to the Heavyweight Championship of the World is exciting, funny, and chock full of fantastic photographs. This book is highly recommended for children, teens, and boxing fans of all ages. "To Live and Dream" is a real knockout!
Book Description
George Foreman is one of the most highly recognizable figures on the planet. God in My Corner tells not only the life story of George, but more importantly, it tells how God has been behind the scenes of every part of his life--from a boyhood marked by scrapes with the law, to Olympian gold medalist, to tow-time heavyweight champion of the world, to father of a family of ten, to ordained minister, to founder of The George Foreman Youth Community Center, to successful businessman. God has been there every step of the way, building George into a man of faith who is seen worldwide as a positive role model and man whose face is always beaming with the joy that only God can give. Now George shares those life lessons with the world.
Customer Reviews:
Down Goes Frazier!!!!.......2007-10-23
This is a very enjoyable and inspirational book! I always found it amazing how there were "two" George Foremans. The young George Foreman never spoke much and seemed mean and angry. The older George Foreman is positive and friendly. How did he change so much for the better? This book explains how and why George went from how he was before to how he is now. Lots of good advice in it, too. I really enjoyed hearing his story and what happened in that dressing room after the Jimmy Young fight. It's great to read a book full of positive thinking and ideas!
Nice Book by a Good Guy.......2007-10-05
George Foreman is an interesting study on how to make the most of life - from physical, monetary and spiritual dimensions. In this book and others, he does not hide the fact that he was a nasty, aggressive piece of work in his youth. He writes he was "a vicious, savage teenager, picking fights" wherever he went.
In God In My Corner, he shows how the transition from virtual psychopath to a genuine do-gooder came about. In one sense, it did not happen overnight because he ignored some "miracles" that occurred to family members. In another sense, the transition was immediate. Foreman writes movingly about "The Day I Died" where he recounts the incident that changed his life and his demeanor. Foreman had an outer body experience after he was surprisingly beaten by Jimmy Young which helped him to find and truly believe in God.
Non-believers might find some of the commentary a bit unctuous, but Foreman lives his faith today. A manager who had stolen money from him and whom Foreman even considered hiring a hit man to solve the problem was later forgiven with a giant bear hug.
Sure, some of the book is "preachey" but for those who remember the nasty, mean spirited person George Foreman once was, this book is a great reminder and motivator that we all can improve and bring happiness to people around us.
As an interesting aside, Foreman suggests his drink was spiked at ringside the night he lost to Muhammad Ali - a man he hated at the time and has now grown to love and call a friend. Keep up the good work George. The world needs more people like you who do make a difference.
An Wise, Inspiring, Heartfelt, Spiritual "Knockout!".......2007-08-06
George Foreman has a heart of gold. As a boy, I watched him on closed circuit TV knock out Joe Frazier to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World, during his so-called "bad boy" days. I could tell he had a heart of gold even then. As the underdog in that memorable fight, the courage he displayed in scoring one of the greatest upset victories in the history of boxing, against the then undisputed heavyweight champ Frazier, was huge. In the thirty plus years since then George has not stopped growing and improving himself. Now, as a totally devoted man of God, an ordained minister, a family man, and an exemplary Christian, George has scored another stunning "knock out" in his new book, God In My Corner. This is one of the most practical, down-to-earth, wise, heart-felt, uplifting spiritual guides to living I have ever read. And knowing the history of the author, which he candidly shares in part in this book, it is difficult not to take every word to heart. Having God in My Corner in your home libary is like having George Foreman in your corner, along with God. The wisdom and inspiration in this book is so huge as to appeal to not only Christians, but to God-conscious people of all faiths everywhere. George, thank you for your courage, wisdom, and love, and for this beautiful book.
A Surprising Recipe for Happiness.......2007-07-14
George Forman inspires the reader while telling his own story. The life-changing attitude this great fighter offers is to practice "Instant Forgiveness." It's easy reading that leaves you with a good feeling.
Following in the footsteps of his 2002 classic.......2007-07-03
I bought this book today...what a pleasant surprise. My first reaction is that is is an expanded, faith-based revisiting of the material George covered in 2002's excellent "George Foreman's Guide to Life: How to Get Up Off the Canvas When Life Knocks You Down."
There is a sense of wisdom, of humilty, of compassion that comes through in George's books. It's not a book designed to make you feel good about yourself. It's a book that encourages the reader to take every day as it comes, good or bad, and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
The 18 chapters are titled "The Phone Call That Changed My Life," "The Day I Died," "Get Me A Hit Man," "What Will People Think Of Me," "A Fighting Preacher," "Being Optimistic In A Pessimistic World," "Appreciate Today," "God Will Direct Your Steps," "The Worst Thing Can Be The Best Thing," "Inspiring Others To Excellence," "Advancing Through Adversity," "Integrity - Don't Leave Home Without It," "When Opportunity Knocks, Answer The Door," "The Secret Of Success," "Do Your Giving While You're Living," "Age Forty Isn't A Death Sentence," "Why I Named All My Sons George," and "Will I Meet You In Heaven?"
This is not a "pie in the sky" look at life through rose-colored glasses. George acknowledges life for what it is: demanding, challenging, and ultimately rewarding. Your attitude determines the actions you will or will not take. Go back to the first paragraph of my review and re-read the title of his 2002 book. That's George's testimony. That's what the book is about.
Average customer rating:
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Six Lessons for Six Sons
Joe Massengale , and
David Clow
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audio Inc.
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ASIN: 0786161930 |
Product Description
Part inspiring memoir, part practical motivation for building strong families and careers, Six Lessons for Six Sons is the rags-to-riches story of an exceptional father and the principles that helped an African-American family rise from poverty in post-slavery Texas a century ago to thriving careers all over the United States today.
Download Description
“Confidence, fortitude, pride, persistence, fearlessness and focus are some of the true treasures of the spirit that can get you past defeat, help you build a business, raise a family and leave a valuable legacy. The lessons Joe Massengale learned back in the piney woods around Marshall, Texas, and gave to his sons to take into the world are some of the same ones I hope my children, my congregation, the kids in my youth center and my customers get from me.” —From the Foreword by George Foreman
Joe Massengale rose above his hardscrabble roots to become a successful Beverly Hills businessman, creating a tree service from scratch and building it into an enduring and profitable enterprise. Through years of hard work, Joe achieved the prosperous life he sought but never forgot the life lessons he learned along the way, especially those his father Hugh taught him. He made sure to impart those lessons to his six sons, each of whom became a success in his own right.
What his sons learned from Joe—what it means to be a man, a father, a son, a productive member of society, a person of integrity—is brought to life in Six Lessons for Six Sons. Joe tells his story in vignettes interwoven with observations from his sons, who talk about how they’ve put these simple yet resonant values into practice. Notable contributors—including Guy Bluford, the first African-American in space; Academy Award–winning actress Anjelica Huston; and Olympic Gold Medal–winning decathlete Rafer Johnson—offer perspectives on how the messages at the core of Joe’s story have enriched their own lives and, most important, how they can enrich yours.
Six Lessons for Six Sons is a proven blueprint for personal accomplishment and fulfillment, a stirring story of one family’s journey through a century of American change, and an inspiration for anyone who wants to become a positive role model for others.
What if success was as simple as six lessons?
Lesson One: Confidence
Believe in yourself, and other people will, too.
Lesson Two: Fortitude
Find the strength to keep trying, no matter how hard you’ve tried before.
Lesson Three: Pride
Pride is a commitment: to your family and—most of all—to yourself.
Lesson Four: Persistence
Learn from your triumphs but also pay attention to what the hard knocks have to teach you.
Lesson Five: Fearlessness
Fear is always looking for a crack in your foundation. Keep yours solid.
Lesson Six: Focus
You are free to be the person you want to be—but you have to work for it.
Visit sixlessons.com
From the Hardcover edition.
Books:
- Casa California: Spanish-Style Houses From Santa Barbara to San Clemente
- Cash: An American Man
- Chicken Soup for the Woman Golfer's Soul: Stories About Trailblazing Women Who've Changed the Game Forever (Chicken Soup for the Soul)
- Cisco ASA: All-in-One Firewall, IPS, and VPN Adaptive Security Appliance (Networking Technology)
- Crime Scene Photography
- Dead Run: The Untold Story of Dennis Stockton and America's Only Mass escape from Death Row
- Different Brains, Different Learners: How to Reach the Hard to Reach
- Divine Nobodies: Shedding Religion to Find God (and the unlikely people who help you)
- Dog Train: A Wild Ride on the Rock-and-Roll Side (Book & CD)
- Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood
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