Kareem Abdul Jabbar's Reading List
The basketball star and author of "Coach Wooden and Me" says he looks forward to anything written by Walter Mosley: "I'd be very happy if he wrote a novel every week."
Open in WellRead Daily app →By the Book: Kareem Abdul Jabbar (2017)
NYT By the Book column (2017-06-01).
Source: www.nytimes.com
Makoto Sugawara · Buy on Amazon
"The book explores the swordsmen of medieval Japan and the influence they had on the country. For me, the book is about the convergence of art and athleticism, and its effect on politics."
Melvin Kelley · Buy on Amazon
"This satire peels back some uncomfortable layers of how the races see each other and is just as relevant today as it was in 1967, when it was published."
Ta-Nehisi Coates · 2015 · Buy on Amazon
"Coates's intimate analysis of race as it relates to our physical being, identity and existence really touched me, infuriated me and inspired me."
Joe Louis · Buy on Amazon
"My two favorite boxing books are "Joe Louis: My Life," by Joe Louis with Edna and Art Rust Jr., and "Sweet Thunder: The Life and Times of Sugar Ray Robinson," by Wil Haygood."
Wil Haygood · Buy on Amazon
"These were boxers who, because of their color, were forced to do as much fighting outside the ring as in."
Larry Tye · Buy on Amazon
"Satchel Paige was an inspiration not only because of his battles breaking the color barrier in major league baseball, but because he was an ancient 42 years old when he led the Cleveland Indians to the World Series."
Arthur Conan Doyle · Buy on Amazon
"I also really like "The Hound of the Baskervilles," which was written after Conan Doyle had apparently killed Sherlock in "The Final Problem." I like the complex plot and Sherlock's intensity in solving the case."
Geoff Dyer · Buy on Amazon
"It's become one of my favorite books. The book is made up of fictionalized stories about several jazz greats, like Chet Baker and Thelonious Monk, in which he reveals insights into the men as well as their music."
James Baldwin · 1963 · Buy on Amazon
"Not just because it would give him a better understanding of race relations in America and why it is urgent we do something to address the disparity, but because in understanding that one aspect, he will better understand the needs of all Americans."
Rudyard Kipling · Buy on Amazon
"My favorite authors were Rudyard Kipling ("The Jungle Book"), Robert Louis Stevenson ("Treasure Island"), Alexandre Dumas ("The Three Musketeers") and Sir Walter Scott ("Ivanhoe")."
Robert Louis Stevenson · Buy on Amazon
"My favorite authors were … Robert Louis Stevenson ("Treasure Island")"
Alexandre Dumas · Buy on Amazon
"My favorite authors were … Alexandre Dumas ("The Three Musketeers")"
Ron Chernow · Buy on Amazon
"More practically, I would say Ron Chernow, who wrote the excellent biography "Alexander Hamilton." He's thorough in presenting details but insightful in showing what they mean."
Favorite books (2020)
Favorite books recommended by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as compiled by radicalreads.com. Source article: https://radicalreads.com/kareem-abdul-jabbar-favorite-books/.
Source: radicalreads.com
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle · Buy on Amazon
"It has all the elements you’d expect from a Sherlock Holmes story—you’re presented with a number of things that would help you solve the question, but you can’t or you don’t. When you get to the end and Sherlock explains everything, you say, ‘Aw, I should have noticed that!’ All the facts are there. It’s hard to piece things together without the background and the inquisitive mind Holmes has."
John le Carré · Buy on Amazon
"It’s all very fascinating, the background and the authenticity that Mr. le Carré brings to the things that he writes."
Harper Lee (also rec’d by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Neil Patrick Harris , Nicholas Sparks & Shonda Rhimes ) · Buy on Amazon
"People don’t understand the nature of racism here in our country. They don’t get how insidious it is…When you start reading [Mockingbird], you start to get an idea of just how awful it is that people just discriminate on the basis of race."
Robert B. Parker · Buy on Amazon
"Hawk is intellectual but he’s also a tough guy. So there’s stuff there that you kind of get into with having those macho moments."
James Baldwin (also rec’d by David Bowie & Nipsey Hussle ) · Buy on Amazon
"It really helped me get what the civil rights movement was about…He talks about what racism does and how it has just distorted everything in our country."
Walter Mosley · Buy on Amazon
"Walter Mosley reminds me of Raymond Chandler, [except] writing from the black side of town…He has the ability to describe the negative effects of racism while writing an entertaining novel."
J.D. Salinger (also rec’d by Kurt Cobain , Liz Phair & Philip Roth ) · Buy on Amazon
"I remember comparing Holden Caulfield’s experiences with my own…High school was an ordeal."
Malcolm X and Alex Haley (also rec’d by Colin Kaepernick , Gabrielle Union , Ibram X. Kendi , Janelle Monáe, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Rose McGowan , Tupac Shakur & Questlove ) · Buy on Amazon
"[The book] enabled me to understand how much of a struggle it is to gain success in America when you’re going up against entrenched, racist institutions."
Dashiell Hammett · Buy on Amazon
"Spade’s commitment to his partner is [one] that he must honor, even though the femme fatale of the story has compromised him…Loyalty is a key issue for Sam Spade. It motivates him to get to the bottom of the things."
Martin Cruz Smith · Buy on Amazon
"Arkady Renko is a hero—he knows how much corruption he’s immersed in, but he still pursues the murderers, no matter how well connected they might be…He is fearless, and I love these types of characters."