John Johnson Popular Books
John Johnson Biography & Facts
John Arthur Johnson (March 31, 1878 – June 10, 1946), nicknamed the "Galveston Giant", was an American boxer who, at the height of the Jim Crow era, became the first black world heavyweight boxing champion (1908–1915). His 1910 fight against James J. Jeffries was dubbed the "fight of the century". Johnson defeated Jeffries, who was white, triggering dozens of race riots across the U.S. According to filmmaker Ken Burns, "for more than thirteen years, Jack Johnson was the most famous and the most notorious African American on Earth". He is widely regarded as one of the most influential boxers in history. Transcending boxing, he became part of the culture and history of racism in the United States. In 1912, Johnson opened a successful and luxurious "black and tan" (desegregated) restaurant and nightclub, which in part was run by his wife, a white woman. Major newspapers of the time soon claimed that Johnson was attacked by the government only after he became famous as a black man married to a white woman, and was linked to other white women. Johnson was arrested on charges of violating the Mann Act—forbidding one to transport a woman across state lines for "immoral purposes"—a racially motivated charge that embroiled him in controversy for his relationships, including marriages. Sentenced to a year in prison, Johnson fled the country and fought boxing matches abroad for seven years until 1920, when he served his sentence at the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth. Johnson continued taking paying fights for many years, and operated several other businesses, including lucrative endorsement deals. He died in a car crash in 1946 at the age of 68. He is buried at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. In 2018 Johnson, with some instigation from actor Sylvester Stallone, was formally pardoned by U.S. president Donald Trump. Early life Johnson was born on March 31, 1878, the third child of nine born to Henry and Tina Johnson, former slaves who worked service jobs as a janitor and a dishwasher. His father had served as a civilian teamster of the Union's 38th Colored Infantry. He was described by his son as the "most perfect physical specimen that he had ever seen", although Henry had been left with an atrophied right leg from his service in the American Civil War. Growing up in Galveston, Texas, Johnson attended five years of school. As a young man, Johnson was frail, though, like all of his siblings, he was expected to work. Although Johnson grew up in the South, he said that segregation was not an issue in the somewhat secluded city of Galveston, as everyone living in the 12th Ward was poor and went through the same struggles. Johnson remembers growing up with a "gang" of white boys, in which he never felt victimized or excluded. Remembering his childhood, Johnson said: "As I grew up, the white boys were my friends and my pals. I ate with them, played with them and slept at their homes. Their mothers gave me cookies, and I ate at their tables. No one ever taught me that white men were superior to me." Jack Johnson's mother, Tina was a huge influence in Jack's life. When Jack was younger, he was known as a coward and his sister, Lucy would protect him. After Jack came home bruised and crying, his mom warned him that if he were to get beat at school, then she would whip him worse at home. Her method was to scare him and for him to learn the lesson that he needs to protect himself. The lesson was received by Jack, as he never lost a fight to a schoolboy again. After Johnson quit school, he began a job working at the local docks. He made several other attempts at working other jobs around town until one day he made his way to Dallas, finding work at the race track exercising horses. Jack stuck with this job until he found a new apprenticeship with a carriage painter by the name of Walter Lewis. Lewis enjoyed watching friends spar, and Johnson began to learn how to box. Johnson later declared that it was thanks to Lewis that he became a boxer. At 16, Johnson moved to New York City and found living arrangements with Barbados Joe Walcott, a welterweight fighter from the West Indies. Johnson again found work exercising horses for the local stable, until he was fired for exhausting a horse. On his return to Galveston, he was hired as a janitor at a gym owned by German-born heavyweight fighter Herman Bernau. Johnson eventually saved enough money to buy boxing gloves, sparring every chance he got. At one point, Johnson was arrested for brawling with a man named Davie Pearson, a "grown and toughened" man who accused Johnson of turning him in to the police over a game of craps. When both of them were released from jail, they met at the docks, and Johnson beat Pearson before a large crowd. Johnson then fought in a summer boxing league against a man named John "Must Have It" Lee. Because prizefighting was illegal in Texas, the fight was broken up and moved to the beach, where Johnson won his first fight and a prize of one dollar and fifty cents. Boxing career Johnson made his debut as a professional boxer on November 1, 1898, in Galveston, when he knocked out Charley Brooks in the second round of a 15-round bout, billed for "The Texas State Middleweight Title". In his third pro fight on May 8, 1899, he faced "Klondike" (John W. Haynes, or Haines), an African American heavyweight known as "The Black Hercules", in Chicago. Klondike (so called as he was considered a rarity, like the gold in the Klondike), who had declared himself the "Black Heavyweight Champ", won on a technical knockout (TKO) in the fifth round of a scheduled six-rounder. The two fighters met twice again in 1900, with the first rematch resulting in a draw, as both fighters were on their feet at the end of 20 rounds. Johnson won the third fight by a TKO when Klondike refused to come out for the 14th round. Johnson did not claim Klondike's unrecognized title. Johnson vs. Choynski On February 25, 1901, Johnson fought Joe Choynski in Galveston. Choynski, a popular and experienced heavyweight, knocked out Johnson in the third round. Prizefighting was illegal in Texas at the time and they were both arrested. Bail was set at $5,000, nearly $200,000 in 2023, which neither could afford. The sheriff permitted both fighters to go home at night so long as they agreed to spar in the jail cell. Large crowds gathered to watch the sessions. After 23 days in jail, their bail was reduced to an affordable level and a grand jury refused to indict either man. Johnson later stated that he learned his boxing skills during that jail time. The two would remain friends. Johnson attested that his success in boxing came from the coaching he received from Choynski. The aging Choynski saw natural talent and determination in Johnson and taught him the nuances of defense, stating: "A man who can move like you should never have to take a punch". Top contender Johnson beat former black heavyweight champion Frank Childs on October 21, 1902. Childs had twice .... Discover the John Johnson popular books. Find the top 100 most popular John Johnson books.
Best Seller John Johnson Books of 2024
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The Best and the Brightest
David HalberstamDavid Halberstam’s masterpiece, the defining history of the making of the Vietnam tragedy, with a new Foreword by Senator John McCain."A rich, entertaining, and profound reading e...
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Bobby Kennedy
Larry Tye“A multilayered, inspiring portrait of RFK . . . [the] most indepth look at an extraordinary figure whose transformational story shaped America.”Joe Scarborough, The Washington Pos...
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The Presidents Club
Nancy Gibbs & Michael DuffyThe New York Times bestselling history of the private relationships among the last thirteen presidentsthe partnerships, private deals, rescue missions, and rivalries of those selec...
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Dallas 1963
Bill Minutaglio & Steven L. DavisIn the months and weeks before the fateful November 22nd, 1963, Dallas was brewing with political passions, a city crammed with largerthanlife characters deadset against the Kenned...
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The Kennedy Curse
Edward KleinDeath was merciful to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, for it spared her a parent's worst nightmare: the loss of a child. But if Jackie had lived to see her son, JFK Jr., perish in a pl...
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From Saturday Night to Sunday Night
Dick EbersolA memoir by the legendary television executive detailing his pioneering work on Saturday Night Live, Sunday Night Football, the Olympics, the NBA, music videos, late night, and mor...
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People Like You
John A. JohnsonMrs Mann, here after referred to as Marty, dramatizes the public image of an alcoholic. Born in wealth she drank up her fortune and ended up on charity in an insane asylum. Between...
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Dispatches
Michael Herr"The best book to have been written about the Vietnam War" (The New York Times Book Review); an instant classic straight from the front lines.From its terrifying opening pages...
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The Book of Lost Things
John ConnollyNew York Times bestselling author John Connolly's unique imagination takes readers through the end of innocence into adulthood and beyond in this dark and triumphantly creative nov...
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Accidental Presidents
Jared CohenThis New York Times bestselling “deep dive into the terms of eight former presidents is chockfull of political hijinksand déjà vu” (Vanity Fair) and provides a fascinating look at ...
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The Secret to Love, Health, and Money
Rhonda ByrneThis indepth masterclass from the author of the groundbreaking bestseller The Secret illustrates how to apply the law of attraction to three of life’s most important areas: relatio...
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How to Fight Presidents
Daniel O'Brien & Winston RowntreeMake no mistake: Our founding fathers were more bandanasandmuscles than powderedwigsandtea. As a prisoner of war, Andrew Jackson walked several miles barefoot across state li...
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A Torch Kept Lit
William F. Buckley Jr. & James RosenThe New York Times BestsellerWilliam F. Buckley, Jr. remembersas only he couldthe towering figures of the twentieth century in a brilliant and emotionally powerful collection, comp...
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The Book of Mistakes
Skip PrichardHave you ever wondered why some people seem to catch all the breaks and win over and over again? What do the super successful know? What is standing between you and your wildest dr...
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Dr. Feelgood
Richard A. Lertzman & William J. BirnesDoctor Max Jacobson, whom the Secret Service under President John F. Kennedy codenamed “Dr. Feelgood,” developed a unique “energy formula” that altered the paths of some of the twe...
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Hit List
Richard Belzer & David WayneRichard Belzer and David Wayne are back to set the record straight after Dead Wrong; this time they’re going to uncover the truth about the many witness deaths tied to the JFK assa...
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Discretion
Allison LeottaFor fans of Lisa Scottoline and Law and Order: SVU, former federal sexcrimes prosecutor Allison Leotta’s novel explores the intersection of sex and power as Anna Curtis investigate...
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The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Damien LewisOne of the most remarkable stories in the history of Special Forces' operations Daily ExpressIn the bleak moments after defeat on mainland Europe in winter 1939, Winston Churchill...
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The Making of the President 1960
Theodore H. WhiteA Harper Perennial Political Classic, The Making of the President 1960 is the groundbreaking national bestseller and Pulitzer Prizewinning account of the 1960 presidential campaign...
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The Man Who Killed Kennedy
Roger Stone & Mike Colapietro"We appreciate Roger Stone, he is one tough cookie." President TrumpThe sensational New York Times bestseller, now in paperback.Find out how and why LBJ had JFK assassinated.The M...
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First Impressions
Elizabeth JohnsInitial prejudices prevent their feeling they would suit, but an unlikely source may give them another chance… The widower Earl of Rutherford, still in need of an heir, reluctan...
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Uncommon Ground
Timothy Keller & John InazuHow can Christians today interact with those around them in a way that shows respect to those whose beliefs are radically different but that also remains faithful to the gospel? Jo...
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The Books That Changed My Life
Bethanne PatrickOne hundred of today’s most prominent literary and cultural icons talk about the books that hold a special place in their heartsthat made them who they are today.Leading authors, p...
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Enemies
Tim WeinerThe hidden history of the FBI and its hundredyear war against terrorists, spies, and anyone it deemed subversiveincluding even American presidents. NEW YORK TIMES BESTSEL...
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The League of Wives
Heath Hardage Lee"With astonishing verve, The League of Wives persisted to speak truth to power to bring their POW/MIA husbands home from Vietnam. And with astonishing verve, Heath Hardage Lee has ...
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An Unfinished Love Story
Doris Kearns GoodwinAn Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin, one of America’s most beloved historians, artfully weaves together biography, memoir, and history...
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Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents
Cormac O'Brien & Monika SuteskiMurder, Adultery, Gambling, UFOs And the White House?!? Your high school history teachers never gave you a book like this one! Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents features ...
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The Butler
Wil HaygoodThis mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film, The Butler traces the Civil Rights Movement and explores crucial moments of twentieth century American history through the...
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A Cruel and Shocking Act
Philip ShenonA groundbreaking, explosive account of the Kennedy assassination that will rewrite the history of the 20th century's most controversial murder investigationThe questions have haunt...
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A Great Place to Have a War
Joshua KurlantzickThe untold story of how America’s secret war in Laos in the 1960s transformed the CIA from a loose collection of spies into a military operation and a key player in American foreig...
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Under the Black Hat
Jim RossFrom legendary wrestling announcer Jim Ross, this candid, colorful memoir about the inner workings of the WWE and the personal crises he weathered at the height of his career is “a...
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John F. Kennedy
Alan Brinkley, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. & Sean WilentzThe young president who brought vigor and glamour to the White House while he confronted cold war crises abroad and calls for social change at homeJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy was a new...
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Doomed to Succeed
Dennis RossA necessary and unprecedented account of America's changing relationship with IsraelWhen it comes to Israel, U.S. policy has always emphasized the unbreakable bond between the two ...
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Double Vision
William MiddletonNAMED ONE OF THE BEST ART BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY ARTNEWSThe first and definitive biography of the celebrated collectors Dominique and John de Menil, who became one of the greatest ...
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The Age of Great Dreams
David FarberIn this book, David Farber grounds our understanding of the extraordinary history of the 1960s by linking the events of that era to our country's grand projects of previous decades...
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The Creeps
John ConnollyIn this delightfully imaginative novel, once again, hell threatens to break loose as Samuel Johnson and his ragtag group of friends must defend their town from shadowy forces more ...
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Lady Bird and Lyndon
Betty Boyd CaroliThis “smartly written…stunning” (The Boston Globe) portrait of Lady Bird as the essential strategist, fundraiser, barnstormer, and ballast for her husband Lyndon offers “a penetrat...
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The Game
George Howe ColtA New York Times Notable Book A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year From the bestselling National Book Award finalist and author of The Big House comes “a wellblended narrative pa...
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Lessons in Disaster
Gordon M. GoldsteinA revelatory look at the decisions that led to the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, drawing on the insights and reassessments of one of the war's architects"I had a part in a great fai...
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Dead Wrong
Richard Belzer, David Wayne & Jesse VenturaFor years, the government has put out hits on people that they found “expendable,” or who they felt were “talking too much,” covering up their assassinations with drug overdo...
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Five Presidents
Clint Hill & Lisa McCubbin HillThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Kennedy and Me and Five Days in November reflects on his seventeen years on the Secret Service for presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, ...
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Showdown
Wil HaygoodThurgood Marshall brought down the separatebutequal doctrine, integrated schools, and not only fought for human rights and human dignity but also made them impossible to deny in th...
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The Gates
John ConnollyBursting with imagination and impossible to put down, this “wholly original” (People) and “refreshing” (San Francisco Chronicle) novel from New York Times bestselling author John C...
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How The Secret Changed My Life
Rhonda ByrneAn aweinspiring compilation of the most uplifting and powerful reallife stories from readers of the worldwide bestseller The Secret. Discover how everyday people completely transfo...
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The American Story
David M. RubensteinCofounder of The Carlyle Group and patriotic philanthropist David M. Rubenstein takes readers on a sweeping journey across the grand arc of the American story through revealing con...
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The Road to Camelot
Thomas OliphantA “provocative reconstruction of John F. Kennedy’s ‘fiveyear campaign’ for the White House” (The New Yorker), beginning with his bold, failed attempt to win the vice presidential n...