The Sixteenth Round: From Number 1 Contender to Number 45472
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- Author：Rubin Carter
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Summary
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was riding a wave of success。 The survivor of a difficult youth， he rose to become a top contender for the middleweight boxing crown。 But his career crashed to a halt on May 26， 1967， when he and another man were found guilty of the murder of three white people and sentenced to three consecutive life terms。 Written from prison and first published in 1974， The Sixteenth Round chronicles Hurricane's journey from the ring to solitary confinement。 The book was his cry for help to the public， an attempt to set the record straight and force a new trial。 Bob Dylan wrote his classic anthem "Hurricane" about his struggle， and Muhammad Ali and thousands of others took up his cause。 The power of Carter's voice， as well as his ironic humor， makes this an eloquent， soul-stirring account of a remarkable life。
Reviews
Giorgio Tiretti
，
Una storia che può sembrare tanto lontana da noi ma che in realtà viviamo ancora tutt'oggi。Il razzismo， un male che difficilmente estirperemo， che elevato all'ennesima potenza ha reso un pugile， che comunque aveva commesso degli errori in gioventù， ad essere perseguitato unicamente per il colore della sua pelle arrivando a contaminare anche la giustizia che dovrebbe essere imparziale。 Una storia che può sembrare tanto lontana da noi ma che in realtà viviamo ancora tutt'oggi。Il razzismo， un male che difficilmente estirperemo， che elevato all'ennesima potenza ha reso un pugile， che comunque aveva commesso degli errori in gioventù， ad essere perseguitato unicamente per il colore della sua pelle arrivando a contaminare anche la giustizia che dovrebbe essere imparziale。 。。。more
Jazzy
，
A truly disturbing the amount of injustice that Rubin Carter has been forced to endure durning his life。 An eye opening example of the wrongs people of color have been subjected to。
Bobbieshiann
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Fighting to protect his family is no stranger to any Black man。 Rubin “Hurricane” Carter fate seemed to be predicted early in his childhood。 Born into a religious household， his pastor father， beat structure into his children。 The day he gave Rubin to the cops for stealing， was the moment I knew things would not get easier for Rubin。 Yes， he did not have to struggle to eat or have clothing on his back， but being a Black boy in the 1940s had numerous challenges。 Rubin found a certain balance with Fighting to protect his family is no stranger to any Black man。 Rubin “Hurricane” Carter fate seemed to be predicted early in his childhood。 Born into a religious household， his pastor father， beat structure into his children。 The day he gave Rubin to the cops for stealing， was the moment I knew things would not get easier for Rubin。 Yes， he did not have to struggle to eat or have clothing on his back， but being a Black boy in the 1940s had numerous challenges。 Rubin found a certain balance with fighting from a very young age。 Fighting a neighborhood bully turned Rubin to fighting off predators and injustice until he made a career of it。 But once his father turned him in， Rubin started understanding racism and injustice first hand。 Sent to Jamesburg state home for stabbing a man（a predator）， Rubin started to build a name for himself。 “Though their crimes ranged from playing hockey to manslaughter， many of the boys I was in with should never have been sent to Jamesburg。 They had been plucked from their homes for vague reasons and thrust into an atmosphere more vicious than the slums they left could ever be”。 Eight-year-old kids became the prey of fifteen-year-old killers， rapists， and boys for whom crime had become the way of life”。 Jamesbrug was a jail for juvenile boys but it really was a place were children did slave work and it was Black boy versus Black boy to prove their ranking among each other。 Rubin fought his whole time there because of his speech impediment and because he would not fall in line to the white man or his peers。 That is until he escaped and was sent to a new state where he enlisted in the army at 17。Rubin’s life seemed to never slow down。 His speech impediment caused him to fight for peoples respect。 He vowed to never let a white man or adult figure prey on him in any way。 Rubin spent years in and out of jail but spent more time-fighting in the ring。 He became a protector of his people and never filtered his mouth。 He was feared in prison because he was seen as a problem to the law but they kept him locked up anyways and mostly in solitary confinement。 The police continuously harassed him but his hate towards injustice did not take away from his nurturing instinct。 He was a father， a son， and a friend too many。 He had his first encounter with sexuality when an older white man tried to prey on him。 This led to him seeing men have sex with each other from his juvenile and adult years locked up。 He witnessed Black man lose their strength and break and be crippled by the system。 His friends slowly died by the electric chair and that charged a furry inside of Rubin。 “I wanted to kill the system that had destroyed them， and if I had to go out sitting in the electric chair like the rest of my friends seemed to be doing — then fuck it！ I was going out smoking。” There was nothing simple about Rubin’s life and at the peak of his career， a racist copy would come back to haunt him。 Rubin was convicted of a triple murder in Paterson， New Jersey。 19 years in prison。 He lost friends， his wife， went without seeing his daughter， his career， but the system could not break him。 He was behind bars studying the law and educating his mind during the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Harlem Fruit Riot。 There were times where he wanted to give up hope。 Times when the police wanted to strip him of his humanity。 “The cops were killing me without even puling the triggers on their guns， destroying the one thing I loved to do best — fight — and therefore destroying me。 Killing me softly。 Just because I happened to stumble upon their plan of black mass murder”。 Rubin’s life is memorable。 His story will make you angry and damn sure sad but there was always a light in Rubin。 His natural instinct to help others and a fight that people feared but did not understand。 Rubin did not go looking for trouble but he would surely not be silent once it found him。 The biggest thing I learned from this book is that as a Black man， you cannot rest in this country。 There is no peak in success that grants that luxury。 We are targeted from the first birth we take。 This we all know is true but we must continue to educate ourselves and learn our history。 Learn each other's stories。 19 years after being released from prison， Rubin founded the Innocence International in 2004 and lectured about inequities in America’s criminal justice system and continued to help as many people as he could until he laid to rest。 。。。more
Anne Muskin
，
Raw。 Devastating。 I never imagined things could be this bad inside our nations jails。 An important read especially for younger people who don’t know so viscerally the truths of our nations racial pasts。。。 that really aren’t that long ago。 A precursor to this past summers riots。 A window into deep desperation with dignity and pride and HUMANITY in the most inhumane conditions。
David Gagen
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A confronting account of Rubin's battles in and out of the ring， and his eventual imprisonment at the hands of a racist justice system。 A confronting account of Rubin's battles in and out of the ring， and his eventual imprisonment at the hands of a racist justice system。 。。。more
Ian Curragh
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5starsThis is more than a boxing biography of Rubin Carter。 It is a remarkable fight for justice system。 It took 20 years to win his fight for freedom。 A true warrior in every sense。
Tristan Mayberry
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The story of The Hurricane has a lasting impression on me。 I first watched the movie when I was 9 years old and it was amazing。 I have watched it many times after that and it motivates me more than anything。 I just got to read the book and it was even better。 Rubin is an inspiration and his hard work and dedication really stood out to me。 He was in prison from an early age and instead of falling into the prison life he worked harder than anyone I’ve ever heard of and it paid off as a boxer and f The story of The Hurricane has a lasting impression on me。 I first watched the movie when I was 9 years old and it was amazing。 I have watched it many times after that and it motivates me more than anything。 I just got to read the book and it was even better。 Rubin is an inspiration and his hard work and dedication really stood out to me。 He was in prison from an early age and instead of falling into the prison life he worked harder than anyone I’ve ever heard of and it paid off as a boxer and for him writing his way out， and finally leaving jail。 Not only did it motivate me to work harder， but it made me tougher because throughout his life he had no help and the only way he got through everything was by being tough。 I would recommend this book to anyone because it’s interesting and it leaves you with a whole lot of life lessons。 。。。more
Yoel Bereket
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The best autobiography I've ever read。 Valor， strength， determination。 Rubin Carter tells the story of his life and it doesn't disappoint。 It truly is inspiring to see someone who never had the opportunity to finish formal education write in such an eloquent manner。 Falsely forced into the juvenile correction system and prison system， the amount of maturity that is developed by this man is awe inspiring and should be studied by anyone speaking wisdom and motivation in their lives。 The best autobiography I've ever read。 Valor， strength， determination。 Rubin Carter tells the story of his life and it doesn't disappoint。 It truly is inspiring to see someone who never had the opportunity to finish formal education write in such an eloquent manner。 Falsely forced into the juvenile correction system and prison system， the amount of maturity that is developed by this man is awe inspiring and should be studied by anyone speaking wisdom and motivation in their lives。 。。。more
Deedee
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Always a fascination with this man's life。 Terrible injustice。 Good "behind the scene" descriptions of prison/jail life。 Very interesting， if you're not a grammar nazi。 I missed a chance to hear him speak once and still regret it。 Amazing how little we've come in all the years since he was falsely convicted。 Always a fascination with this man's life。 Terrible injustice。 Good "behind the scene" descriptions of prison/jail life。 Very interesting， if you're not a grammar nazi。 I missed a chance to hear him speak once and still regret it。 Amazing how little we've come in all the years since he was falsely convicted。 。。。more
Linda Davis
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Great read， I recommend this book to be read by everyone。This book was a great read about the life of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter。 Even though he has long since been deceased， his memories are in the pages of his book that depicts the injustice he endured in his life。 There are some typos and graphic language， but overall a very good book。
Paisley Princess
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Imagine being incarcerated for 20-some odd years for a crime you know， the police department knows， and the department of corrections knows you did not commit？ We're not talking about public opinion， but certifiable facts that will prove your innocence。 The Patterson PD has a bone to pick with you， and they are going to stick it to you in a very big way。 Imagine yourself being Rubin "Hurricane" Carter， who went from a welter-weight champion to a cause celibre of everything that is wrong in the A Imagine being incarcerated for 20-some odd years for a crime you know， the police department knows， and the department of corrections knows you did not commit？ We're not talking about public opinion， but certifiable facts that will prove your innocence。 The Patterson PD has a bone to pick with you， and they are going to stick it to you in a very big way。 Imagine yourself being Rubin "Hurricane" Carter， who went from a welter-weight champion to a cause celibre of everything that is wrong in the American justice system。 。 He lays out his criminal past which began as a juvenile， and how "reform" schools did nothing more than make him a better criminal。 Around the same time he takes up boxing， and makes a name for himself （he took a tour of South Africa with the late Steven Biko， who warned him if he wanted to live he better stop catcalling a white woman）。 Right as the cusp of success， there is a Barroom shooting， and the rest as they say is。。history。 The Sixteenth Round reads like a story of a man going to the electric chair， who is screaming for someone， anyone to help him。 This was literally the biggest fight of his life。 He's angry， he's pleading， and he's desperate。 With a book so passionate and heartbreaking， it makes for a great read。 Although Rubin Carter wasn't an angel， but his story illustrates how easy it is to be on the wrong side of the law through no fault of your own。 。。。more
Steven Falconer
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Leveling Fantastic read and makes me thankful for the life I’ve lead。 The racism and religious hatred still exists today after all the present has learned。
Irene Fischer
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It was insightful， however， I may have expected more。
Jared
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"Hurricane is the professional name that I acquired later on in life。 It provides an accurate description of the destructive forces that rage within my soul。"THE HURRICANE IN POPULAR MEDIA- Denzel Washington move， 'The Hurricane' （1999）: https://youtu。be/FPIgb9k3cUo- Bob Dylan song， 'Hurricane' （1975）: https://youtu。be/pm6xCwNKtnQ***TOUGH CHILDHOOD- The kindest thing that I can say about my childhood is that I survived itFIRST FIGHT- When I reached the cellar， I vaguely made out the outline of B "Hurricane is the professional name that I acquired later on in life。 It provides an accurate description of the destructive forces that rage within my soul。"THE HURRICANE IN POPULAR MEDIA- Denzel Washington move， 'The Hurricane' （1999）: https://youtu。be/FPIgb9k3cUo- Bob Dylan song， 'Hurricane' （1975）: https://youtu。be/pm6xCwNKtnQ***TOUGH CHILDHOOD- The kindest thing that I can say about my childhood is that I survived itFIRST FIGHT- When I reached the cellar， I vaguely made out the outline of Bully’s body in the obscurity of the coal bin。 His features blended almost perfectly into the blueness of the coal he was stealing—- The fighting became easier then， and I found I liked it。 The more we fought， the better I seemed to get。- This was my first experience in fist fighting， and the fruits of my victory were sweet indeed。- But when I entered the kitchen， my father yoked me with an unfamiliar roughness。 He locked my head between his knees， pulled my pajama bottoms off， and whaled on my ass with the cord from the iron。- But what hurt more than anything else was that my father didn’t even try to find out of his little son had been justified in his actions or not。- he readily accepted someone else’s version because it had come from an adult， and not because it was the truth。- I couldn’t understand it， and I was hurt。 Hurt as only a small boy could be when his dad， his idol， has rejected the one contribution he feels he had made to the family—saving their coal。FIGHTING WAS A NEW POWER- This feeling reactivated my newly discovered fighting abilities， and as they struggled to pick Jimmy up， I tore into them for all I was worth， punching， kicking， and biting anything that got in my way。MORE AND MORE TROUBLE- The object of each Apache was to run past the display， grab as much of the merchandise as he could handle， and then escape without getting caught。- The following day I was placed on two years’ probation for petty larceny。- my comeuppance in southern New Jersey—to the Jamesburg State Home for Boys。。。a diabolical place of horror that I would be forever sorry to have known existed。LOSS OF HUMANITY- I lay there on the cold floor and gasped for breath。 The concrete slowly cooled the heat of combat that raged within me， but as it subsided， something else died， too。 I mean， some feeling， some sort of sensibility—call it benevolence for my fellowman—was gone now。 Wiped out in the face of this persistent violence， hatred and fear， it was replaced by a seething distrust of everything and everybody， except Rubin Carter。- they were all mentally abused products of a morally abusing environment， shamelessly vicious， corrupt， and depraved。 To make matters worse， these were contagious qualities。- In order to insure my feeble existence in this chamber of horror， I would have to forget about ethics and morality， etiquette and formality。- it became an awareness， a reality It was a phenomenon that would haunt me for the rest of my life。 People were actually afraid of me—even my own， family， even Lillian。LONELINESS- Somewhere， someplace， I had once read that loneliness at times is as important as a lover 。。。 and that a true individualist has got to be lonely。DETERMINATION- As I grew older， and more and more embittered with life， I became more and more committed to a philosophy of hardcore determinism。 I began to believe that every human being born on this earth， and every atom residing within the universe， had to follow its destiny， and only survived to minister to its purpose; that a greater ruling power， call it what you will， shaped and formed all of life。- My next four jumps went much the same way， and when I finally graduated and received my wings， it was a great day of reckoning in my life。 It was a day in which I proved to myself that I could do anything I desired to do， just as long as I had the will and determination to keep on pushing on。SELF MASTERY- I found that I could control some of the involuntary responses of my body。 If I didn’t want to get tired—even when everybody else around me was falling out from sheer exhaustion—I wouldn’t。- He had a stamina of the soul that outweighed any of my physical attributes。FOCUS- But inside me I felt a need to get something better for myself than this continual violence。 I knew I would never leave this place of tortured souls alive unless I could change my attitude， reorder my priorities， and rechannel all aimlessly spent energy。- So I decided to give up all of the worthless luxuries that most of the inmates craved- My training program began at four o’clock every morning when the church bells across the street would chime。- Once back from the mess hall I would sit down at my desk and read Sigmund Freud， C。 G。 Jung， and Machiavelli- Then I would put my books away and furiously shadowbox for a solid hour。- At the end of the long hard day， when everything had quieted down and cooled off after chow， I would climb right back into my books。 Studying long and hard， I learned new things about myself， and about， other people。 I was determined to grow rather than become stagnated and conform to the degraded ways that were this penitentiary’s wont。- Packing up my books， I would then get into the remaining exercises of my day: more push-ups， sit-ups， and more-shadowboxing。DEPENDENCY- Too much dependency in jail subdued a man’s ambition and forced him to become a slave to his desires: friends， food， excessive drink， and women—these were things I would have to stay away from。KNOWLEDGE- “Knowledge，” he said， “and especially of one’s self， has in it the potential power to overcome all barriers。 Wisdom is the godfather of it all。”FREEDOM- Although a man’s behavior， as well as his emotions， can be controlled to a certain degree， his mind—once it has known freedom—can never again be completely controlled。PRIDE， DIGNITY- Stronger than dirt， mightier than the sword， more satisfying than sex， than life， is pride！- men without dignity are like clowns without an audience， pathetic and lost。- That meant I had to find some way to make him stand still and fight， instead of getting up on his bicycle and backpedaling all night long。 And I had just the thing to do it with， too—his pride。 Because Emile Griffith was notoriously proud。HUMILITY- But a long time before， I had decided that no matter how high I flew in my career， or to what heights I scaled， I would never get too big to remember my people—or forget that I was still one of them。RAGE- Quiet rage became my constant companion。 It formed， crystal-like， against a solid backdrop of persistent helplessness， terror， and humiliation。STANDING FOR SOMETHING- Once a man starts backing away from what he believes is right， he won’t easily find a way to go forward again。EMPOWERMENT THROUGH RELIGION- But since embracing Islam， I tried to look at the practical side of every situation， sorting out the probabilities， cataloging the possibilities， and then mapping out a proper plan to meet the action。RACIAL INJUSTICES- The white soldiers were allowed to go into the chophouses while the rest of us were forced to remain where we were， eating cold bologna sandwiches。BOXING FOR THE US ARMY- Nelson Glenn had been the All-Army Heavyweight Champ for the past two years， and was well on his way to repeating that feat again this season。 And here I was getting ready to box him—me！- I bobbed out， feinted， then darted back in again， and lashed out with my first punch of the fight—a blurring left hook that caught the heavyweight flush on the point of his chin。 And down he spilled on the canvas。 It probably startled me more than it did him。- It was at that moment in my life， after having searched in strife for so many years， that I finally knew exactly what I had been created for: fighting。- Two good years， during which I twice racked up the European Light-Welterweight Championship by winning fifty-one bouts—thirty-five by knockouts—and sustained only five losses。SPEECH IMPEDIMENT - I had an acute speech impediment at that time and could never say three clear words that made any sense to anyone but me。- Any effort I made to talk made my speech worse， and therefore my habit was to speak as little as possible。- I trusted no one， nor any material thing。 I never could talk， and when incarcerated at Jamesburg， I had stopped trying。- As I began learning how to talk with some clarity， all the knowledge that I had picked up in the course of my life simply by remaining quiet and listening， began to pour from my mouth like the unbridled NiagaraOTHER LIFE LESSONS- But I found out that， violent and destructive as the neighborhood was， there was one good principle to be learned by all， and it has remained with me throughout my life。 This was the acceptance of people， regardless of race， creed， or color。- It’s not what a man says that makes him what he is， it’s what he does，ACCUSED OF A TRIPLE HOMICIDE- On October 14， 1966， four months after the crime had been committed， John Artis and I were arrested and charged with triple murder。- Well， I will tell you， in his voice， it was there， and everything around this case revolves around that simple fact。 They were Negro。- At about noon， the jury went out to begin its deliberations。 They had an hour off for lunch， another hour to smoke and get comfortable in the jury room。 It took them about an hour and a half more to reach a verdict。- Their verdict was guilty as charged on all three counts， but with a recommendation of mercy， or life imprisonment。WORKING TO LEAVE PRISON- So it was a white man again—and a cop at that—who came to my rescue。 He was Frederick W。 Hogan， the same police officer who had stayed with me up in my training camp。 He had been overseas while I was on trial for my life。 When he came back home， he quit the police force and joined the Public Defender’s Office as an investigator。- Carter ultimately spent 19 years in prison and was released， exonerated。 He moved to Canada and died in 2014: https://www。usatoday。com/story/sports。。。HAHA- I had a new sister， named Rosalie。 Now that puzzled the hell out of me。 I mean， I had always been under the impression that babies were found under cabbage leaves， and this new development seemed mighty strange to me。 Here I was with a brand-new baby sister， and， as I knew doggone well， my father didn’t have a vegetable garden。- “Sympathy！” I exploded。 “I don’t want your goddamn sympathy！ That’s only a word between shit and syphilis in the dictionary， and I ain’t got any use for either one of them，” I said。FACTOIDS- it was a steel-enforced， four-walled enclosure that measured an even furlong （A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U。S。 customary units equal to one eighth of a mile or 220 yards） 。。。more
Lauren
，
This was a hard read。 I knew it would be， already having a decent amount of background information between articles and the movie。 But aside from the obvious difficulty with swallowing a story like this， the writing itself is angry （understandably， sure） and the language harsh。 Several times I put it down， and contemplated leaving it alone entirely， due to pages and pages of homophobic commentary。 The irony of this discrimination shouldn’t be lost on anyone。 That doesn’t invalidate the level of This was a hard read。 I knew it would be， already having a decent amount of background information between articles and the movie。 But aside from the obvious difficulty with swallowing a story like this， the writing itself is angry （understandably， sure） and the language harsh。 Several times I put it down， and contemplated leaving it alone entirely， due to pages and pages of homophobic commentary。 The irony of this discrimination shouldn’t be lost on anyone。 That doesn’t invalidate the level of injustice served， though， and it’s worth reading his telling of the events。 。。。more
Laura
，
I didn't know who Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was before I started this book but we got pretty intimate over the last few weeks。His story is amazing but also， sadly， not unusual。 I believe someone in the Kalief Browder doc said that innocent people get the worst treatment in jail/prison because they know they do not deserve the treatment and they are more likely to speak out against it。It's a snapshot of New Jersey penitentiaries in the 1960s/1970s and again， sadly， not too much has changed。Carter I didn't know who Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was before I started this book but we got pretty intimate over the last few weeks。His story is amazing but also， sadly， not unusual。 I believe someone in the Kalief Browder doc said that innocent people get the worst treatment in jail/prison because they know they do not deserve the treatment and they are more likely to speak out against it。It's a snapshot of New Jersey penitentiaries in the 1960s/1970s and again， sadly， not too much has changed。Carter writes wonderfully， often with interesting metaphors。 His speaking voice also interjects his prose and makes it that much more intimate。Read this alongside watching the Browder doc on Netflix and then check out the new book The Sun Does Shine - a man's memoir about being innocent yet on death row。 。。。more
Onlyup
，
Ive read around 200 books and this is in my top 10。 It really touched me 。 And its the best autobiography biography ive ever read。 I find my self turning to this book in my dark moments for some reason i feel robe would understand me and i can also relate to him。
Mellius
，
Ruben 'Hurricane' Carters noodkreet uit de gevangenis， waar hij tot levenslang veroordeeld zat voor een moord die hun niet begaan kon hebben。 Carter maakt al snel duidelijk dat hij geen lievelingetje was， maar ook wordt het pijnlijk duidelijk hoe racistisch de autoriteiten en het rechtssysteem in Amerika was （en wellicht nog is）。 Het leven van Ruben Carter was één lang gevecht vol geweld en onrecht。 En daarmee het boek ook。 Ruben 'Hurricane' Carters noodkreet uit de gevangenis， waar hij tot levenslang veroordeeld zat voor een moord die hun niet begaan kon hebben。 Carter maakt al snel duidelijk dat hij geen lievelingetje was， maar ook wordt het pijnlijk duidelijk hoe racistisch de autoriteiten en het rechtssysteem in Amerika was （en wellicht nog is）。 Het leven van Ruben Carter was één lang gevecht vol geweld en onrecht。 En daarmee het boek ook。 。。。more
Anita G
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Amazing true story
Wesley Poelman
，
A truly incredible story about a remarkable man。 Rubin ' Hurricane' Carter。 Never forget his name。 A truly incredible story about a remarkable man。 Rubin ' Hurricane' Carter。 Never forget his name。 。。。more
Sian
，
If you haven't already read this book I highly recommend that you do and also watch the film 'The Hurricane'。 Having watched the film first immediately afterwards I had to buy the book。 - Both are Inspirational and moving。 If you haven't already read this book I highly recommend that you do and also watch the film 'The Hurricane'。 Having watched the film first immediately afterwards I had to buy the book。 - Both are Inspirational and moving。 。。。more
Autumn Stars
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He had to pull from places within himself he didn't know he had。 What great strength！ Very emotional yet inspiring read。 He had to pull from places within himself he didn't know he had。 What great strength！ Very emotional yet inspiring read。 。。。more
Dennis
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Rarely enjoyed reading a book such as this。 Not only did Rubin Carter have a rollercoater ride for a life that's more than worth telling about， but he also has a unique outlook on things and an entertaining way of telling the story of his life without pulling any punches。 Rarely enjoyed reading a book such as this。 Not only did Rubin Carter have a rollercoater ride for a life that's more than worth telling about， but he also has a unique outlook on things and an entertaining way of telling the story of his life without pulling any punches。 。。。more
Ryan
，
Is the movie better than the book？ I wonder if that's only because the film， adapted decades later， offers a more comforting resolution。 The book is indeed depressing， and it is hard to read because its story is so sad， frustrating， infuriating。。。 Is the movie better than the book？ I wonder if that's only because the film， adapted decades later， offers a more comforting resolution。 The book is indeed depressing， and it is hard to read because its story is so sad， frustrating， infuriating。。。 。。。more
Steve Cran
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What does it take to make someone a great fighter like Rubin "Hurricane" Carter？ This book might tell you what it takes and then a whole lot more。 THe book will definitely tel you what it is like to ba an African American growing up in racist New Jersey。 You see it was this hard life pelted with racism that made the Hurricane who he was。 Born a fighter coming out of the womb， he was the son to a Lutheran preacher who was rather strict around the house。 Hurricane one time saw someone stealing his What does it take to make someone a great fighter like Rubin "Hurricane" Carter？ This book might tell you what it takes and then a whole lot more。 THe book will definitely tel you what it is like to ba an African American growing up in racist New Jersey。 You see it was this hard life pelted with racism that made the Hurricane who he was。 Born a fighter coming out of the womb， he was the son to a Lutheran preacher who was rather strict around the house。 Hurricane one time saw someone stealing his families coal， and beating up one of his brothers， so Hurricane beat him up。 Instead of being praised for defending the coal his father punished Hurricane without even hearing his side of the story 。Hurricane's father would later move to a nicer house in a crappier neighborhood 。 It was here that Hurricane would get introduced to the Apaches。 THe local neighborhood gang which would organize fights with rival gangs and steal clothes 。 It was on one of these occasions where Hurricane had stolen a bunch of clothes that his father turned him in to the cops。 This got his feet wet in the juvenile system and exp[osed him t the racism inherent in our nation's legal system。 Later in his young life Huirricane and his friends would be hanging around a local river when a local pervert tried to molest Hurricane and a few friends。 It turned out that Hurricane ends up stabbing the pervert which results in him getting incarcerated till he was 21。 In the system Hurricane details and explains how racist the system is with prison guards and cops constants i9nsulting African AMericans， using racial epithets ， and down right cruel physical abuse。 The guards are sadistic and they are extra mean to African AMericans。 White prisoners were not subjected to such treatment， in fact it is the cops who get off and making African AMerican lives difficult and would not lose sleep if they killed one。Hurricane would later join the military after escaping the facility 。 He became a paratreooper and discovered the Muslim faith。 It was in the military that he discovered his love for boxing and what he was meant to do。 Upon returning to the states he would get incarcerated again for the crime of doing nothing。 Later in his frustration he would pick pocket someone's purse and get locked up for a nether three years。 It was here that he honed his desire to become a prize fighter。THE world of prize fighting is not as pretty as ne might think。 Promoters make the money while the fighter gets cheated and ripped off。 A promoter will use a fighter until they are no good and then throw them to the proverbial scrap yard when they can fight no longer。 Things are even worse if you are African AMerican。Things culminate for Hurricane when he is accused of a triple murder he did not commit。 Reading his account of what happened will give you insight into how cruel our system was and perhaps still is to African AMericans。 The clear intent of the state was to lock up and possibly kill Rubin Carter。 He was outspoken in telling his people to defend themselves against white cop oppression 。 The trial was a pic circus and a =joke with so many mistakes from law enforcement it was sad。 Great autobiography and after reading this you will feel ashamed to live in a land where justice is a game。 。。。more
Eladio Rivera
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Great autobiography。
Jon Barber
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Gave up on this book finally。 There are too many better books out there about wrongful imprisonment and racism and society failing。
Finn
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I loved this book， which did a great job on keeping me wanting to read more。 It shows a former boxer coping with his anger in prison for a crime he did not commit。 He had every right to be angry for the racist cops pinned three murders on him， and gave him an all white jury。 This book shows him fighting not only racism， and of course before he was arrested and boxing， but also for freedom。 I strongly recommend this book， and I enjoyed it a lot。
Christine Fay
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This non-fiction account of Rubin’s time in juvenile jail， and Trenton State Prison is well documented and full of angst， but it is also full of resolve and hope for the future。 This is the book which a young Canadian boy happened upon at a thrift shop and upon reading these words， set about forging a team that would eventually free Rubin from this wrongful conviction based on racism。 It’s a tale of what the human spirit can endure， a tale of hope， despair and ultimately vindication。 There is so This non-fiction account of Rubin’s time in juvenile jail， and Trenton State Prison is well documented and full of angst， but it is also full of resolve and hope for the future。 This is the book which a young Canadian boy happened upon at a thrift shop and upon reading these words， set about forging a team that would eventually free Rubin from this wrongful conviction based on racism。 It’s a tale of what the human spirit can endure， a tale of hope， despair and ultimately vindication。 There is some language and violence in this title， so mainly recommended for an older audience。 。。。more
Joseph McCarthy
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