Last on His Feet: Jack Johnson and the Battle of the Century -- Youssef Daoudi, Hardcover

On the morning of July 4, 1910, thousands of boxing fans stormed a newly built stadium in Reno, Nevada, to witness an epic showdown. Jack Johnson, the world's first Black heavyweight champion--and most infamous athlete in the world because of his race--was paired against Jim Jeffries, a former heavyweight champion then heralded as the "great white hope." It was the height of the Jim Crow era, and spectators were eager for Jeffries to restore the racial hierarchy that Johnson had pummeled with his quick fists.

Transporting readers directly into the ring, artist Youssef Daoudi and poet Adrian Matejka intersperse dramatic boxing action with vivid flashbacks to reveal how Johnson, the self-educated son of formerly enslaved parents, reached the pinnacle of sport--all while facing down a racist justice system. Through a combination of breathtaking illustrations and striking verse, Last on His Feet honors a contentious civil rights figure who has for more than a century been denied his proper due.

Author: Youssef Daoudi, Adrian Matejka
Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Published: 02/21/2023
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.85lbs
Size: 9.62h x 7.22w x 1.06d
ISBN: 9781631495588

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 09/01/2022 pg. 21
Library Journal 12/01/2022 pg. 102
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2023
Publishers Weekly 01/16/2023