Tyson

Beschreibung

Beast. Monster. Savage. Psycho. The glowering menace of Mike Tysonhas spooked us for almost two decades. And still we remainfascinated. Why? Ellis Cashmore's answer is disturbing: whitesociety has created Tyson as vengeance for the loss of privilegeproduced by civil rights. Cashmore's eviscerating analysis of Tyson's life and the culturein which he grew up, rose to prominence and descended into disgraceprovokes the reader into re-thinking the role of one of the mostcontroversial and infamous figures of recent history. Told as anodyssey-style homeward journey to Tyson's multi-pathologicalorigins in the racially-explosive ghettos of the 1960s, Tyson'sstory is part biography, part tragedy and part exposition. Hisassociations with people like Al Sharpton, Don King and TupacShakur shaped his life; and events, such as the O J Simpson trialand the Rodney King riots, formed a turbulent background for theTyson psychodrama. Over the course of an epic boxing career, Tyson was transformedfrom the most celebrated athlete on earth to a primal, malevolenthate-figure. Yet, even after being condemned as a brute, Tysonretained a power - a power to captivate. Cashmore reveals that thesources of that power lie as much in us as in Tyson himself.

Autor*in

Ellis Cashmore

Themen in »Tyson«

Communication & Media Studies Kommunikation u. Medienforschung Kultursoziologie Sociology Sociology of Culture Soziologie

Stimmen zu »Tyson«

"A terrific read! This a fascinating study of a centralfigure in American life. Meticulously researched and perfectlytimed, Tyson does more than any previous work to put MikeTyson's story in its proper sprawling context." Grant Wahl, Sports Illustrated "Ellis Cashmore has gone beneath the persona of Tyson withintelligent sensitivity. He has pointed us towards the motives inthe psyche of an extraordinary figure in the history of sport andanalysed why Tyson remains such a figure of fascination to so manypeople." John Goodbody, The Times "Ellis Cashmore's book will fascinate and frustratean unusually wide range of readers. He juxtaposes the biography ofMike Tyson against mini-narratives of other prominent athletes andcelebrities, African American leaders, and contemporaneousincidents, allowing biographical narrative to unfold almostseamlessly into analysis and cultural history. In situating Tysonin his times, Cashmore offers an uncompromising critique of latetwentieth-century US race relations, as well as presenting acompelling account of an intriguing career and lifestory." Douglas Hartmann, University of Minnesota "His account is a well-written and fascinating attempt to helpus understand this. It will undoubtedly appeal to a largereadership. It is not a purely academic read, but neither is it atrashy hagiography. As such it deserves a broad audience outside ofwhat is traditional for an 'academic' book." Guy Osborn, University of Westminster
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