eBay

I May Be Wrong But I Doubt It~by Charles Barkley~

❇️BRAND NEW HARDCOVER~ 1st Edition

Charles Barkley has never been shy about expressing his opinions. Michael Jordan once said that we all want to say the things that Barkley says, but we don’t dare. But even die-hard followers of the all-time NBA great, the star of TNT’s Inside the NBA and CNN’s TalkBack Live, will be astonished by just how candid and provocative he is in this book—and just how big his ambitions are. Though he addresses weighty issues with a light touch and prefers to stir people to think by making them laugh, there’s nothing Charles Barkley shies away from here—not race, not class, not big money, not scandal, not politics, not personalities, nothing. “Early on,” says Washington Post columnist and ESPN talk show host Michael Wilbon in his Introduction, “Barkley made his peace with mixing it up, and decided the consequences were very much worth it to him. And that makes him as radically different in these modern celebrity times as a 6-foot-4-inch power forward.”

If there’s one thing Charles Barkley knows, it’s the crying need for honest, open discussion in this country—the more uncomfortable the subject, the more necessary the dialogue. And if the discussion leader can be as wise, irreverent, (occasionally) profane and (consistently) funny as Charles Barkley, so much the better. Many people are going to be shocked and scandalized by I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It, but many more will stand up and cheer. Like Molly Ivins or Bill O’Reilly, Charles Barkley is utterly his own thinker, and everything he says comes from deep reflection. One way or another, if more blood hasn’t reached your brain by the time you’ve finished this book, maybe you’ve been embalmed.

NBA star Barkley-still only the second basketball player in history, along with Wilt Chamberlain, to total more than 23,000 points, 12,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists-has refused to go quietly into the mists of sports legends. One of the most controversial professional athletes in any sport, Barkley has repositioned himself as an outspoken and provocative sports commentator for the TNT network, reaping a new and large viewing audience in the process. This sports memoir-Barkley's first-is a highly entertaining and remarkably thoughtful work that successfully continues his ongoing repositioning from on-court wild man to provocative analyst. "I'm trying to transition from sports into something broader, with wider social implications," he writes. In a book that often reads like an overlong Sports Illustrated interview, Barkley explores a wide range of interests. Each chapter has a theme, and Barkley has no problem speaking his mind on any topic, whether it is politics ("Poor white people and poor black people just don't know how much they have in common. Rich people don't give a damn about either group") or lack of minority control in sports ("Black people ought to want other black people to be successful and work hard and accumulate some wealth and build a new damn reality"). In between these chapters are other sections that retell some of the great and not-so-great moments in his career, such as his involvement with Michael Jordan in the U.S. Olympic medal-winning "Dream Team." But transitions within and between chapters can often be jarring (in one chapter he suddenly launches into a criticism of abusive priests). Despite that, this is a very entertaining look at one of the most intelligent minds in pro sports, and like Barkley's career, it's bound to produce fierce arguments.

Barkley was named one of the top 50 players in NBA history and, since recently retiring, has served as a popular studio analyst for TNT's basketball coverage. This, however, is not a basketball book per se. Instead, in the guise of a memoir, it is a series of riffs and rants on a variety of topics by a man who sometimes talks about going into politics. At times, the subject matter is repetitive, and occasionally Barkley's arguments can be self-contradictory. More often, though, the observations are dead-on. For example, on the subject of the "keepin' it real" attitude of athletes who have struck it rich but continue self-consciously to keep the trappings of poverty, Barkely feels that nothing could be phonier or more self-destructive. Noted sports writer Wilbon edited the book, but the tone is clearly and happily all Sir Charles. The outspoken Barkley has always been an intelligent and provocative guy who can be entertaining while also having something worthwhile to say.

Former NBA great Barkley was known for his candor and humor in the postgame locker room. Since his retirement, he's been a studio analyst for Turner Broadcasting's NBA coverage. The candor and humor have continued unabated along with Barkley asides on such topics as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) as he munched a hamburger onscreen, the New York Knicks (he opined that ratings were bad because the lackluster Knicks were always on), and politics (he is a strident Republican). Be forewarned; in his autobiography (Outrageous, 1993), he insisted he was misquoted when asked about a particularly controversial statement. Topically he ranges far and wide here, touching on everything from growing up poor to Tiger Woods to the positives and negatives of celebrity to his own twisted sense of humor. And speaking of the latter, one of his standard lines at a party is to claim that nothing makes him more nervous than watching white people dance. This is fun reading peppered with common sense. When Barkley explains his Republican affiliation, part of his rationale is that black people in Mississippi (his home state) have been voting Democratic for generations yet are as far down the economic scale as ever. It's hard to argue with his logic. Barkley's celebrity commands interest, and rest assured there will be controversy associated with Barkley's opinions.

"Charles Barkley always makes me laugh, and he always makes me think. He hasn't held anything back in his book -- if anything, this is the most personal I've ever seen him. The only whopper is the title: when has Barkley ever admitted to being wrong?"

-- Tiger Woods

“Whether you think he’s wrong or right, you’ll never find Charles Barkley dull, evasive or afraid. He’s blunt, honest and funny as hell, a man with strong convictions and a determination to express them without fear of offending the sensibilities of more timid souls. He’s got guts, and there’s as much to admire in this book as there is in the man. In I May Be Wrong, But I Doubt It, Barkley refers to one of my campaigns as a rough experience. It might have been, but at least I never had to post up against Sir Charles. Now that would have been really hard.”

-- Senator John McCain

“I find Charles to be great company on the golf course. Of course, he has never been shy about his opinions, and he has not changed for this book! Charles addresses issues that are important to all of us, not just people close to the game of basketball. Frank, funny and provocative, this is a book that will stir people to think.”

-- Dean Smith

Charles Barkley has never been shy about expressing his opinions. Michael Jordan once said that we all want to say the things that Barkley says, but we dont dare. But even die-hard followers of the all-time NBA great, the star of TNTs Inside the NBA and CNNs TalkBack Live, will be astonished by just how candid and provocative he is in this bookand just how big his ambitions are. Though he addresses weighty issues with a light touch and prefers to stir people to think by making them laugh, theres nothing Charles Barkley shies away from herenot race, not class, not big money, not scandal, not politics, not personalities, nothing. Early on, says Washington Post columnist and ESPN talk show host Michael Wilbon in his Introduction, Barkley made his peace with mixing it up, and decided the consequences were very much worth it to him. And that makes him as radically different in these modern celebrity times as a 6-foot-4-inch power forward.

If theres one thing Charles Barkley knows, its the crying need for honest, open discussion in this countrythe more uncomfortable the subject, the more necessary the dialogue. And if the discussion leader can be as wise, irreverent, (occasionally) profane and (consistently) funny as Charles Barkley, so much the better. Many people are going to be shocked and scandalized by I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It, but many more will stand up and cheer. Like Molly Ivins or Bill OReilly, Charles Barkley is utterly his own thinker, and everything he says comes from deep reflection. One way or another, if more blood hasnt reached your brain by the time youve finished this book, maybe youve been embalmed.

-- Tiger Woods

-- Senator John McCain

-- Dean Smith

About the Author

Charles Barkley is a studio analyst for TNT’s Inside the NBA, a regular contributor to CNN’s TalkBack Live and a frequent color commentator. Named one of the fifty greatest NBA players of all time, he was selected to eleven All-Star teams and won the NBA’s MVP award in 1993. He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Michael Wilbon is a Washington Post sports columnist and the cohost, with Tony Kornheiser, of the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption. He lives outside Washington, D.C.

Publisher ‎Random House; 1st edition (October 1, 2002)

Language ‎English

Hardcover ‎272 pages

ISBN-10 ‎037550883X

ISBN-13 ‎978-0375508837

Item Weight ‎1.1 pounds

Dimensions ‎5.77 x 1.08 x 8.53 inches

❇️WHO’S AFRAID OF A LARGE BLCK MAN~Like New Hardcover 1st Edition

Citing the obstacles standing in the way of harmonious race relations in the United States, a cautionary analysis of the nation's growing racial segregation describes the author's experiences of talking about race with interviewees ranging from students to KKK members, addressing such issues as interracial relationships, affirmative action, and racial stereotypes. 300,000 first printing.

Racism," Charles Barkley says, "is the biggest cancer of my lifetime. And I know I can't cure the cancer, but doesn't somebody have to attack it?" Barkley's means of attack in Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man?--not surprising from one of the most outspoken athletes of our time--is to break past the taboo of race by talking about it in the open. What might be surprising is that Barkley steps aside and lets other people talk, too. While in his previous bestseller, I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It, the former NBA MVP and current TNT commentator held forth on a wide variety of subjects, for his new book he sought out a baker's dozen of leading figures in entertainment, business, and government (and yes, one athlete) and sat down with each for a frank conversation about race.

Of course race is not a simple topic, and each discussion heads in its own direction. Tiger Woods speaks both of his biracial identity and of how moving it was to see the black staff at Augusta National lined up to see him put on the green jacket as Masters champion. George Lopez talks about the pressures of creating a breakthrough Latino sitcom in an almost all-white industry. Film producer Peter Guber surprises Barkley when he says that he made The Color Purple out of economic self-interest, not idealism. Many of the discussions turn, like Guber's, not to traditional civil rights but to economics, which Rabbi Steven Leder calls the real "last taboo subject in America." It's clear that the audience Barkley most hopes to reach with this book is the young black men and women that he and many of his interview subjects are concerned about. "We're losing," activist Marian Wright Edelman tells him, "and if we don't stop this trend, we're going to be headed back to slavery." Barkley's celebrity subjects can provide some models for success for those readers, but one also hopes Barkley can continue the conversation by turning the spotlight on those struggling with the problems of race outside the sometimes protective glare of fame. --Tom Nissley

Who's Afraid of Talking to a Large Black Man?

Throughout his career, Charles Barkley has always been willing--quite willing--to call it as he sees it, making him one of the most quotable athletes of his era and, many have suggested, a future political candidate. He's as happy talking issues as talking hoops, and for his new book, Who's Afraid of a Large Black Man? he sat down for conversations across the country about the troublesome topic of race in America. We had our own conversation on the subject with Sir Charles: Read it to find why he wrote the book, what he tells his own biracial daughter about race, and why he thinks sports can be a model for race relations.

From Publishers Weekly

Don't let the cheeky title, the byline or the picture on the cover fool you: this is a serious book that's not about Charles Barkley. Instead, this work, edited by the Washington Post and ESPN's Wilbon, is a candid collection of 13 interviews by Barkley with prominent Americans like Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Tiger Woods, Morgan Freeman and comedian George Lopez on the oft-avoided subject of race. Barkley, well known for outspokenness as a player and an on-air commentator, challenges his interviewees to deal with this delicate issue head on. Barkley wisely keeps his opinions brief, letting his dynamic counterparts take center stage. In doing so he gets these stars to open up on how American society fares on such topics as racism, race relations, welfare reform, economic and social discrimination and creating opportunities for minorities. Mixed in with the bigger name celebs and politicians are lesser-known folk, such as Robert Johnson (the NBA's first black owner), the Children's Defense Fund's Miriam Wright Edelman (who laments that there are "580,000 black men in prison compared to about 45,000 who graduate from college each year") and Rabbi Steven Leder. For all the different backgrounds and opinions, all the participants believe the racial divide in America can only be bridged with a combination of reforms to our educational, medical and economic practices and a strong self-evaluation by the African-American community. Everyone also agrees that a core group of strong black leaders must emerge for these changes to be enacted. Surprisingly, this eye-opening book might point to Barkley as just such a leader. (Apr. 5)

Publisher ‎Penguin Press HC, The; First Edition (March 31, 2005)

Language ‎English

Hardcover ‎256 pages

ISBN-10 ‎1594200424

ISBN-13 ‎978-0641760938

Reading age ‎18 years and up

Item Weight ‎1.1 pounds

Dimensions ‎6.2 x 0.94 x 9.32 inches