I Came as a Shadow

An Autobiography

De: John Thompson, Jesse Washington

Narrado por: Jesse Washington

Duración: 10 h y 57 m

Resumen del Editor

"From his time growing up to his remarkable career at Georgetown University, contractual deals with Nike, and meaningful moments off the court - this is a fascinating audiobook. [Narrator Jesse] Washington brings the right level of emotion, doesn't imitate anyone, and gives Thompson's words the respect they deserve. A must-listen for anyone whose mind is made up on Thompson." (AudioFile magazine)

The long-awaited autobiography from Georgetown University’s legendary coach, whose life on and off the basketball court threw America’s unresolved struggle with racial justice into sharp relief.

John Thompson was never just a basketball coach and I Came as a Shadow is categorically not just a basketball autobiography.

After three decades at the center of race and sports in America, the first Black head coach to win an NCAA championship makes the private public at last. Chockful of stories and moving beyond mere stats (and what stats! three Final Fours, four times national coach of the year, seven Big East championships, 97 percent graduation rate), Thompson’s book drives us through his childhood under Jim Crow segregation to our current moment of racial reckoning. We experience riding shotgun with Celtics icon Red Auerbach, and coaching NBA Hall of Famers like Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson. How did he inspire the phrase “Hoya Paranoia”? You’ll see. And thawing his historically glacial stare, Thompson brings us into his negotiation with a DC drug kingpin in his players’ orbit in the 1980s, as well as behind the scenes of his years on the Nike board.

Thompson’s mother was a teacher who couldn’t teach because she was Black. His father could not read or write, so the only way he could identify different cements at the factory where he worked was to taste them. Their son grew up to be a man with his own life-sized statue in a building that bears his family’s name on a campus once kept afloat by the selling of 272 enslaved people. This is a great American story, and John Thompson’s experience sheds light on many of the issues roiling our nation. In this audio - a last gift from “Coach” - he proves himself to be the elder statesman whose final words college basketball and the country need to hear.

I Came as a Shadow is not a swan song, but a bullhorn blast from one of America’s most prominent sons. Huddle up.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company

©2020 John Thompson (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

2021, New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year

Came as a Shadow & Left a Visible Mark in History

I absolutely loved this story. John Thompson came as a shadow. He arrived quietly on the scene and gradually became visible to all. In this book, John talks about more than basketball but about life itself. He is transparent about his personal feelings about his decision-making whether they were good or bad. He spoke not only about racism in sports but in this country. Sadly, racism is still an issue today. Yet, John teaches us how we can beat the odds when the cards are stacked against us.

John makes no apologies. He doesn't sugarcoat anything. He tells it like it is whether you believe him or accept what he has to say. A lot of what we thought we knew about John was what the media told us. It was refreshing to read what actually happened and what John thought of the situation. For instance, when he met with Notorious Drug Kingpin Rayful Edmond and when he met with Nike owner, Phil Knight, and how he helped Mr. Knight before Air Jordan elevated the business. Also, he discussed his meeting with Ann Iverson, Allen Iverson's mother. I also appreciated the back stories of Patrick Ewing and how he dealt with racism. I appreciated the stories about local basketball legends who became great after basketball at Georgetown, like Michael Jackson (not the singer) but ball player, and how he was responsible for the TNT NBA commentaries like Shaq and Kenny Smith. For a man who lived a quiet and private life, it felt good to be invited into John Thompson's psyche and understanding what made him tick.

Yes, John was stoic, controlling, arrogant, selfish at times, and his body was as big as his ego, and filled with black pride, but he was also smart, brilliant, practical, and he really cared about his players. His heart was as tender as the towel he carried across his shoulder during games. It represented his mother and her hard work to get him to be the man he became. He wanted to win games and not save every black kid out there, but often times it happened that way. Mentoring fell into his lap and he accepted it whether he wanted to or not.

Although Thompson lost more big games than he won, in the end, he proved to be one of the biggest champions in college sports because he changed lives and institutions. He helped build brands and peoples' characters. Although he came as a shadow, he left his mark in the history of Washington, DC forever!

Coach Thompson

This was outstanding. I’ve always admired coach Thompson. Glad he shared these gems with us. Rest Well Coach

Amazing Story!

Absolutely loved it! What a story! Always a John Thompson fan, this book showed how much bigger he was!

Real Talk

This book gives you a behind the scenes perspective of the challenges and triumphs of his life (and what a life it was). Coach Thompson says early in this text, this is not a book about basketball but a book about life. John Thompson was and still is a hero of mine and this book further validates my feelings about him. RIP Coach.

Best racial reckoning of college basketball to date

Georgetown had less than 100 black students out of 4,000 when John Thompson became head hoops coach. His lens, coming from DC projects, is crystal clear in how to unapologetically uplift people like him through disciplined excellence and float all university athletic boats who choose to wake up.

An amazing look into the life of a Legend

This book should be read by every child before they graduate from high school. I would have said middle school but the language might be a little much. This book is real world stuff! You can’t deny what this man accomplished in his life. His success is undeniable but his off the court accomplishments were even greater. This book does a great job of holding up a mirror in face of America to we can see how ugly and beautiful we really are. This is a must read!

Big John

Fantastic story about a wonderful person that many misunderstood. A great coach who was also a great man.

Unapologetically Great!

I'm going to start off with, I'm not sure I've enjoyed a listen this much in a long time.

John's story is about way more than basketball. That's what John really was to many, more than basketball. His story is told in a way that flows well, providing vignettes of various moments of personal significance in his life. None seems prolonged and are told in a way that is interesting. He's always been one of those people that "if you listen to closely enough you just might learn something", and his book is no different. I think people who know DC and MD well will enjoy aspects of his story as he talks about growing up in the area.

For me, this book had a bit more personal connection in it as John is about the same age as my father, grew up in the region of the country my parents grew up, along with where I was raised. Aspects of his past intersect with my family's experiences which not only added intrigue but a large dose of "real" to his life story. His unapologetic nature, was something I didn't pay attention to at first but as I got older I grew to appreciate and admire him for it.

Outside of the pages (or bits) of the book, I was struck by how many people said "You saved my life" about him publicly, not sure if there's a greater compliment anyone can give. Inside the book, I understood why even more.

My only criticism... unfortunately it couldn't be Big John's voice talking.

Incredible Story in Black History

This is a story that should be included more in Black History. This was a well crafted story from start to finish and left me in tears at the ending. Thank you to the author for documenting this autobiography and bringing this story to life!

Was not going to purchase this book

I have no intention on listening to this book until I heard an interview with the co author. I am really glad I did. I learned a lot about struggle. And how to overcome it. Also discovered my new favorite quote about freedom. I highly recommend this book.