| Details | | Publication Date: | 1999-12-01 | | Edition Description: | Illustrated |
| Size | | Length: | 387 pages | | Height: | 9.5 in | | Width: | 6.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 25.6 oz |
Publisher's Note
In almost every sport in which black athletes are given an equal opportunity to compete, they dominate. But why? Are they somehow physically better? And why are we so uncomfortable when we discuss this? Is "white men can't jump" a racist stereotype--or a stereotype that is neither racist nor wrong? What can science tell us about differences between groups? Are claims that blacks are physically superior a backhanded way of saying they're intellectually inferior? Should science and the public even be debating these questions?
Drawing on the latest scientific research, and addressing all the major sports of North America, award-winning journalist Jon Entine persuasively shows why biology and ancestry are significant components of the stunning ascension of black athletes. He reveals the striking differences between athletes of West African heritage and those from East Africa, and shows why such differences could arise and be maintained over time. He offers a gripping history of blacks in sports and a fascinating examination of human evolution and the circumstances that have made addressing the facts so difficult and controversial. And in the end, Entine definitively proves that genetics matter, that in almost every sport blacks have a decided advantage, and that we ignore scientific truth at our own risk.
Industry Reviews
"[A]s both black athletic domination and our knowledge of genetics, physical anthropology and physiology have grown, it has become increasingly hard to assert that environmental factors alone can explain black superiority in sports. Jon Entine's TABOO will make it even harder."
Kamiya
"[A] highly readable blend of science and sports history...."
Holt
| See an error? Submit a change request |
All rights reserved.
