Book Description Review “A series of forceful, justifiably angry essays connected by the theme of white supremacy negating the full citizenship of black Americans . . . . Another illuminating social and cultural critique from an important contemporary voice.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review“Senior ESPN writer Bryant showcases why he is one of the most talented writers of this generation in thoughtful essays . . . [an] in-depth analysis and examination of issues. Highly recommended: Bryant is a masterful writer and a voice of this generation. His passion and analysis on important topics is unparalleled.”—Library Journal, Starred Review“Not much comfort here, only light.”—Booklist“[A] wide-ranging and sharp-edged essay collection . . . .Bryant’s informed analyses and righteous anger transform sports into a valuable lens and tool for examining and combatting racism. Progressive sports fans will heed this incisive cri de coeur.”—Publishers Weekly“This collection of essays is everything I hold dear, a searing rejection of everything racist America holds dear inside and outside the lines. Howard Bryant does not hold back in his withering and thoughtful dissections and rejections of the racial politics of athletics and the athletic politics of race. This book is an oracle.”—Ibram X. Kendi, How to Be an Antiracist“This book is a wonder. Bryant tells daring truths about our culture and society—and explores, in all its complexity, what it means to navigate and struggle against injustice and a deeply divided world.”—Naomi Klein, author of On Fire and This Changes Everything“Howard Bryant’s writing is lucid and purposeful, weaving politics and powerful critiques of the racial and gendered hierarchies that rule the world of high-stakes professional sports throughout his gripping prose. Sports may be his starting point, but Bryant is attacking capitalist culture and its infiltration into all aspects of our lives, including the games we love to watch to get away from it all.”—Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, author of From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation“To call Full Dissidence fiery would miss the point. Its passion is matched by precision. Howard Bryant has written a stirring tour de force that places important issues of sports in the proper context of their current times and historical precedent, and the result is a book that will be read for years to come as we try to make sense of these chaotic times.”—Bomani Jones, co-host, High Noon“This is exceptional. The facts of where we are, are laid out. Howard’s opinions are not baseless or overreactions but based on facts that confirm every assertion he makes. Full Dissidence is a compelling book.”—Joe Dumars, three-time NBA champion, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame Read more About the Author Howard Bryant is a senior writer for ESPN the Magazine and is a correspondent for NPR’s Weekend Edition. He has won several awards for his commentary writing. His books include The Heritage, Juicing the Game, and The Last Hero. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts. Connect with him at howardbryant.net and on Twitter (@hbryant42). Read more Customers Review: I have been sleeping on Howard Bryant’s writing apparently because this book was 192 pages of pure flames.I especially found the essays on what we learned from Colin Kaepernick and the hero game especially insightful.I cannot recommend this book enough for people wanting to understand more about the intersection of race, sports, and politics.
Bryant has another gem of a book. Enjoyed reading this book. Very informative with good information to back up the authors points.
This should be required reading for every high school student in America.
As in, taking one. That is the reason I decided to read this book. I had to overcome some assumptions (prejudice, if you will), since Howard Bryant is a senior writer for ESPN. I used to be a big sports fan – when I was 9-years old! The sheer wonder of being given a $3.00 box seat; the players were giants – right there before one. Irregularities in the ball field were frequent, and thus it was a ground-rule double if the ball got stuck in the ivy on the outfield wall; an inside-the-park homerun was possible if the ball hit the protective screening around the light standards at the right angle. The amazement of watching Roberto Clemente field the ball at the right field wall and throw a perfect strike to home plate, nailing the runner as he slides in. Of course, he was well-paid for his efforts – $50,000 a year. He felt he needed to share that fortune with those with far less means; he died in a plane crash, in 1972, trying to delivery relief supplies to the victims of a massive earthquake in Nicaragua.I’ve watched virtually no professional sports, in person, or on TV, for the past half century. Mainly it commenced from the impulse that I’d rather spend the time playing a sport, in my own clumsy, klutzy way, than sit and watch others, far better than I. That impulse grew to encompass Juvenal’s “bread and circuses” observation, of long ago, a point that Bryant obliquely makes. As a first approximation, Colin Kaepernick seems to be a moral descendent of Clemente. He made a simple gesture that Bryant says was treated as more insulting than the equally simple gesture of two raised fists at the ’68 Olympics.Two years ago the Vine Program offered me Anthony Graves’ “Infinite Hope.” Graves is a black man who spent 16 years in prison – 12 of them on death row – for a crime he did not commit, due to crooked cops, a crooked prosecutor who knew he was innocent, and a crooked judiciary. At the conclusion to my 6-star review of Graves’ book, I said that we should all be taking “a knee.”“Full Dissidence” is a collection of ten essays, most related to the sports world, some not. All have that essential “Cri de Coeur” element, a justifiable anger at injustices. Bryant writes well, very well, with incisive formulations of contemporary societal issues, though I felt that at times he posited a dichotomy that was simply too stark, too, well, like the cover, just black and white, where more nuance would be appropriate. Still, as Bryant describes in his postscript, in 2002 he is treated as the “potted plant,” Ellison’s “Invisible Man.” He is trying to rent an apartment in his hometown of Boston, after a 17-year absence. His Dutch wife is with him. The real estate agent is attempting to make remote and distant connections to the wife, though she has never been to “Denmark,” [no “sic” here]. Bryant himself is simply ignored, as are the connections the two of them might have to their mutual hometown.My informal index that provides a measure of a good book are the number of passages that I have marked in the margins. Virtually every page is marked. Bryant uses James Baldwin and W.E.B du Bois as key touchstones, two writers that have always resonated with me. I’ve only read one book by Rebecca Solnit (“Wanderlust”). Bryant has pushed me to read more. Bryant provided insights into stories I would never have known, such as the essay on “Why Tonya?” Who is the person(s) who decided to use the poverty and the father-who-abandoned to rehabilitate Tonya Harding, but those same factors are derided in discussing cause and effect in a black ghetto? I’d only wished that Bryant could have provided some more insight into the editor’s mind who decides to “green-light” such projects, and leave so much else on the cutting room floor. Bryant transcends color issues and is scathing about the whining of powerful men now that a few are being held accountable by the “Me Too” movement for their boorish abusive misuse of their positions.And just a small sample of the passages I’ve marked:(as a counterpoint to thinking that all that is wrong with America has only occurred since 2016): “The warnings of American culture and the consequences of becoming less literate, less compassionate, more wasteful, more materialistic, and more influenced by corporations have existed since Orwell.”(in quoting Dutch historian Rutger Bregman, at Davos, where 1500 private jets had flown in, on the “celebrity con”) “But no one raises the issue of tax avoidance, of the rich not paying their fair share…we have to be talking about taxes, taxes, taxes. The rest is (BS), in my opinion.”“Maybe instead of giving [by a celebrity] a teacher a car, we should pay her enough to buy one.”Where Bryant and I diverge is on the issue of “identity politics.” I see nothing wrong in Tiger Woods saying: “I’m not black. I’m Cablinasian,” an invented word to indicate that “Holy Grail” of “diversity,” at least in ancestors. Likewise with Madison Keys refusing to accept an ethnic identity. Phrases like “…though whites are willing to ignore the data on global warming…” on p. 173, grate; and such phrases occur several times in the book. 100% of whites deny global warming? 90%? Or 5%? My recently elected Congresswoman is half Dutch, as evidenced by her last name, which could “bing” with Bryant, and his Dutch wife. Her father was a 30-year veteran of the American Armed Services. But one would never know that from looking at her website. She has taken the identity of the other half of her heritage. As her Republican opponent said in the last election battle: we were raised in the same “culture”: US military bases! And she was certainly denounced for stating the obvious. And I am like Elizabeth Warren – a “little bit” Indian. What does that make me, my “culture,” and my “heritage”?I’ll close with a thought experiment. Redoing the ways we slice and dice humanity. Bryant and I are on the same team – the oppressive majority of heterosexual males. In many places in the book, “heterosexual” could replace “white,” from the point of view of the LGTBQ community (as it is now identified). “We” set the rules, write the laws, make the jokes, shame, et al., in terms of the essential way “they” chose to have emotional and physical bonds with their fellow human beings. I do not subscribe to that description of the newly proposed “we.” Does Bryant?The divergence cost the book the full 6-stars. Still, it is a very important, essential, and timely 5-star, plus, read.
I find myself angry more often these days, and I can only imagine how I would feel if I were black living in Trump’s America. Howard Bryant is black and, based on these essays, I think he is angry. In addition to anger though, there is a lot to get out of this slender volume of well crafted pieces. I rarely watch sports on TV and even so have noticed the cleaving of the armed forces with sports leagues. This may seem a natural partnership but it is insidious and powered by greed and money. What I was completely unaware of is the similar bonding of law enforcement with professional sports. This came as a surprise to me, and it helps explain how taking a knee makes sense at a sports event. Bryant may be angry or maybe I’m reading into his work, but he is unquestionably informative and entertaining. I’ll be looking for his more of his essays.
What in the world is a 60 something, white, conservative leaning, female doing reading and reviewing a book like this? Honestly, I wanted to learn, to understand, to seek a new P. O. V. It wasn’t a completely successful mission.Howard Bryant included 10 essays in this small volume, “Full Dissidence”…”not a survival guide…but an individual response to the malignant behaviors that have enveloped us. They are, at the end of the journey, a declaration of rejection.” (pg 2). With that premise in mind, I read the book and found Bryant to be more biased and political than I think is appropriate for writers presenting a case. I agree with another reviewer in that he sounds angry. It’s not that being angry or biased are not perfectly acceptable, on a personal level. On a professional level, especially as a writer trying to present information for consideration to a general audience, (this book is classified as social science), it’s imperative to be as neutral and thorough as possible, IMO.When it come to the issues of “taking a knee” and the black identity challenge, I did learn new things. While I won’t be kneeling anytime soon, I will be supporting efforts at unique black identity that have been with held in a punitive manner, especially at/in a grammar, middle and high school program.One other item I took issue with is the price of this book. It’s only 192 pages and that’s bulked out with a large font size and lots of white space. It could easily come in at 168 or maybe less. I think a fair price is $10 less for every format |
17 reviews