Böcker av Ron Thomas

Moss Side was a hard place in the 1920s. Gangs dominated the streets, and the Bloods were the meanest gang in Moss Side streets. Ernest Roberts was their most feared enforcer, and whether it was in the boxing ring or on the street, Ernie reckoned he was the toughest, hardest son-of-a-bitch around. Then, suddenly, dire circumstances changed all that. He was forced to scarper without so much as a goodbye to his family, with his destination uncertain. But every journey must have a destination, and for better or worse, he chose a new life somewhere south of Capricorn.His arrival wasn't timely. 'Getcha Sinny Mornin' 'erald,' a raucous newsboy shouted. 'World financial system collapses! New York Stock Exchange loses half its value!' It was October 24, 1929-Black Tuesday. At first, he wondered how events so far away could possibly impact him. New York is a long way from Sydney, and he failed to see what was getting everyone excited. Some wealthy American speculators had lost their dough. So what? Then, it got worse. For Ernie, that was just the beginning of his getting of wisdom.

As Osaka Maru cleared the Bungo Strait and the Seto Inland Sea opened up before him, the excited young man at the bow of Osaka Maru missed nothing. But, to his growing disappointment, he recognised nothing either. After all, he'd been just five years old when he'd last seen all this, and then he'd been with his parents on the way to a new life in Brazil. Now, his parents had both entered the white jade shrine, and he was returning, sad and alone. As the ship neared the port, he was surprised to see any grey warships making steam. There was nothing he recognised in the streets of Kure, but as the road rose on the slopes of Mount Egezan, he found the Japan he knew. He paused on the mountain a while, watched the great aircraft carriers leaving port and wondered where they were bound. With his heart beating rapidly, he rang the little brass bell and bowed as the door opened. As he straightened, his pre-prepared smile died, the hand holding his gift of Brazilian coffee fell to his side and the words he'd rehearsed were forgotten. 'A thousand apologies', he mumbled, bowing deeply. 'I was expecting Mrs Matsuoka.'

This is Ron's first book. It took a while to get up the courage but he's pretty proud of it. The poems flow from seventy years of experience: farming childhood, love and sex, and travels of the world, of the word and of the mind.

In the first half of the twentieth century, pro basketball was tainted by racism, as African Americans were denied the opportunity to display their talents. Through in-depth interviews with players, their families, and league officials, this book tells the story of what basketball was really like for the first black NBA players.