Autobiography of Olympian Jesse Owens "Blackthink" Reflecting on Race and Extremism in Mid-Century America, First Edition

Jesse Owens

First Edition

[African American][Sports][Civil Rights] Owens, Jesse with Paul G. Neimark. Blackthink: My Life As Black Man and White Man. New York: William Morrow & Co., 1970. First edition. Black cloth-backed boards, housed in original black dust jacket with photo of Owens in 1935 on the rear panel. A candid and controversial autobiography by legendary Olympian Jesse Owens, Blackthink confronts race, identity, and the pressures of public expectation with stark clarity and unapologetic self-definition. Written during the height of the Civil Rights era, Owens critiques both white supremacy and elements of Black radicalism from the perspective of a self-described “immoderate moderate.”

In this unflinching memoir, Owens recounts his journey from a sharecropper’s son in Alabama to global fame after winning four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics—a moment that publicly defied Hitler's myth of Aryan superiority. Yet Owens devotes most of the book to what followed: his return to a segregated America, his struggles with institutional racism, and his discomfort with both liberal paternalism and militant Black nationalism. Framed by what he terms “Blackthink”—a rejection of what he saw as ideological extremism—Owens voices his skepticism about racial essentialism and advocates for racial progress through personal responsibility and mutual respect. The narrative is deeply personal, weaving anecdotes from his post-Olympic life with reflections on race relations, friendship, and disenchantment. Notably, he recounts his difficult financial reality after fame and his contentious positioning in African American politics, including being labeled a “bootlicking Uncle Tom” by more radical voices such as Harry Edwards. His dedication—“To a young man whose color I do not know”—encapsulates the book’s central aim: to speak beyond race and urge unity through shared humanity, even as it remains grounded in the specificity of Black experience in 20th-century America. Pages bright and clean throughout; binding sound. Overall very good condition. A revealing account of race and public life from one of the most iconic Black athletes of the 20th century, Blackthink remains a provocative statement on identity, assimilation, and integrity during a time of political upheaval.

Item #22124

Price: $225.00