Kareem’s Journey Through Harlem

2008 April 4
by uptownflavor

On the Shoulders of Giants

cover image of On the Shoulders of Giants

My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld

Before he hit the spotlight on the basketball court at UCLA in the late 1960’s, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had already gotten a good education in history. While growing up in Harlem, his family encouraged him to understand and appreciate the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance and the long-lasting cultural effects of that era. Following his success with Brothers in Arms (2004), the story of an African-American tank battalion in WWII, Abdul-Jabbar offers another historical perspective written in his customarily graceful style.