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Beyond a Boundary
Beyond a Boundary | Cyril Lionel Robert James
3 posts | 2 read | 1 reading | 3 to read
In C. L. R. James's classic Beyond a Boundary, the sport is cricket and the scene is the colonial West Indies. Always eloquent and provocative, James--the "black Plato," (as coined by the London Times)--shows us how, in the rituals of performance and conflict on the field, we are watching not just prowess but politics and psychology at play. Part memoir of a boyhood in a black colony (by one of the founding fathers of African nationalism), part passionate celebration of an unusual and unexpected game, Beyond a Boundary raises, in a warm and witty voice, serious questions about race, class, politics, and the facts of colonial oppression. Originally published in England in 1963 and in the United States twenty years later (Pantheon, 1983), this second American edition brings back into print this prophetic statement on race and sport in society.
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The_Penniless_Author
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What to make of C.L.R. James, a black, Marxist, anti-colonialist "founding father" of independent Trinidad who considers his two foundational passions to be classical English literature and cricket? This book - equal parts autobiography and examination of cricket as an art form and political driver - explains the seeming contradiction and shows that it's not really contradictory at all. A man with a fascinating, wide-ranging mind. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The_Penniless_Author I should add that as an American, I was utterly baffled by the cricket terminology and descriptions of specific matches, and it still didn't dampen my enjoyment of the book or understanding of the broader themes one bit. 13mo
CarolynM I love a good cricket book 🙂 Stacked 13mo
35 likes1 stack add2 comments
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The_Penniless_Author
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1. Beyond a Boundary (CLR James)
2. Gringos (Charles Portis)
3. Dandelion Wine (Ray Bradbury)
4. The Lady Killer (Masako Togawa)
5. A Drinking Life (Pete Hamill)

Tag @RaeLovesToRead

RaeLovesToRead Oh Randy, this is gonna be a hard one to answer... thinking of books I want but don't own.... 🤔 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️📚❤️ 2y
The_Penniless_Author @RaeLovesToRead I was thinking of that as I tagged you - must be a hard list to come up with when you already own ALL the books 😆 2y
34 likes3 comments
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KarenUK
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#WanderingJune #dreadlockholiday
“I don‘t like cricket....No no.....I love it” 🎵🎵
This perfectly describes my dad, so I just sent him this book for Father‘s day!

“Part memoir of a West Indian boyhood, part passionate celebration and defence of cricket as an art form, part indictment of colonialism, ‘Beyond a Boundary‘ addresses not just a sport but a whole culture and asks the question, 'What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?”

CarolynM We're on the same wavelength🙂 5y
Cinfhen Such a great gift!! Score🥳 5y
BarbaraBB Lots of cricket today! I love it 🎶 5y
43 likes3 comments