Barkley: A Biography
*A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of 2022*

The definitive biography of Charles Barkley, exploring his early childhood, his storied NBA career, and his enduring legacy as a provocative voice in American pop culture

He's one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years. Passionate, candid, iconoclastic, and gifted both on and off the court, Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large.

Yet few people know the real Charles. Raised by his mother and grandmother in Leeds, Alabama, he struggled in his early years to fit in until he found a sense of community and purpose in basketball. In the NBA he went toe-to-toe with the biggest legends in the game, from Magic to Michael to Hakeem to Shaq. But in the years since, he has become a bold agitator for social change, unafraid to grapple, often brashly, with even the thorniest of cultural issues facing our nation today.

Informed by over 370 original interviews and painstaking research, Timothy Bella's Barkley is the most comprehensive biography to date of one of the most talked-about icons in the world of sports.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
1140834148
Barkley: A Biography
*A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of 2022*

The definitive biography of Charles Barkley, exploring his early childhood, his storied NBA career, and his enduring legacy as a provocative voice in American pop culture

He's one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years. Passionate, candid, iconoclastic, and gifted both on and off the court, Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large.

Yet few people know the real Charles. Raised by his mother and grandmother in Leeds, Alabama, he struggled in his early years to fit in until he found a sense of community and purpose in basketball. In the NBA he went toe-to-toe with the biggest legends in the game, from Magic to Michael to Hakeem to Shaq. But in the years since, he has become a bold agitator for social change, unafraid to grapple, often brashly, with even the thorniest of cultural issues facing our nation today.

Informed by over 370 original interviews and painstaking research, Timothy Bella's Barkley is the most comprehensive biography to date of one of the most talked-about icons in the world of sports.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
27.99 In Stock
Barkley: A Biography

Barkley: A Biography

by Timothy Bella

Narrated by Korey Jackson

Unabridged — 16 hours, 46 minutes

Barkley: A Biography

Barkley: A Biography

by Timothy Bella

Narrated by Korey Jackson

Unabridged — 16 hours, 46 minutes

Audiobook (Digital)

$27.99
FREE With a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime
$0.00

Free with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime

START FREE TRIAL

Already Subscribed? 

Sign in to Your BN.com Account


Listen on the free Barnes & Noble NOOK app


Related collections and offers

FREE

with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription

Or Pay $27.99

Overview

*A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of 2022*

The definitive biography of Charles Barkley, exploring his early childhood, his storied NBA career, and his enduring legacy as a provocative voice in American pop culture

He's one of the most interesting American athletes in the past fifty years. Passionate, candid, iconoclastic, and gifted both on and off the court, Charles Barkley has made a lasting impact on not only the world of basketball but pop culture at large.

Yet few people know the real Charles. Raised by his mother and grandmother in Leeds, Alabama, he struggled in his early years to fit in until he found a sense of community and purpose in basketball. In the NBA he went toe-to-toe with the biggest legends in the game, from Magic to Michael to Hakeem to Shaq. But in the years since, he has become a bold agitator for social change, unafraid to grapple, often brashly, with even the thorniest of cultural issues facing our nation today.

Informed by over 370 original interviews and painstaking research, Timothy Bella's Barkley is the most comprehensive biography to date of one of the most talked-about icons in the world of sports.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Charles is like a brother to me and there’s no one else like him. His larger-than-life persona shines through in Timothy Bella’s writing and I know this biography, of one of the world’s most entertaining people, will be enjoyed by many.”—Shaquille O'Neal

"Timothy Bella explores everything that's made Barkley, Barkley, a guy who lives his life just like he played basketball: brilliant, unapologetic and like nobody else out there. I have been a fan of this man for a minute. Get the book, salute the man."—Chuck D., rapper and front man of Public Enemy

When I’m asked who my favorite player was to cover, I usually bail out and name not just one player but a few, and even those names tend to change from decade to decade. But one remains: Sir Charles, hardly an original answer because most basketball writers of my generation would include him. Thanks to Timothy Bella, an outstanding journalist, for giving new life to a true American Original."—Jack McCallum, New York Times bestselling author of Dream Team

“We know first-hand and full well the kind of meticulous reporting and gifted writing skills Timothy Bella can bring to a book. Barkley is a vivid, mesmerizing portrait worthy of Sir Charles, arguably the most colorful and one of the most controversial figures in sport. We double dare you to put it down.”—Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, #1 New York Times bestselling authors of the Tiger Woods

"A biography like Timothy Bella's Barkley is a validation of Charles' journey so far. Charles is a population of one—he's that unique. He's not following anybody else's footsteps; he's a trailblazer. He has changed lives and he doesn't even know it. You have got to read the book."Julius Erving

An authentic look into one of sports' most iconic figures. We all know the outspoken Charles Barkley; but Timothy Bella's biography takes us on a transparent journey into his entire life. It gives the readers an inner view of the Naismith Hall of Famer’s college and professional careers, family and personal philosophy on life."Dawn Staley

Charles Barkley had athleticism, grit and force. A true leader and someone I have looked up to for quite some time, he is fully captured in this book.”Kevin Garnett

"A wonderfully entertaining and fulfilling biography of Sir Charles. Barkley may have never won an NBA championship, but he somehow managed to win other big things, mainly the hearts of the basketball public. Bella has offered us an opportunity to take the whole Barkley trip one more satisfying time."Roland Lazenby, author of Michael Jordan: The Life

"Charles tells us…that when you love what you’re doing it’s not work. Reading Barkley wasn’t work either. I loved it!" —Reverend Jesse Jackson

"The definitive biography."—LitHub

"Thoroughly engaging...This is no ordinary sports bio, just as Barkley is no ordinary athlete."—Booklist STARRED review

"A pleasure for fans of the hard-charging legend."—Kirkus Reviews


“A must-read for basketball devotees, but even casual sports fans will be fascinated.”—Publisher’s Weekly STARRED review

"The definitive account of Barkley’s life so far. Essential reading for all basketball fans."Library Journal

"Nothing but net for basketball fans."—Good Morning America

Kirkus Reviews

2022-08-31
Sir Charles Barkley, one of the great knights-errant of the court (basketball, that is), receives a full-scale biography.

Born in 1963, Barkley once complained to a reporter that he’d been misquoted in his own autobiography—and then, elsewhere, reportedly confessed that he hadn’t yet read it. Washington Post writer and editor Bella does a good job of assembling the provable facts about the man known as “The Round Mound of Rebounds.” Whether on or off the court, he has always been a larger-than-life presence. “At the height of his career, he was treated more like a rock star than a basketball player,” writes the author, who adds that Barkley has hosted Saturday Night Live more times than any other athlete. Early on, Bella asks a pointed, relevant question: “Is he the greatest player to never win a ring?” Bella lays out the affirmative case well, starting out with an anecdote that finds Barkley, in young childhood, flinging himself off a building in the belief that he could fly. He couldn’t, of course, but he could do just about everything else physical, including taking a leading role on the 1992 Olympic dream team, “considered by many as the most dominant assembly of basketball talent ever,” and passing a vertical test in college by jumping straight up onto a 42-inch wooden box, leading Clyde Drexler to remark, “He’s the best fat guy around.” After playing at Auburn, the always mouthy, always entertaining Barkley played in the NBA for Philadelphia, racking up the NBA’s highest rebound numbers, and then for Phoenix, where he was voted MVP in 1993. Still, despite outplaying nearly all of his peers, he was never able to win an NBA championship. Bella also covers Barkley’s career as a respected sports commentator—when reminded that he is now part of the media he used to complain about, he notes, “Yeah…but at least I’m gonna be honest.”

A pleasure for fans of the hard-charging legend.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940175860819
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 11/01/2022
Edition description: Unabridged
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews