Globetrotter

*Booklist starred review*

The captivating biography of Abe Saperstein, creator of the Harlem Globetrotters

The original Harlem Globetrotters weren''t from Harlem, and they didn''t start out as globetrotters. The talented all-Black team, started by Jewish immigrant Abe Saperstein, was from Chicago''s South Side and initially toured the Midwest in Saperstein''s model-T. But with Saperstein''s savvy and the players'' skills, the Globetrotters became a worldwide sensation.

Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports is the fascinating biography of Saperstein, a five-foot-three promoter who made an amazing impact in a sport where height is at a premium: basketball. After Saperstein founded the team in the 1920s, the players battled everything from blizzards to bigotry, steadily building a reputation for talent and comedy until their footprint covered the entire world.

Abe Saperstein''s impact went well beyond the Harlem Globetrotters. He helped keep baseball''s Negro Leagues alive, was a force in getting pitching great Satchel Paige his shot at the majors, befriended Olympic star Jesse Owens when he fell on hard times, and pioneered the three-point shot. Globetrotter reveals the tireless work and impressive achievements of a man and a basketball team that made millions of people laugh, gasp, and applaud at their astounding performances.