A wonderful story about the love one young man has for his family

I picked up this book because of a jacket blurb by Reynolds Price, who calls it "a grave and beautiful surprise." Price is right. There are no spectacular events in Wil Haygood's story of growing up as a black kid in love with basketball in Columbus, Ohio, in the 1950s and 1960s, but his accumulation of little ones -- living with his dependable grandparents Willie and Emily, going to movies, throwing rocks at a house once lived in by James Thurber (and that Haygood himself would later live in), moving out with his mother and sisters, meeting his half-brother Macaroni (whose end, after a career as pimp and petty thief, will surprise you), transferring from school to school to play basketball, being the first in his family to finish college, trying to make it in New York as an actor. For Haygood himself, this is a success story; he ends as an author. For his family, the success is less obvious, but it is there: they left Alabama in the 1930s and 1940s, got jobs in Ohio, invited brothers and sisters and cousins to live with them while they got on their feet. Not everyone makes it -- there are deaths and jail sentences -- but this is a cheerful book, a hymn to families and grandmothers and sisters who encourage, help, or send money. Best of all, Haygood is a fine writer, able to portray his scatterbrained mother sympathetically and to convey his gratitude to the people who helped him along the way (one is the father of singer Nancy Wilson).

Adam Clayton Powell is the type of politician that would have difficulty existing today. He was a liberal with radical tendencies. He spent little time in his district and much time philandering. He was involved in the passage of many pieces of legislation creating what conservatives today call "big government." An irony of Powell's career is that a true progressive could rack up accomplishments at a time when unreconstructed racists and Hoover-style conservatives also thrived, while today both sides are rare breeds (at least overtly).

The striking things about Powell are the sweep of some of the policies he was involved in shaping - minimum wage, civil rights legislation, funding for education, and his massive egoism. Haygood portrays Powell as a womanizer, an abuser of special privileges, and an all-around pleasure-monger. It isn't hard to link his appetites to his professional compassion. Powell loved to be loved, and he also recognized the source of his power - the untapped resource of poor and oppressed. Lyndon Johnson, the Kennedys and more recently, Bill Clinton all recognized this. These are men cut from similar cloth.

Haygood's account suggests that the world is a better place because of Powell and men like him. Still, I didn't like the man. As admirable as his public works were, his interpersonal relationships were such that I'm glad I wasn't around to get close to him. The book starts slowly, which doesn't help the cause, either. It plods along for a while before taking off, at which time the looming presence of Powell's downfall begins to color the height of his career as tragic.

I read this book after finishing a biography of another colorful member of Congress, TIP O'NEILL AND THE DEMOCRATIC CENTURY. Powell's life was more colorful, but the O'Neill book was more enjoyable. Nevertheless, KING OF THE CATS is a worthy effort.

This book is a wonderful biography of one of our most inspirational and influential African-American leaders. I found this book to be an invaluable source for understanding the courageous challenges Adam Clayton Powell undertook to establish the civil and human rights of African-Americans. I am grateful that this book was written because Adam Clayton Powell was often misrepresented and ridiculed. This book gives examples of his personality, charisma and flair without minimizing his intellect and brave dedication. I regret deeply that my book has been lost and I cannot seem to find another one.

As an African-American woman from a family similar to Reverend Powell's, I found this book highly enjoyable. I was certainly able to relate to the issues of skin tone, education, and the Black caste system that still exists today.

Unfortunately, Reverend Powell has been largely forgotten or ignored by the younger generation who have benefitted from his many contributions to Black causes through his election to Congress. I found Mr. Haygood's research to be thorough and unbiased, which is rare for so controversial a figure as Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.

I think that many teenagers and twentysomethings of all nationalities would be enlightened and empowered by reading this thoughtfully written, excellent profile of a courageous man. It reads like a novel. What a life! I highly recommend it.