Journalist and prolific author Freedman provides a biography of Joe Louis (1914-1981), the heavyweight boxer who held the championship longer than any other. The author follows Louis from his early days of poverty in Alabama, his evolution from uneducated to an articulate spokesman for issues he believed in, his efforts to promote understanding between blacks and whites, his fundraising for Army and Navy relief during World War II, and his stint as a morale officer who entertained the troops. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)