The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson

4.5 | 897 ratings

Price: 30.7

Last update: 09-01-2024

About this item

By the New York Times bestselling author of Showtime—the source for HBO’s Winning Time—the definitive biography of mythic multi-sport star Bo Jackson.

From the mid-1980s into the early 1990s, the greatest athlete of all time streaked across American sports and popular culture. Stadiums struggled to contain him. Clocks failed to capture his speed. His strength was legendary. His power unmatched. Video game makers turned him into an invincible character—and they were dead-on. He climbed (and walked across) walls, splintered baseball bats over his knee, turned oncoming tacklers into ground meat. He became the first person to simultaneously star in two major professional sports, and overtook Michael Jordan as America’s most recognizable pitchman. He was on our televisions, in our magazines, plastered across billboards. He was half man, half myth.

Then, almost overnight, he was gone.

He was Bo Jackson.

Drawing on an astonishing 720 original interviews, New York Times bestselling sportswriter Jeff Pearlman captures as never before the elusive truth about Jackson, Auburn University’s transcendent Heisman Trophy winner, superstar of both the NFL and Major League Baseball and ubiquitous “Bo Knows” Nike pitchman. Did Bo really jump over a parked Volkswagen? (Yes.) Did he actually run a 4.13 40? (Yes.) During the 1991 flight that nearly killed every member of the Chicago White Sox, was he in the cockpit trying to help? (Oddly, yes. Or no. Or … maybe.)

Bo Jackson isn’t Jim Thorpe.

He’s not Deion Sanders, either.

No, Bo Jackson is Paul Bunyan.

The Last Folk Hero is the true tale of Bo Jackson that only “master storyteller” (NPR.org) Jeff Pearlman could tell.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Jessica T.

Awesome

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2023

It's hard to rate a Jeff Pearlman book anything less than 5 stars because he's so freaking thorough and engaging with his writing. And it's not like many biographies that are like reading really long English class assignments... there was plenty of humor, even during the baseball play-by-play parts which I still skimmed a teeny bit because baseball has never been my jam. But they weren't unbearable here.

I'd of course heard of Bo Jackson and knew he was a two-sport phenom but that was about it as far as the details. I recall all the 'Bo Knows' stuff. I'd seen his post-retirement guest spot on Moesha. But I had no idea he was such a... well, less-than-pleasant person. But it was fascinating to read about the backstory and everything that led up to who he came to be. I was glued.

And I still feel bad for Allison Hines. :)

Book Reader

Fascinating Person

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2024

I have, and will, read every book that Jeff Perlman writes! He has a great writing style. It is like he is sitting next to you talking. As a sports fan, I knew "enough" about Bo. Certainly, the most dynamic athlete I have ever seen. This book exposed so much more of him. it has the parts of him most people won't like (arrogance, treating people like poop) and parts that most people will admire (empathy for others, especially his family). All in all a great read that I could not put down.

Study JRS

Good read @ an amazing man, yet interestingly presented.

Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2022

The book chronicles the life and mythical status of a classic athlete. It is delivers as advertised.

Although insightful into the social milieu and injustice of the times, the author also has a rather strong flavor of virtue signalling and self-righteousness in relation to it. A quintessential projection onto people outside of one’s contextual background. Yet, perhaps this is natural to do here.

Overall, the book is page-turning, exciting, and well-written to be sure. One can see Bo in the human framework we all share and in the mythological status that we all need.

Jackson Herod

A fantastic book about a once in a lifetime athlete

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2022

This book is fantastic (and sometimes brutally honest) look at former NFL/MLB player Bo Jackson. It included a ton of information that I never knew about him, which makes sense considering the amount of research that went into it. I've been a long time fan of Pearlman's writing, and in my opinion, this is one of his best. There are parts in the book that make me understand why Bo turned down the chance to make it an authorized biography. At times, he doesn't come off as the larger than life superhero that a lot of people see him as. But, I can say this after finishing the book, that it was a fair representation of the man, with just as many anecdotes about positive things he did as negative. If you get the chance to read this, don't miss it.

Kindle Customer

Great eye opening book

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2024

I loved the attention to detail and the flashbacks pertaining to the subject at hand. The further along in the book I got, the more I kept saying out loud to myself “Wow Bo was more of an a•••••• than I realized!” Still an enjoyable read and I can’t wait to tackle the next book by Jeff

JoeB

Fascinating Read

Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2024

Interesting biography.

Andy Dean

Now you know Bo

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2023

Growing up near(ish) Kansas City, and falling in love with the Royals at a very early age (they were good back then!), Bo Jackson was my hero. I saw the man do superhuman things that I wouldn't believe if they didn't happen right in front of my very eyes.

The title "last folk hero," as it pertains to Bo, was coined by Joe Posnanski (who I wish had written the book); it means Bo was the last major phenomenon before the YouTube era with tall tales that no one is sure are true or not. And there are some amazing stories here, and many you haven't heard before.

I knocked off a star because Pearlman's writing is too cutesy and gimmicky to suit me, and because the editing of the first edition was awful - so many typos and grammatical errors, including a reference to "George C. Patton" (obviously General cGeorge S. Patton, who was played by George C. Scott). I will say, though, that Pearlman did a fantastic job carrying through this project even though its (very complex) subject declined to be interviewed.

If you're a Bo fan, and/or want to know more about this enigma, or have been asking "what could have been" since THAT game in January 1991, ignore my nitpicks and buy this book. As reclusive as Bo is now, this is the most definitive biography of him that we're likely to see. Now Bo knows unauthorized biographies!

ColtsPop

Perfectly captures an almost mythical man

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2023

Growing up in rural Alabama in the early 1980s, Bo Jackson was our hero. Sure he could be surly, distant, but he was superlative in every other way. This book captures that very well and overall is an easy read. There are a couple of crass stories at the end that I was disappointed were included. Overall, if I were Bo, I would be happy with the way this turned out. He will always be a legend.

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