The Best That I Can Be: An Autobiography

A fascinating man with an incredible life story. This book should be a must read for all high school students, athletes or not. Rafer Johnson proves what determination, character, and true grit can accomplish. I loved the book and hope his story is heard through generations. Rafer Johnson is one class act.

Everyone these days seems to be bemoaning the lack of heroes. We're treated to sex-and-politics scandals with plenty of bad guys and no good ones, sports stars on strike for more millions, etc., etc. Rafer Johnson's book is a wonderful reminder of what real heroism is: working hard, playing fair, doing the right thing. As a high school teacher, I value having real role models to show my students. At the same time, the book really does evoke the spirit of the times and a first-hand sense of the amazing variety of events that Johnson experienced.

I loved this book. It covered so many interesting things that I can't begin to list them. My utter excitement in the passages about the Olympics surprised me as I'm generally not a big sports fan. The book was so full of life that I felt like I was there, literally at the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. I was also very moved with other parts of the book - particularly the chapter on Bobby Kennedy. Reading this book is like watching history up close. I'm not surprised that "The Best that I Can Be" was number one on the L.A. Times Bestseller list this week. Absolutely worth reading!

Rafer Johnson's book contains that rare commodity: truth.For many years it was my privilege to live next door to the Johnson family's summer retreat. Rafer's days passed pretty much normally, so far as we (his neighbors) could tell. Except for one thing: I doubt that Rafer Johnson allowed a single day to pass without performing some act of generosity or kindness; in one case which I actually witnessed, he saved a neighbor's life and then sat with us to help ease the trauma of the incident.Raymond Aron once said, "Racism is the snobbery of the poor." Well, there is no snobbery evident in this world-class human being. If nothing else in life had served to teach me that skin color is immaterial, my acquaintance with Rafer Johnson certainly did the trick. This book will most certainly do the same for its readers.

Rafer's story demonstrates that great talent combined with great determination and a grand attitude is a winning combination. This is a book that a coach could easily recommend to a talented athlelete --even in today's world because everyone likes a winner.