Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography

by Mike Tyson , Larry Sloman

4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 · rating details · 2,170 ratings · 284 reviews

A bare-knuckled, tell-all memoir from Mike Tyson, the onetime heavyweight champion of the world—and a legend both in and out of the ring.

Philosopher, Broadway headliner, fighter, felon—Mike Tyson has defied stereotypes, expectations, and a lot of conventional wisdom during his three decades in the public eye. Bullied as a boy in the toughest, poorest neighborhood in Broo ...more

Hardcover , UK , 564 pages

Published November 21st 2013 by HarperSport (first published 2013)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

Or buy for

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Undisputed Truth , please sign up .

Be the first to ask a question about Undisputed Truth

Lists with This Book

Unforgivable Blackness by Geoffrey C. Ward

The Devil and Sonny Liston by Nick Tosches

Best Books on Boxing and Boxers

8th out of 102 books — 53 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort : default (?) | rating details

Oct 29, 2014 Lisa *-* GiViNg It To YoU * LoCk StOcK & TwO SmOkiNg BaRrELs rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography , laugh-my-arse-off , made-me-cry , mindfucks , netgalley-arc-s , thought-provoking , what-da-fuck

4.5 $$$ Stars

Mike Tyson and my Brother-In-Law Nigel Benn "The Dark Destroyer"

Two of the most intimidating/ferocious boxers of all time in my humble opinion, but then again...I'm biased.

Fear is the greatest obstacle to learning. But fear is your best friend. Fear is like fire. If you learn to control it, you let it work for you. If you don't learn to control it, it'll destroy you and everything around it

Cus D'Amato

What ever you think of Mike Tyson, Undisputed Truth is one hell of a autobiograp ...more

flag 25 likes · Like · see review

Dec 05, 2013 Jimmy Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have read many books this year. In fact this is the 37th book I have read. I know people who have read more but most people I know haven’t read nearly as many and yes I’m bragging because I take pride in my reading because Jadakiss was right about you Libyans. At any rate I bring up the fact that I have read so many books just to say this was the most entertaining book I have read this year BAR NONE.

I could not stop reading once I started. This book was depressing, inspirational, hilarious, i ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Nov 10, 2013 Khamneithang Vaiphei rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews

In the beginning, he had grown up in abject poverty in Brownsville. He was raised as a gang member - walking through the streets holding guns, and once running through a crowded park which “opened up like Moses parting the Red Sea.” He was a fat kid who dropped out of school but eventually become a phenomenon. By the age of 23 he was hailed as possibly the greatest fighter to ever live, married to a movie star, earns millions of dollars, and by 24 he was broke, in jail and a worldwide disgrace. ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2014 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Be forewarned...if you are offended by the "F" word, you may want to avoid this book. It is written in the language of the streets, with an MF here and an MF there and an MF everywhere. Many, without regard to pigmentation, are referred to as nigga.

Now all that aside, it was an honest, revealing look at a troubled man. The champ doesn't pull any punches. He admits to his early days of breaking into houses and other petty and serious crimes. He shares the pain of his upbringing and family life. W ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Stephanie "Jedigal" I heard an interview with him recently. I agree with you, it will be important to him to find people who are empowering and positive rather than manip ...more
Jan 26, 2014 06:07AM

Michael An interesting side bar here. I'm watching the Sunday morning talk and they are saying that the word thug is the new way white folks can call black fo ...more
updated Jan 27, 2014 07:23AM

Nov 23, 2013 Dj rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After finishing Tyson's autobiography, I have to admit...I wanted to give it a better score, but I just can't bring myself to do it. At the beginning of the book I was quite interested-Tyson was admitting faults and openly blaming himself for certain aspects of his life. Sadly, this self-introspection must have been brief, because after discussion of his adolescence in Brooklyn, the book devolved into a "I had a highly publicized event occur in my life, and this is why it is not my fault." Don't ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 03, 2014 James Morcan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brilliant autobiography. It's like Mike Tyson has done enough living for 100 lifetimes. Quite sad in places when you vicariously experience being the so-called "baddest man on the planet" and see things through his eyes. They are now developing a film adaptation which at this stage will be directed by Martin Scorsese and Jamie Foxx will play Tyson. That is one movie I'd pay to watch!

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 23, 2013 Reading in Black & White rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-reads-of-2013

"The day that guy took my glasses and put them in that gas tank was the last day I went to school. That was the end of my formal education. I was seven years old and I just never went back to class."

I am always fascinated to read about other people's lives and hot d*mn Mike Tyson is truly a fascinating human being. To read in his own words what life was like growing up for him not only made me feel sorry for him but it helped me to understand why he chose a profession that is all about violence "The day that guy took my glasses and put them in that gas tank was the last day I went to school. That was the end of my formal education. I was seven years old and I just never went back to class."

I am always fascinated to read about other people's lives and hot d*mn Mike Tyson is truly a fascinating human being. To read in his own words what life was like growing up for him not only made me feel sorry for him but it helped me to understand why he chose a profession that is all about violence and being an alpha male. Tyson's life was truly headed for destruction until he met the legendary, Cus D'Amoto.

"When you have cocaine, you could be in the Mojave Desert in the middle of the fucking night, snorting your blow, and out of nowhere a bitch pops up in a bathing suit. Coke radar."

The above passage is just one example of how hilarious Mike Tyson can be at times. Overall though, I believe his story reads as a tragedy. I say it is a tragedy because even though he will be known in the history books as one of the absolute greatest boxers to ever live, he is still to this day fighting demons of his past.

"Sometimes we like to conceive of lust as love because we think it feels so good it has to be love. Love is sacrifice, love is worth dying and killing for, history proves that. But, we must have some kind of moral compass in our journey through life. All enjoyment is not good enjoyment."

We are reminded that at the end of the day, no matter how high our social status is in this crazy world, love is what we all want. Whether it is to truly love another human, to have another human truly love us, or to simply love ourselves. Undisputed Truth was so much fun to read on so many various levels. Whether you love him or hate him, respect him or think he is a piece of trash, Mike Tyson is a polarizing figure and he has told his story which is one worth reading!!!! ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 30, 2014 Shakeia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bio-memoir-non-music , sportsball

I assumed Mike Tyson was an interesting person, and this book confirmed it. The book is in his "voice" and I appreciated it. It's by no means a perfect book, but it was a highly entertaining and enjoyable read. Reading it was like listening to him tell you stories of his life. He experienced a lot and had moments where he seems like he is/was an extremely tormented individual. There's violence, sex, drugs, arrests, and betrayal -- this memoir is almost like a confessional of all the things Iron ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Dec 03, 2013 Debbie Moss rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a really interesting book. It got a little redundant with the same stuff over and over drugs and sex, but it brought to light how that was a big part of his life for so many years. He is an interesting character.

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 06, 2014 Ruel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4.5 stars.

Last week I found myself staring face-to-face with Mike Tyson: the cover of his memoir Undisputed Truth was on the New Arrivals shelf at my local library. He looked older than I remembered and the scars on his face told the story of his lifetime of fighting in and out of the ring. I picked up his book (written with Larry Sloman, who also did Howard Stern's Private Parts) and couldn't put it down. I'm a lifelong boxing fan and I love a good biography/autobiography, so this was the best ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 06, 2014 David rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Couldn't put it down. I actually wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for a friend's recommendation. Tyson's era was before I paid much attention to boxing. But man, this book is chock full of very important life lessons that any person can learn a lot from.

Another bright guy who happens to have a speech impediment (like Stallone) so people think he's retarded, but he's actually quite intelligent.

The first part is a standard top athlete's autobio, except that Tyson became champ at the tend Couldn't put it down. I actually wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for a friend's recommendation. Tyson's era was before I paid much attention to boxing. But man, this book is chock full of very important life lessons that any person can learn a lot from.

Another bright guy who happens to have a speech impediment (like Stallone) so people think he's retarded, but he's actually quite intelligent.

The first part is a standard top athlete's autobio, except that Tyson became champ at the tender age of 20 and was already training insanely before he hit 14. Very inspiring.

One of the most enlightening sections was his account of his marriage with the psychopath Robin Givens and her crazy mother. Read it. Psychopaths like this are everywhere and often parasites on successful people. Very instructive to see what he had to go through.

There are some hard-hitting truth sections describing life in the US inner city ghettos, where a lot of males get killed before even turning 16. After living in Singapore, a man can easily lose touch with that kind of reality and become soft. This was a nice wake up call.

Also excellent were the parts where he explained life behind bars and what he did to negotiate success there.

The descriptions of entire seasons spent cruising around on big yachts with legit self-created billionaires and the accounts of life in Moscow...well, eye-opening to say the least.

The best part actually came at the end when he hits rock bottom and actually starts to clean up his act with the help of this amazing therapist Marilyn, who introduced him to the pivotal concept of "baseline normal," as well as finally understanding his deep neediness.

The best book I've read all year and maybe all of last year too. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 05, 2013 Rob Warner rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Whoa. Wow. The biggest personalities of my generation, the people who had the largest cultural impact, are arguably:

1. Michael Jordan
2. Michael Jackson
3. Mike Tyson
4. Princess Di

In that order. You may quibble with that list, but you'd have to admit that this list is at least defensible. Note, for example, the rise in popularity of the boy's name "Tyson" since 1990.

This book exposes the life of Tyson in all its depravity. As I read, I was reminded of the depressing lack of control of Jim Morrison Whoa. Wow. The biggest personalities of my generation, the people who had the largest cultural impact, are arguably:

1. Michael Jordan
2. Michael Jackson
3. Mike Tyson
4. Princess Di

In that order. You may quibble with that list, but you'd have to admit that this list is at least defensible. Note, for example, the rise in popularity of the boy's name "Tyson" since 1990.

This book exposes the life of Tyson in all its depravity. As I read, I was reminded of the depressing lack of control of Jim Morrison's life in No One Here Gets Out Alive and the demotivating inevitability of On the Beach . Tyson was completely out of control and self-destructive. He generated and wasted fortunes, was taken advantage of, indulged all his tastes, and was utterly unprepared to live in a civilized society.

We all thought he was invincible until that Buster Douglas fight. This book gives insight into how he lost his edge, what fighting meant to him, and how the fight game spilled into his everyday life. It's interesting that we admonish our children not to fight, we deplore fighting in society at large, yet we shower boxers with fame, adulation, and money for beating hell out of each other. Tyson shows us the monsters we create.

Tyson is a scary dude. I finished this book yesterday. Last night, I had a nightmare that he was out my house, and I was doing everything I could to keep him pacified and not pound me with his jackhammer fists.

The book is crude and obscene throughout. Tyson doesn't sugarcoat things. He came, he says, from the sewers, and that in the sewers he belongs. If you're too delicate, you should avoid this. Otherwise, you should read every word and try to wrap your head around this conflicted man who dominated our attention in the 80s, 90s, and even now. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 17, 2013 Andre rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wow! What can I say about the Undisputed Truth? It was quite a journey, very interesting and seemingly very honest. Mike does a tremendous job of sharing his story and I think he gives us an intimate look into his life from the streets of Brownsville to the suites in Las Vegas and everything in between. Mike Tyson's whole world is on display here and despite the muscular tome it never feels protracted.

The book is written in such a way that you feel the authenticity of Mike's voice, even though Wow! What can I say about the Undisputed Truth? It was quite a journey, very interesting and seemingly very honest. Mike does a tremendous job of sharing his story and I think he gives us an intimate look into his life from the streets of Brownsville to the suites in Las Vegas and everything in between. Mike Tyson's whole world is on display here and despite the muscular tome it never feels protracted.

The book is written in such a way that you feel the authenticity of Mike's voice, even though he isn't the writer. It's his story, but the writer, Larry Sloman is excellent at his craft and allows us to experience this book as if Tyson is sitting with the reader and recounting his life and crazy times. If you followed Tyson's career, you undoubtedly remember some of the incidents spoken about and have probably seen some of the wild interviews that are finely detailed here.

One of the things I'm always leery about concerning biographies, is the tendency to embellish. There are some stories in here that are incongruent with certain details and don't align with other parts of Mike's story. For example, Mike talks about doing a lot of reading of effortful writers. "I read books by Oscar Wilde, Charles Darwin, Machiavelli, Tolstoy, Dumas and Adam Smith. I read a book about Alexander the Great. I loved history. By reading history I learned about human nature. I learned the hearts of men." Mind you, this is at the time he is living with Cus D'Amato, so he is about 15. Later on in the book, he mentions difficulty of writing his own name and signing contracts that he didn't so much as skim over. If you have read some challenging authors and learned "the hearts of men" wouldn't you have a little more interest in skimming contracts that are worth hundreds of millions? I would think that anyone reading those kind of works at an early age would at least take the time to browse a contract to save their self millions.

If profane language is bothersome to you, you may have a hard time getting through this book. There are a bunch of situations that are profanely detailed and sexual conquests are often crudely explained, so prudish readers be warned. The biography is pretty straightforward from early childhood right up to present day and a great deal of Mike's life exploits and important fights are often given gruesome detail. Altogether it's a superlative read and one of the best biographies I've read in quite some time. The conclusion is curious in that throughout the book Mike looks back at certain incidents and reacts to them in a way that he can't believe. He often comments on past events words and things with a certain disgust.

However, when you reach the end you conclude that mentally he's feeling the same way he felt when making those rude and over the top statements. So, you're left wondering about the growth mentally and psychologically, and what becomes clear is that the struggle for Mike is a daily one and it continues presently. Mike is a complex personality and I recommend this odyssey with Mr. Tyson. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 03, 2014 Byron rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Positively epic. At just about 600 pages, there's so many things this book just barely gets into. You could write a solid 500-word tome on just the assaults, drug deals and sexual impropriety he was involved in in the years after his career fell apart, when he got his ass whooped by Lennox Lewis back in the early 2000s. A word on that sexual impropriety: Tyson begins the book not by saying who he is, where he was born or anything like that, but by insisting that he didn't rape Desiree Washington ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 18, 2013 Richard Ward rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mike Tyson's autobiography was one of the literary surprises of 2013 for me. One of the best sports/celebrity autobiographies I've ever read.

Tyson,known for his physical bravery, here shows a bravery of another kind, as he bares his soul. He begins with his childhood, defined by abuse and neglect, trauma that haunts him to this day. Then through his teenage years, training with Cus D'Amato to become the youngest heavyweight champ ever; continuing on through his years as an international superstar and beyond. It's a tell-all book, telling on himself first and foremost. He often depicts himself as a spoiled pig, a helpless and stubborn addict, and an out-of-control thug. Yet he has you cheering for him as he finally gets into rehab, works the 12-steps, and learns to live life on its own terms.

His honesty is refreshing, but only if you believe the facts as he tells them, as I do. For example, if you think that he really did rape Desiree Washington, and you come to this book hoping for a confession, you'll not find it. He still maintains that the charges were false. I believed him from day one, and I still do, as do millions of people, fans and otherwise. What continues to scandalize us in this book is how an innocent man, from our point-of-view, is still maltreated by government, media, and society, years after the event, long after serving time in prison for it. I kept thinking of Les Misérables! The book successfully challenges the wisdom and morality of sexual offender registries. Yet, Tyson mostly does not play innocent victim in this book, but holds himself accountable for being his own worst enemy.

Almost every page is riddled with obscenities. At first this annoyed me, but then I realized that part of the man telling the world what he is really like is him talking the way he really talks. Perhaps Tyson could eventually write a young readers' version, as his story certainly has lessons for children.

At the heart, this is a story about addiction to drugs, alcohol, and sex. It's about the loneliness and self-hatred that drive those addictions and how those addictions only make it all worse. Recommended for those in and outside of the recovery movement; for those who love boxing and those who don't. Just be prepared for a book that is "R-rated," to say the least.

...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 03, 2013 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting read. It was from Tyson's point of view, so I took some of what I read with a grain of salt. One of the things that I'm not sure about was how later in his career, he wouldn't train hardly at all and still knock people out in the 1st or 2nd rounds. We are talking about other professional fighters, here. Maybe if he had been an amateur fighter, I could be more apt to believe it.

I do, however, believe that he made an unprecedented amount of money for himself and others in the boxing wo ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 29, 2014 Tonya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2014 , bookclubs

3.5 stars
This book is definitely way out of the norm for me and I was leery about reading it, but it was good!
Yes, the language is crude and disrespectful at times, but it's Mike Tyson's story! He has to be one of, if not THE, king of excess. Everything about him is over the top and in your face.
It was interesting reading this book, learning about how he got his start, the numerous mistakes and errors in judgement he's made, his struggles to make the right choices and learn from his past.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 28, 2014 Alex Timberman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction , sports , success-or-self-help

I got this book on audio. The narrator was amazing. He had the street tone and swagger that you would expect Tyson to have.

I learned a lot about Tyson. How much he partied, his hoodlum background, and all the famous people he has encountered over the years.

Also, he talked about his trainer Cus D’amato and I can tell that he met a warrior angel. Honestly, listening to Tyson talk about his relationship with Cus brought a couple of tears to my eyes. I could feel the love and fighting spirit that ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2014 Maurice Tougas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A brutal, and eye-popping biography by a boxer who is arguably the meanest SOB in the history of the ring, including Sonny Liston. Tyson spares no one, most of all himself, in an epic 573-page bio that has not only an epilogue, but a postscript to an epilogue. Tyson seethes with hatred for the many people who (in his view) have done him wrong, most notably promoter Don King, whom Tyson frankly says he would kill if he had the chance. He's not too wild about the woman who charged him with rape th ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2014 Dominick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I felt captured from the opening few pages of this book. The honesty and humor are captivating. The level of Tyson's introspection is almost off putting and lends credibility to his accounts of others. At first the way he describes things - going off on tangents that don't see related - take you out of the story. Then you realize that you're sitting in a room with him and he's describing his life and it all relates.

You laugh with him, shake your head at him, cry with him, bleed with him, feel i ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 11, 2013 Hasham Ahmad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unbelievable! An incredible story that often reads like total fiction but shakes your head when you remember this is the life of a real person. It is further realised as you follow the narrative of the YouTube videos that document all of his professional fights. But this is not a story about boxing, this is much more about the extremes of human nature and the fight for survival in a vicious world.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 03, 2013 Jessie Brown rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wanted to. I tried. I failed. I just could not feel sympathetic. It's the feminist in me. There is a ton of hypocrisy in the 200 pages I read. All that I could be reminded of is that awful book by OJ Simpson If I Did It.
I don't even know what to say. It's just ridiculous and not for me.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Aug 23, 2015 Kimberly Hicks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of Boxing

Recommended to Kimberly by: Amazon

Shelves: african-american-read , read-on-kindle

Words! No one knows the importance of their impact more than a baby born on June 30, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York. From the moment he set foot in the world, the stars had aligned differently. To be told “you ain’t shit!” or “you’re worthless” and “you’re so dumb and stupid like me.” Is there any wonder the trials and tribulations the ex-undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Michael Gerard Tyson, better known as Mike Tyson, had a rather chaotic life he’s led?

Mike’s mother certainly didn’t d Words! No one knows the importance of their impact more than a baby born on June 30, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York. From the moment he set foot in the world, the stars had aligned differently. To be told “you ain’t shit!” or “you’re worthless” and “you’re so dumb and stupid like me.” Is there any wonder the trials and tribulations the ex-undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Michael Gerard Tyson, better known as Mike Tyson, had a rather chaotic life he’s led?

Mike’s mother certainly didn’t deserve the “Mother-of-the-Year Award,” but she gave Mike some very valuable lessons by ensuring her son would learn how to be a classic fuck up as he went through life. Oh yeah, this is what every mother should want for her very own son! Ummph, I’m surprised Mike has made it in life this far. His beginnings were absolutely horrendous. Having your mother beat on you for reasons only known to her; to having different men sleeping in their apartment with your young impressionable child watching. He was cussed out on a daily and berated with unkind words and called every name but the name she gave him, and this made more than an impact on Mike Tyson. He became the words his mother used to describe him. Hell, why not go out and rob your neighbors, right? Where’s the love?

That’s a good question, as Mike tries to find the answers searching through his tumultuous life as to why he is the way he is?! What is he? Many said he was an animal, and given the fact that he was known for taking a bite out of ears and an occasion thigh when the need arose, he was happy to have that bad boy persona. Only problem with that was, he wasn’t truly happy with himself at all. He had no self-worth, thanks to mommie dearest! I like to give parents the benefit of the doubt because after all, they are human and of course they make mistakes, so I’m willing to turn a blind eye on some parenting, however, having said that, I cannot give Mike’s mom a pass. What that woman did to her son was downright pure evil. He still, to this day, struggles with his past deep-rooted pains all at the hands of his mother. She never loved her son, at least that’s the perception I got from reading his life story. And I’m positive Mike would agree with me. She’s the reason for almost all of his problems.

Mike certainly cannot blame his mother for every mistake he’s made in life, and he’d probably be the first to admit that. He’s made some very bad choices in life. Going to jail at a young age was probably the best gift he could have been given. For had he not gone, he would have never met his angels. Cus D’Amato, his Italian adoptive father, life coach and trainer and Camille, his adoptive mother. Thanks to his explosive anger, one of the probation officers took notice and told Mike he should channel that anger into the ring. Who could believe that when Mike was a little boy, he was bullied and beat up on—“Iron” Mike Tyson bullied? Say what? Yeah, isn’t that amazing? He didn’t start out as “Iron” Mike. Not only was he bullied, but he didn’t exhibit the best hygiene and the kids literally ripped him a new one for not having the latest clothes and fads. Never mind he was poor, kids can be brutal, and Mike certainly was the brunt of many of their jokes. This turned him onto his criminal activity. There’s always a devil lurking ready to give you your life’s lessons at a price. Luckily, the cost was Cus and Camille.

Once he was taken under their wings, he began to do well and stay out of trouble, but one thing I noticed throughout the entire memoir, the “T” doesn’t just stand for Tyson, but more so “Trouble!” It always finds him. From his two failed marriages, to all the money he lost due to allowing others to handle his affairs. No matter how much he tried to get out from under, trouble had a way of finding and engulfing his existence to the point he became a drug addict. What better way to dull the pain of your horrible being than with drugs. His drug of choice was Cocaine. And Lord knows I don’t know why any woman in her right mind would sleep with him. This man not only is a recovering drug addict, but he’s a sex addict as well. He felt privileged because he was the Champ, had more than enough wealth and women were a part of that equation.

Mike went into great lengths describing all the women he slept with. He told things that I felt was waaaaay too much information, but I guess he wanted to keep it very real with his fans and to set the record straight. While I’m talking about one of my favorite fighters of all-time, I am going to say this here and now as I did back in the day. I never believed, nor will I ever believe, that Mike Tyson raped Desiree Washington. I defended him then and I’m still defending his honor. I think its deplorable that this man has to register in every state he visits that he’s a sex offender because if he doesn’t, he can go to jail—all thanks to Desiree being upset that he dissed her! He laid out the whole scenario and I believe every word he said. I believed him then, so nothing has changed in my mind. What I’d like to know is what happened to Miss Thang now? She’s got to live with the lies she’s told. This man has probably slept with more women than Wilt Chamberlain, and I’m not exaggerating. He had no reason to rape any woman. Now, could he be rude and downright nasty and impolite, oh yeah, you betcha, but rape—HELL NO! I’ve never believed that and I never, ever will. The only way I’d be a believer is if I saw it happen with my own eyes. And I don’t think that’s ever going to happen, unless someone had video, which there isn’t any.

Money makes people do strange things, and the more money you make, the more people act a damn fool, and with Mike, that was all too familiar. Everyone wanted a piece of Iron Mike Tyson’s money—damn the man, just fork over the money! Unfortunately, having all those millions and probably close to billions, he’s not that wealthy anymore. In fact, he’s broke compared to what he was then. Had he made smarter decisions and better staff working for him, instead of the entourage he sometimes hung around, he’d be living on easy street now.

I did enjoy watching his one-man show The Undisputed Truth which Spike Lee directed. It was outstanding! I thought Mike did a great job, but unfortunately, I wish his memoir would have been edited down like his one-man show. OMG, this book was waaaaaaay too long!! I don’t feel his editor did a great job toning down all the extra stuff Mike was saying. I appreciate that he was keeping it one hundred—I so get that, but there comes a time when you have to edit yourself. The man talked about the same stuff over, and over and over again and it liked to drove me insane. Wooo talk about #teamtoomuch! Oh yeah, way overboard! This book could have been about three to four hundred pages instead of over six hundred. Those extra pages were all the interviews Mike did, literally and several chapters of him getting high. He snorted so much coke, I caught a contact from reading it. Jesus, too, too much! All the women he slept with, too, too much! From going to the bathroom and the whole nine, Mike, listen baby, too, too much! Toooooo much!

But that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book. I absolutely did, but I must admit I skipped a few chapters near the end because it just got to be so redundant and there wasn’t any point. I learned a great deal about Iron Mike and I have to say, I’m glad to see he’s trying to get his life on point and stay clean. I know it’s never easy, but you do what you have to do. This was a pretty decent read.

To read this and other book reviews, please visit Mello & June http://mellojune.blogspot.com Thank You. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 29, 2014 Diego Ramirez rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Holly fuck, I just read the epilogue and got hook up...
I can heard the voice of the champ telling me his side of the story...

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 18, 2015 Leslynn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-reading-challenge

This book reads a bit like fantasy fiction: it's easy to imagine the world described, hard to believe that it's true and yet it's based in reality (just not the average man's reality). Some aspects of the book were inspirational, although I wasn't convinced that the content was the "Undisputed Truth", while other aspects brought forth emotions like disdain, disgust and disbelief. If you'd like a better understanding of who Mike Tyson is or how addicts think and live, this book is a must read. Re ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 29, 2014 Artiom Karsiuk rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've just read an April 4th, 1796 love letter of Napoléon Bonaparte to Joséphine de Beauharnais. You'd say " Oh, Artiom, you are such a handsome scholar: I am in no shock that you are reading XVIII-XIX century literature " to which I would eloquently reply " Your observation of my handsome features is spot-on, but I actually read this fine letter in a little book written by one Michael Gerard Tyson, BIA-TCH! "
There is no doubt that Mike is a basket-case. A loony-toon. An all-around madman. BUT a hig I've just read an April 4th, 1796 love letter of Napoléon Bonaparte to Joséphine de Beauharnais. You'd say " Oh, Artiom, you are such a handsome scholar: I am in no shock that you are reading XVIII-XIX century literature " to which I would eloquently reply " Your observation of my handsome features is spot-on, but I actually read this fine letter in a little book written by one Michael Gerard Tyson, BIA-TCH! "
There is no doubt that Mike is a basket-case. A loony-toon. An all-around madman. BUT a high functioning one, mind you. Before reading this book, I had a general idea of how complicated he is, but going through these pages was like sorting through Pandora's box: mommy issues, daddy issues, poverty, crime, drug abuse, violence, not to mention a constant battle between his ego and low self-esteem. Yet, that shitstorm of problems and personal demons on one side of the scale is countered by quite a list of positive skills and characteristics. Over the years the man probably put away more books than opponents, has excellent public speaking skills complimented by a nice sense of humor and is... intelligent. Did he handle his finances with due diligence? No. Was he a positive role-model for kids? Not so much. Was he a gentleman to all women? Hell to the no. But those are what they call "mistakes" and you'd expect him to have quite a few of those if you'd think of the position a 20-year old Mike found himself in.
Now, I am no rocket scientist, but if $150M could spoil a sweet little feminine Canadian pop singer who's name may or may not rhyme with Bustin Jieber, I would expect things to go just a tad bit crazy if you give $300M to a hormone-raging street thug from Brooklyn. He should not be alive today, let alone sober with a family and an ongoing successful career in entertainment. That's what they call "getting your shit together" with a gold star.
Sure, he will never again have nine figures of net worth to his name, but he has something far more important - an incredible life story and a name that will not soon be forgotten. I mean, there are 1,400+ billionaires in the world, but there is only one Iron Mike. He belongs to that rare breed of athlete who are capable of transcending their sport - there are many people who are not interested in racing, basketball, soccer or boxing, but almost everyone knows Michael Schumacher, Michael Jordan, Pelé and Mike Tyson. In the grand scheme of things, I consider reaching that level of status a true Legacy, as opposed to a legacy of "who collected more Benjamins".
All in all, the book was fascinating - I've written a few reviews of biographies, but I believe this is actually the first time I used the word "fascinating". And no wonder - it's written by The Baddest Man on the Planet . ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 10, 2014 Jared McGuckin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Love him of hate him, Mike Tyson is one interesting man, with one hell of a story to tell. I'm not even going to bury the led here, Undisputed Truth may just be the best autobiography I have ever read. It's truly a brutally honest look into the life and mind of a scared, troubled, and more often than not, frightening man. Every public incident is brought up here, the verbal abuse of reporters, the rape conviction (which Tyson proves, to me at least, to have been innocent), the prison time, the e ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 20, 2013 Ted Adamson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: popular-addiction-memoir

I just finished Mike Tyson’s memoir “Undisputed Truth”. I am glad I read it and I do recommend it. It is 552 pages long not including the Epilogue. It is an easy read but takes several days because it is so long. It could and should have been shorter. The language of the book is the language of the street and the reader should expect a lot of profanity.

That being said, let me tell you some of the highlights and my impressions. It is an honest book I think and he tells the kind of life he lived ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 02, 2014 Chris Neumann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2014-books

I was a huge boxing fan back in my high school days, and ever since then I promised myself that if Mike Tyson ever wrote a book about his life, I would read it. Well, years later, I finally made that promise to myself. Was it worth the 10+ year wait? Sad to say, not really.

First off,this book is a tome compared to some other autobiographies. It isn't the kind of book you can read a big chunk of in one sitting, and with quite small print at that, it took me forever to read. I applaud the team of I was a huge boxing fan back in my high school days, and ever since then I promised myself that if Mike Tyson ever wrote a book about his life, I would read it. Well, years later, I finally made that promise to myself. Was it worth the 10+ year wait? Sad to say, not really.

First off,this book is a tome compared to some other autobiographies. It isn't the kind of book you can read a big chunk of in one sitting, and with quite small print at that, it took me forever to read. I applaud the team of Tyson and his co-writer for trying to fit as much in as possible, but it ends up being too much. There are only so many times you can read about sexual escapades and drug binges before it gets repetitive. And this book gets REALLY repetitive. 150 pages could have been shaved off easily.

Also, in my opinion, it passes over in only a few pages the most infamous part of his in-ring boxing career - the biting off of Holyfield's ear. He apologizes for it and talks about it here and there, but it doesn't really skim of surface of the kind of fiasco the media had when that happened. Bummer.

The last fifty pages or so are touching and heartfelt, and he goes into detail about his mental issues and his regrets in life. There are many parts of the book previous to this, however, where his crazy lifestyle just felt like bragging. This might not have been the intent, but that's what I got out of it.

I consider this a spoiled opportunity. What could have been one of the craziest/most memorable autobiographies of our time turned out to be a mediocre, by-the-numbers reflection of someone who didn't seem interested in the project to begin with.

Skip this and just watch the documentary.
(2.5/5) ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 04, 2013 Lance Goff rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was an amazing book. Mike Tyson opens up about everything from his upbringing in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, N.Y. to the present day. It should be noted that he doesn't hold back. It is a brutally honest memoir detailing past crimes committed, heavy drug use, and innumerable sexual conquests. However, all of these stories are told from the perspective of a person who seems to have not only outgrown, but also outlived, them. Throughout the story-telling, Mike seems genuinely contrit This was an amazing book. Mike Tyson opens up about everything from his upbringing in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, N.Y. to the present day. It should be noted that he doesn't hold back. It is a brutally honest memoir detailing past crimes committed, heavy drug use, and innumerable sexual conquests. However, all of these stories are told from the perspective of a person who seems to have not only outgrown, but also outlived, them. Throughout the story-telling, Mike seems genuinely contrite and remorseful. He is very critical of himself and is able to speak almost objectively about some of his wild behavior now that time and experience have served to separate him from his "Iron Mike" persona.

While reading the beginning of the book, it is easy to pull for Mike while he struggles to survive neighborhood bullying as a child with a less than stable home life. He gets caught up in the street life of robbing people and homes, and after a few dozen arrests before the age of 13, he finally ends up in an upstate detention facility. Once there, he meets a counselor who promises to teach Mike how to box if he gets his act together while detained. Mike listened and after a few sparring sessions, the counselor took him to see Cus D'Amato -- the man who would serve as Mike's trainer, mentor, and father figure, changing his life forever.

Mike quotes and remembers Cus throughout the entire book, even though Cus died before Mike became a champion. And without Cus's guidance, Mike struggled to adapt to the lifestyle of a champion, which is easy to understand since he was only twenty years old at the time. His story takes a very dark turn at this point while Mike plunges into an entitled lifestyle surrounded by people who end up taking advantage of him and ending with him serving a three-year prison sentence for rape -- a charge he still adamantly denies in spite of owning up to everything else.

After prison, Mike tries to get his boxing career on track but his wild lifestyle, along with advancing age and declining ambition, never allow it to materialize. From here, the book moves upward as Mike begins to look for direction on how to get sober and begin a new phase in his life without the one thing that had defined him since he was thirteen. A life where he stays in and concentrates on spending time with his wife and young children while trying to make up for lost time with his older ones.

In the end, it was nice to see Mike own up to his despicable behavior and confront the limitations he insecurely denied for years. For more reasons than that, though, I found myself cheering for him again, only outside the ring this time. Sure, he beat a lot of fighters in his boxing days, but he will spend the rest of his life fighting a rough upbringing and a life of addiction -- a fight he seems genuinely determined to win. I should hope that would give him more fans than ever. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

Biography

39 users

Sports And Games > Sports

28 users

Non Fiction

25 users

Biography > Autobiography

11 users

Autobiography > Memoir

6 users

Biography Memoir

2 users

See top shelves...

About Mike Tyson

Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is an American retired professional boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles at 20 years, 4 months, and 22 days old.

More about Mike Tyson...

Books by Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson: The Playboy Interview (50 Years of the Playboy Interview)

RMS Titanic 172 Success Secrets - 172 Most Asked Questions on RMS Titanic - What You Need to Know

Undisputed Truth by Mike Tyson in a Brief Read: A Summary

More…

Share This Book

Share on your website

title link	preview: Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography
avg rating	preview: Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography Goodreads rating: 4.03 (2170 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18887108-undisputed-truth?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385147291l/18887108.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18887108-undisputed-truth?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography by Mike Tyson[/url]

+ Share on your website

Trivia About Undisputed Truth

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Undisputed Truth

“Man is not mean to be humble, he's meant to be humbled.” — 5 likes

“Fear is the greatest obstacle to learning. But fear is your best friend. Fear is like fire. If you learn to control it, you let it work for you. If you don’t learn to control it, it’ll destroy you and everything around you. Like a snowball on a hill, you can pick it up and throw it or do anything you want with it before it starts rolling down, but once it rolls down and gets so big, it’ll crush you to death. So one must never allow fear to develop and build up without having control over it, because if you don’t you won’t be able to achieve your objective or save your life.” — 5 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — Undisputed Truth by Mike Tyson

Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers Also Enjoyed

Genres

About Mike Tyson

Books by Mike Tyson

Share This Book

Share on your website

Trivia About Undisputed Truth

Quotes from Undisputed Truth