The Boxer - Hardcover

Karr, Kathleen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374309213 ISBN 13: 9780374309213

Verlag: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2000

Inhaltsangabe

Hard-hitting historical fiction

Ever since his father ran off two years before, fifteen-year-old Johnny Woods has struggled to help support his ma and five siblings, sacrificing his own schooling in the process. Still, there's been hardly enough money each month to make the rent, and Johnny's dream of a house in Brooklyn, away from the tenement slums, is out of reach.

Then Johnny discovers boxing. He is a natural-born fighter, with street smarts, determination, and an explosive uppercut. Although boxing is illegal in 1885 New York, Johnny powers his way through every obstacle, believing he has found the means to raise himself and his family out of poverty. But as he moves closer to his biggest fight yet, Johnny must reconcile his need to help his loved ones with a sharpening desire to achieve something outside the ring, starting with his education. In bringing to life Johnny's struggle and ultimate success, Kathleen Karr offers readers a compelling portrait of an appealing young champion.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Kathleen Karr is the author of several books, including The Great Turkey Walk, which was named a Best Book of the Year by both School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. She lives with her family in Washington, D.C.

Rezensionen

Grade 7 Up-Set in 1885, this atmospheric historical novel tells the story of 15-year-old Johnny Woods and his struggle to rescue his mother and five siblings from a life of miserable poverty on New York City's Lower East Side. Seeing no solution in the meager wages he earns in the sweatshops, Johnny turns to boxing. A natural born fighter with fierce determination and an explosive temper, he ends up incarcerated in New York City's infamous "Tombs" after an illegal public boxing bout. While there, Johnny meets a man named O'Shaunnessey, who trains him to become a professional boxer and takes on the role of his absentee father. Once paroled, O'Shaunnessey helps the teen build his career and eventually earn enough money to move his family to a better life in Brooklyn. At the novel's end, the protagonist contemplates leaving the violent sport behind and completing his education. Karr does an admirable job of creating a vivid sense of time and place. Besides all of the interesting details about boxing, there are plenty of descriptions of the economic and social conditions of the day. The ringside action is quite exciting. The characters are also well developed, particularly Johnny, who matures in the course of the story. A wonderful blend of fascinating history and compelling drama.
Edward Sullivan, Langston Hughes Library, Clinton, TN
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Karr (The Great Turkey Walk) offers an enticing mix of sports action, family drama and period detail in this saga of an amateur boxer growing up in 19th-century Manhattan. Fifteen-year-old Johnny's skill with his fists is as impressive as his high morals and deep devotion to family. After his drunken father runs off, Johnny assumes the role of head of the household. Money being tight, the teen attempts to earn an extra $5 by entering an illegal fight. His subsequent arrest turns out to be fortuitous. In jail, Johnny meets fellow convict Michael O'Shaunnessey, an ex-middleweight champ, who acts as Johnny's personal trainer, manager and mentor. The strenuous workouts Johnny and his new coach begin in their shared cell set into motion a series of events that continues long after their release from prison. On top of Johnny's goal of becoming a champ, he yearns to finish high school and move his family out of their tenement. Most readers will be willing to suspend their disbelief of Johnny's record number of wins long enough to cheer him on during his struggle to fight fair both inside and outside of the ring. The book's one-two-punch pacing and warmhearted resolutions will keep the pages turning. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 6-9. This novel, set in New York City in 1885, concerns 15-year-old Johnny Woods, who works in a sweatshop to support his mother and his younger brothers and sisters until he is arrested for boxing at Brodie's Saloon. He's miserable as he begins his six-month prison sentence, but he turns his life around when a fellow inmate with money and influence takes him under his wing and trains him to become a professional boxer. After his release, Johnny works hard to get an education, improve his boxing skills, and get a home in Brooklyn for his family. Among the few historical fiction books for young people that focus on a lower-class character during peace time, this novel has a gritty setting and a clarity of purpose that some readers will find refreshing. The boxing scenes gain credibility through the author's training in the ring. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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From The Boxer

Brought it on my own head, I had. My ma's always been after me not to fight. But what's a little fellow like me meant to do? Seems like there's always been someone after me for one thing or the other, always been someone bigger. Tonight had just seemed like a reasonable solution to a lot of things. Tonight in the room behind Brodie's Saloon. Just my luck Brodie was behind on his payoffs. Just my luck New York City's finest picked tonight for a raid. I twisted up a little tighter, trying not to let too much of me touch the filthy mattress. The bruises from Brodie's back room began to throb. Everywhere, it felt like. I closed my eyes and tried not to breathe the cell's loathsome air.
Where had I gone wrong?

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2000
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0374309213
• ISBN 13: 9780374309213
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 144
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar