Description
Boxing's true Cinderella story: James J. Braddock, dubbed "Cinderella Man" by Damon Runyon, was a once promising light heavyweight for whom a string of losses and a broken right hand happened to coincide with the Great Crash of 1929. With one good hand, he was forced to labor on the docks of Hoboken. Only his manager still believed in him. The diminutive, loquacious Jew and the burly, quiet Irishman made one of boxing's oddest couples, but together they staged the greatest comeback in fighting history. Braddock went from the relief rolls to face heavyweight champion Max Baer, the Livermore Butcher Boy, renowned for having allegedly killed two men in the ring. A charismatic, natural talent, Baer was a towering, brash opponent. A ten-to-one underdog, Braddock's unlikely upset made him the most popular champion boxing had ever seen. Against the gritty backdrop of the Depression, this book brings this all-American story to life, evoking a time when the sport of boxing resonated with a country trying desperately to get back on its feet.… (more)
Library's review
In the tradition of Seabiscuit and The Perfect Mile, the fascinating true story of James J. Braddock, a depression-era boxer and American folk hero, whose life is also the inspriation to a major motion picture.
Lost in the annals of boxing is the sport's true Cinderella story. James J. Braddock,
Against the gritty back drop of the Depression, Cinderella Man brings this dramatic all-American story to life, evoking a time when the sport of boxing resonated with a country trying desperately to get back on its feet. Schaap paints a vivid picture of the fight world in its golden age, populated by men of every class and ethnic background and covered voluminoiusy by writers who elevated sports writing to art. Rich in anecdote and color, steeped in history, and full of human interest, Cinderella Man is a classic David and Goliath tale that transcends the sport.
An ESPN anchor and national correspondent, Jeremy Schaap is a host of ESPN's Outside the Lines as well as its acclaimed SportsCentrury series. An Emmy Award-winning reporter, he has been publihsed in Sports Ilustrated, ESPN The Magazine, Time, Parade, and the New York Times. Schaap is a native of New York City and the son of the award-winning, journalist Diek Schaap.
'A wonderful look backward at a different kind of fight and a different America. A delight.'-David Halberstam
'Cinderella Man is rich in its details and has one special virtue as a book about boxers-you get to know the two men who are fighting for the heavyweight championship so well that a few readers wil even shift their loyalties and root for that prince of the ring, Max Baer, instead of James Braddock, a most special hero who spent his life working uphill all the way. Ovbviously, I enjoyed reading Cinderella Man.'-Norman Mailer
'Jeremy Schaap has written a fascinating and a well-reserched tale of Braddock, a man of his time and for his time. The research is first-rate and so is the storytelling. Well done.'-Mitch Albom
'Jeremy Schaap gives us a wonderful, thrilling boxing story and simultaneously a meticulous look at Depression life...Crowds of Braddock's time were as amazed as we are reading this story that Schaap tells so compellingly.'-Jimmy Breslin
'A splendid storiy, told by a gifted young writer...remarkaable.'-Mike Lupica
'In a sport whose history is filled with improbable tales, the story of James J. Braddock, the Cinderella Man, is perhaps among the most romantic and unlikely of all, and Jeremy Schaap tells it simply, beautifully, and memorably.'-William Nack
'Jeremy Schaap has written about Jim Bfraddock and Max Baer with affection and charm.'-Frank Deford
Contents
Preface
1 Corn and hash
2 The Battle of Nurge's Field
3 The meat inspector
4 The Livermore Butcher Boy
5 Spooked by the phantom
6 The great white way
7 The crash and the jinx
8 The lord of the jungle
9 Star of David
10 On the waterfront
11 Last one up's a sissy
12 Another upset
13 King Max
14 A shot at Lasky
15 The people's choice
16 Homicide hall
17 A stout heart
Epilogue
Appendix A: The Heavyweight Championship
Appendix B: James J. Braddock's ring record
Appendix C: Max Baer's ring record
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
Lost in the annals of boxing is the sport's true Cinderella story. James J. Braddock,
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dubbed 'Cinderella Man' by Damon Runyon, was a once promising light heavyweight for whom a string of losses in the ring and a broken right hand happened to coincide with the Great Crash. With one good hand, Braddock was forced to labor on the docks of Hoboken. Only his manager, Joe Gould, still believed in him, finding fighs for Braddock to help feed his wife and childlren. The diminutive, loquacious Jew and the burly, quiet Irishman made one of boxing's oddest couples, but together they staged the greatest comeback in fighting history. In less than twelve months Braddock went from the relief rolls to face heavyweight champion Max Baer, the Livermore Butcher Boy renowned for having allegedly killed two men in the ring. A charismatic, natural talent and in every way Braddock's foil, Baer was a towering opponent, a Jew from the West Coast who was famously brash and made great copy both in and out of the ring. A ten-to-one underdog, Braddock carried the hopes and dreams of the working class on his shoulders. And when boxing was the biggest sport in the world, when the heavyweight champion was the biggest star in the world, his unlikely upset made Braddock the most popular champion boxing had ever seen.Against the gritty back drop of the Depression, Cinderella Man brings this dramatic all-American story to life, evoking a time when the sport of boxing resonated with a country trying desperately to get back on its feet. Schaap paints a vivid picture of the fight world in its golden age, populated by men of every class and ethnic background and covered voluminoiusy by writers who elevated sports writing to art. Rich in anecdote and color, steeped in history, and full of human interest, Cinderella Man is a classic David and Goliath tale that transcends the sport.
An ESPN anchor and national correspondent, Jeremy Schaap is a host of ESPN's Outside the Lines as well as its acclaimed SportsCentrury series. An Emmy Award-winning reporter, he has been publihsed in Sports Ilustrated, ESPN The Magazine, Time, Parade, and the New York Times. Schaap is a native of New York City and the son of the award-winning, journalist Diek Schaap.
'A wonderful look backward at a different kind of fight and a different America. A delight.'-David Halberstam
'Cinderella Man is rich in its details and has one special virtue as a book about boxers-you get to know the two men who are fighting for the heavyweight championship so well that a few readers wil even shift their loyalties and root for that prince of the ring, Max Baer, instead of James Braddock, a most special hero who spent his life working uphill all the way. Ovbviously, I enjoyed reading Cinderella Man.'-Norman Mailer
'Jeremy Schaap has written a fascinating and a well-reserched tale of Braddock, a man of his time and for his time. The research is first-rate and so is the storytelling. Well done.'-Mitch Albom
'Jeremy Schaap gives us a wonderful, thrilling boxing story and simultaneously a meticulous look at Depression life...Crowds of Braddock's time were as amazed as we are reading this story that Schaap tells so compellingly.'-Jimmy Breslin
'A splendid storiy, told by a gifted young writer...remarkaable.'-Mike Lupica
'In a sport whose history is filled with improbable tales, the story of James J. Braddock, the Cinderella Man, is perhaps among the most romantic and unlikely of all, and Jeremy Schaap tells it simply, beautifully, and memorably.'-William Nack
'Jeremy Schaap has written about Jim Bfraddock and Max Baer with affection and charm.'-Frank Deford
Contents
Preface
1 Corn and hash
2 The Battle of Nurge's Field
3 The meat inspector
4 The Livermore Butcher Boy
5 Spooked by the phantom
6 The great white way
7 The crash and the jinx
8 The lord of the jungle
9 Star of David
10 On the waterfront
11 Last one up's a sissy
12 Another upset
13 King Max
14 A shot at Lasky
15 The people's choice
16 Homicide hall
17 A stout heart
Epilogue
Appendix A: The Heavyweight Championship
Appendix B: James J. Braddock's ring record
Appendix C: Max Baer's ring record
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
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User reviews
LibraryThing member ursula
A solid telling of the life of Jim Braddock. More balanced in the portrayal of Max Baer than in the movie, though Braddock comes across as just as much of a nice guy.
LibraryThing member franoscar
This is an interesting book, it covers the history of boxing, Braddock's life, Max Baer's life, and a lot about the other boxers of the time. It corrects a lot of the "facts" in the movie, and it is still a great story.
LibraryThing member EstherReader
Inspiring story of James J Braddock, the boxer who went from begging for work on the docks of New York to contesting the world heavy-weight championship in 4 fights in 1935. Very inspiring story, not rivitingly written by Jeremy Schapp, but the story is good enough to keep you reading. Having
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listened to Outliers by Malcolm Gladwel on Audiobook recently, I keep finding confirmation of Gladwel's theory: Braddock put in lots of time and effort at a high level, had the right environment to nurture his talents, and had the right opportunities presented to him. Having said that, these do not detract one bit from Braddock's story, they are a testament to his place in history. A great book for anyone looking for inspiration! Show Less
ISBN
618551174
Publication
Houghton Mifflin Companiiy Boston New York