The Berlin Boxing Club

Ah, me! Young adult novels are wasted on the young. Why is it that adult readers sometimes scoff at the idea of reading a YA book? They don't know what they're missing. Case in point: Robert Sharenow's THE BERLIN BOXING CLUB, an unforgettable story set in pre-war Nazi Germany. As the novel opens we

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meet Karl a thin and willowy teenager who has to withstand the mental and physical cruelty imposed on him by a group of boys at school who find out that he's Jewish. When famed boxer Max Schmeling takes an interest in the teen and decides that Karl's cuts and bruises couldn't have been caused by a simple fall down the stairs, Max offers to teach Karl the art of boxing. Even though Karl's talents in the ring begin to win him fame and adoration (most people don't know he's Jewish), they eventually can't stop the vicious attacks that he and his family are subjected to. Please put this absorbing novel on your "to read" list. You won't be disappointed.

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This book started out promisingly enough - decent characters, plotting, writing, etc. I was frustrated by the simplicity of some of the characgter's thoughts and the writing style, but for all I know that simplicity is perfect for the book's inteded age group, so, being older, I can't judge on that

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count.

What ultimately made me put the book down half way through though was the lack of conflict. A good plot, even if it solves a minor problem or two, will continually increase and complicate the problems facing the characters until the climax. This book did not. I felt there was nothing more to worry about by the middle - and just couldn't get my interested worked back up again. Would not recommend.

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A lot of people will tell you that the first thing you have to learn is how to take a punch. But I believe the first thing you should know is that you can take one and survive. Conquering your fear is the first step to becoming a powerful fighter.Karl is a blond, skinny fourteen-year-old in 1930s

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Berlin, when Hitler is on the rise and with him Nazi-approved racism and prejudice. Though he doesn't look like the Jewish stereotype and has never practiced the faith, the bullies in his school torment Karl for his heritage as well as the government. When his father the art dealer barters a deal with world famous boxer Max Schmeling, he benefits: Max gets a painting for giving Karl boxing lessons at the Berlin Boxing Club, where Max trains when he is in Germany. Karl begins as a frightened boy, but quickly takes to the sport, finding comfort and purpose there when everything else is falling apart: his home life with a mother battling depression and a father losing his business more day by day, being expelled from school for being Jewish, and having to hide his new relationship with a beautiful girl. As the situation for Jews in Germany deteriorates, Karl's boxing skills improve as well as his cartooning skills, but it becomes clear that in order to survive, they will need to leave Germany. The only person they know with any power to help would be Max Schmeling... but Max has been socializing with Hitler and his Nazi Party elite, and Germany has become a viper's nest of betrayal and treachery. Karl has no idea how far he can trust him, and lives depend upon that decision. Excellent historical fiction: lots of sports details from the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin and from Max Schmeling's many famous fights, and a gripping tale of what life was like for German Jews in Berlin. Told from Karl's point of view, with all of his mistakes, missteps and misgivings, this is a great guy read. 8th grade and up - awesome addition to Holocaust-era fiction.

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Karl Stern, an assimilated fourteen-year-old Jew living in 1930s Berlin, becomes the unlikely student of boxing champion and source of German pride, Max Schmeling. A coming of age novel that entwines Karl’s personal struggles with the historical ones of the period including “degenerate” art

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and the Nazi menace, well-developed characters and a tense plot propel this page turner.

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Great depcition of rising anti-Semitism in 1930's Germany. The boxing story and Max Schmeling connection proved to be much more interesting than I anticipated.

Interesting perspective of a Jew who doesn't look like a Jew in Hitler Germany. Good for boys interested in boxing.

An excellent read. Karl, a young boy in Nazi Germany, discovers the joy of boxing but has all of his dreams taken away when he is revealed as being Jewish. Mixed in with the what it meant to be Jewish during Hitler's rise to power is the story of German boxer Max Schmeling, and his involvement with

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Karl in helping him to regain his trust in humankind.

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Didn't realize that it was written for youths but think it is great for everyone to read.

Hands down one of the best fictional Holocaust novels for teens I have ever read, and I have read a lot! I could not put this down and finished this within a day. I love historical fiction and I love boxing so this book was a match made in heaven. Loosely based off of historical events surrounding

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the world heavyweight boxing champion from Germany, this novel centers on a young Jewish boy, Karl, in Berlin who gets the amazing opportunity to train under the great boxer himself. As anti-antisemitism grows in Germany, Karl finds himself in a tight spot; even though he looks Aryan and isn't a practicing Jew he gets lumped in with all the undesirables and all he wants to do is box, draw cartoons, and try to win over the cute girl living in the apartment complex. Filled with cartoon sketches, boxing advice, and the trials of growing up in a society where you and your family are reviled, this story resonated with me and I LOVED it! I liked it so much that it's one I would buy and re-read. Fantastic and not just for teenagers or fans of boxing.

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This is a fairly interesting tale of a Jewish boy, Karl Stern, living in Berlin after the Nazis came to power and as they are beginning to "crack down" on political dissidents and all people not fulfilling the Aryan "ideal." He learns how to box from Max Schmeling (Boxing World Champion) but things

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continue to get very bad for his family. Unfortunately, for most of the book, Karl is just unlikable. A lot of it is usual teen angst but he is also self-absorbed to the point that I don't know why his family doesn't disown him. He resents and dismisses his father for a good portion of the story, feels burdened my his mother who seems to suffer from depression, and ignores his little sister who, because of her "Jewish" appearance, suffers much more at the hands of classmates and the Hitler Youth than Karl does. It reminds me of MST3K's _Mitchell_ episode where they say, "He doesn't have much more time to become likable. Do you think he can do it?" And the response is "I don't think so." Karl as a few redeeming epiphanies but most of those aren't actually manifested in his actions. Additionally, the ending leaves something to be desired. I just didn't feel much in the way of closure.

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I haven't read this book yet but looking at the comments, this seems like an interesting book to read. The other comments say that this book is about a Jewish boy, around the 1920's when the Nazi's where around. Also based off the cover and title this book is about boxing.

A scared young Jewish boy growing up in Nazi Germany transforms, with boxing lessons, into a braver version of himself as conditions in Germany worsen. I didn‘t love this one, and I think it‘s because I felt no emotional connection to it. Its reach is limited by narrator Karl‘s naive,

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youthful perspective that remains unrealistically naive even after what should be his coming of age.

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