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War in the Ring: Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, and the Fight between America and Hitler
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About War In The Ring: Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, And The
Product Description In the years leading up to WWII, an American boxing hero competed against a German champion in what would become a historic battle of the nations. Joe Louis was born on an Alabama cotton patch and raised in a Detroit ghetto. Max Schmeling grew up in poverty in Hamburg, Germany. For both boys, boxing was a path out and a ladder up. Little did they know that they would one day face each other in a pair of matches that would capture the world's attention.Joe grew into a symbol of inspiration to a nation of Black Americans hoping to carve a slice of the 'American Dream' in a racially fractured country. Max, on the other hand, became a Nazi symbol for the superiority of the Aryan race. The battles waged between Joe and Max still resonate, and the cultural implications of the international sensation continue to reverberate far past the ring. From School Library Journal Gr 4-6-The two heavyweight championship fights between Joe Louis, representing the United States, and Max Schmeling, representing Germany, serve as a metaphor for the lead-up to World War II and the fight against fascism. Each man carried the weight of national pride on his shoulders, but Louis also carried the burden of being a black man in Jim Crow America. Louis lost the first match badly but redeemed himself in the second bout by knocking Schmeling out in just two minutes and four seconds. America, especially the Black community, regarded Louis's win as a symbol of perseverance and hope, but Schmeling was ostracized in Germany. Florio and Shapiro follow each man on his path to the matches, placing their respective journeys within the historical context of Hitler's rise and fall. The story manages to illuminate beyond what is told in history books, and what people were feeling in those years of war. Even for readers not well-versed in boxing lore, the story is fascinating and reads as smoothly as a novel. In addition to photographs and an index, the book also contains extensive chapter notes and an impressive bibliography of varied sources. VERDICT For a slightly different take on the time period, this volume captures a microcosm with a personal perspective. Recommended for all public and school libraries.-Katherine Koenig, Carnegie Library of Pittsburghα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Review "Thoroughly sourced, Florio and Shapiro’s book celebrating Louis' life is a knockout." - Booklist "Florio and Shapiro bring considerable skill to their lively telling of this multilayered slice of history . . . an honest account of the racism and anti-Semitism intertwined throughout and realistically portraying the complexities of Joe Louis and Max Schmeling." - Kirkus"Florio and Shapiro (One Nation Under Baseball) vividly recount the politically and racially charged rivalry between African-American boxing champion Joe Louis and white German boxer Max Schmeling" - Publishers Weekly About the Author John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro are the authors of One Nation Under Baseball, and One Punch from the Promised Land. Together, they’ve written about sports for The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, VICE Sports, and Sports Illustrated. They are married and live in Brooklyn. War in the Ring is their first book for young readers. Ouisie Shapiro and John Florio are the authors of One Nation Under Baseball, and One Punch from the Promised Land. Together, they’ve written about sports for The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, VICE Sports, and Sports Illustrated. They are married and live in Brooklyn. War in the Ring is their first book for young readers.
