The Contender

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Summary: The Winner without a Trophy
Review: The Contender
By Robert Lipsyte

Your life isn't as bad as you think, comparing it to Alfred's you're really like lucky. Alfred tries to avoid his bad friends because they all do drugs and commit crimes. His best friend James was thrown in jail for robbing a grocery store that Alfred works at. And some street kids are after him and blaming him for a crime they committed. In this dramatic action story you won't stop turning pages till your done with the book.

Alfred is beaten by the street kids and now he fells weak, scared, and he fells as if he's nobody. So Alfred goes to Donatelli's gym the neighborhood-boxing club to train and be stronger. At the gym he trains to be a boxer. He tells Donatelli the man who runs the gym that he wants to be a somebody and a champion at boxing some day, Donatelli tells him that before you can be a champion, you have to be a contender. Donatelli also tells him that he must train hard every day at his gym, get a nutritious selection of food every day, and to get a good amount of sleep every night. Alfred begins training as soon as he possibly can. He is motivated to be boxing champion because he wants to have more street credit and to be a somebody.

Alfred even starts to work better at the grocery store, which is his job. But one thing he doesn't understand is what Donatelli said. He said effort is what makes you a man, winning is just a reward. Alfred soon finds out what Donatelli means and now he fells stronger and he fells like a somebody finally. But he still wants to win and be a champion so he continues to train at the gym.

Will Alfred claim the spot for champions or will he return to his old life but as a somebody. You will have to read The Contender to find out how this great story ends.

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: The Contender, even though it didn't seem like a book meant for a girl, caught my attention. The style of Robert Lipsytes Writing makes you feel like you are actually there in the story and interacting with the characters. You can visualize the Robbery at the Epsteins' store. You can smell the musty air in Donatelli's gym. I would reccomend this book to teenagers. I don't think that adults would enjoy it as much, because I don't think that it would be as easy for them to relate to what the main character, Alfred Brooks, is feeling. Under the age of 11 or 12 probally wouldn't understand the meaning of the book, or maybe they would but wouldn't be able to get the full experience of the reading because they can't feel what Robert Lipsyte was expressing. Overall, The Contender was full of fun suprises, and dreary times. I suggest you read this book!

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Summary: This is for Miss O.
Review: This book was about a boy named Alfred who lives with his Aunt Pearl because his mother died of pneumonia.His best friend James was sent to jail because he robbed the grocery store Alfred works at. All of his friends were bad. He was a high school drop out. He would hide form street gangs because they wanted to beat him up. They finally found him and he got beat up really bad. Alfred went to a gym to be taught how to fight and he wanted to be stronger. He met a trainer named Donatelli to help him; so everyday he would go to the gym. He wanted to become a champion, but Donatelli said before you become a champion you need to become a contender. You are going to have to read The Contender to find out if he becomes a champion.

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Summary: Are you a contender? -review by Michelle
Review: "Everybody wants to be a champion. That's not enough. You have to start by wanting to be a contender..." - Donatelli.
In growing up, you make decisions that affect your future and identity. Alfred Brooks, the protagonist in The Contender, is faced with many choices he has to make. Major, the antagonist, tries to persuade Alfred to make the wrong decisions. Throughout the book, Alfred meets several people that help him discover his true identity. Alfred also learns that you have to set goals and not give up on yourself. I enjoyed reading this book because it was fast-paced. But I didn't like the fact that it was mainly about boxing, which isn't my favorite sport. As an overall, though, I felt that The Contender was a well-written and motivating book!

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Summary: The Contender
Review: First thing I want to say: Excellent book! I think Lipsyte did a wondrous job portraying a young, scared boy growing into a determined, mature man.
Alfred Brooks is scared. He is a high school dropout with a job at a grocery store that is going nowhere, and fast. His best friend is sinking more and more into drugs. The neighborhood thugs want him, to either beat him up or to join them. After one of these beatings, Alfred decides to start going to Donatelli's Gym, a boxing club in Harlem that is notorious for champions. While training, he learns from Donatelli that it's the effort, not the win, that makes the man. It's if you can be hit and hurt, but still struggle to stand on your feet when everyone thought you were done. I loved the book. I think it would make an excellent movie and should be done so soon.
While reading this book I was inspired to start working out and feel better about myself. After reading this book I understood the importance of determination, discipline, and dedication when trying for your goals. I learned that if you have what it takes to become a contender, then you can do anything you want to.

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Summary: THE CONTENDER
Review: The Contender
The contender is a great book explaining some of the problems people have in the ghetto with great detail. I especially like the way in which the author works around the problem which Alfred (main character) getting beat up, bullied and having racists always on his back. Alfred tells his friend about his job and how sometimes that the store he works at is empty on Sundays. His friends decide to break in and steal money from the store but Alfred doesn't go and forgets to tell them about the new alarm in which goes off and cops come and arrest his friends. Alfred hides, but all of his friends who didn't get caught want to kill him, so he must learn how to fight. He actually becomes a Boxer. I think this book greatly describes the thinking of teenagers today and gives meaning of what teenagers face everyday. Also on pages 8 and 9 in chapter one it describes a place where he can be himself and can hide and get away from the world, which is a secret place. Overall I think Contender is a must read!

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Summary: The Contender
Review: I recently have read the book called the Contender. The book is about a african-american guy named Alfred. He lives in a apartment in the slums of Harlem, with his Aunt Pearl and cousins. Alfred's friends are in trouble with robberies at Epstein's and drugs. While all this is in effect, Alfred decides to become a boxer, and starts working out. He starts working out at a down-town gym called Donatelli's. He starts working out and becomes very good. Later Donatelli sets him up with other people to box. Alfred is a good boxer and enjoys it very much, but when his Aunt Pearl finds out she feels differently. And plenty of excitement and pain comes Alfred's way! I thought the novel was good, and I liked reading it. I liked how Alfred had to struggle to become so successful. It teaches other kids who read this book responsibilities, and how to succeed.

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Summary: This book was great it also was very touching.
Review: The book "The Contender" was writen by Robert Lipsyte,I thought it was a very good and emotional book. There were a lot of things that touched me in this book. Some of the things i couldn't really relate to but could imagine and others I could almost feel what Alfred did. I know it was a fiction book but I also think this could be a non-fiction book.

The books mian character was Alfred Brooks, who is a protagonist character. Alfreds conflict in life was that his dad left when he was little and his mom died a couple years later. Because of this Alfreds life wasn't very easy. He was a high school drop out, who lived with his aunt in Harlem New York. Harlem is not a very safe place to live there is lot's of gangs which turns into violence, and also drugs. Alfred has a job at a grocery store called Epstien's. After work he would go to Donatelli's gym and work out. Alfred was training there to become a boxer. You could say at the beginning he really didn't care about the training he just wanted to become a famous boxer. Along with all of this alfreds bset friend james got into a major drug addiction. But going to Donatelli's gym he learns that it's the effort, not always if you win. At the end of the book Alfred struggles to get his life back on track. Read this book to find out if Alfred can get his life on track and if his friend will stop his addiction.

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Summary: Alfred and His Problems
Review: I read the book THE CONTENDER by Robert Lipsyte. I really enjoyed the book because it's not really long nor hard to understand. The book is really action packed and keeps you wanting to read it more and more. The main character is Alfred. Alfred's conflict is that his best friend James want's him to go to the store he works at and help him break in so they can steal. The place Alfred works is at the supermarket that James wants to rob. Alfred gets jumped on the way home from the supermarket one night by one of James' friends who wanted help to rob the store.After Alfred gets jumped he decides that he wants to take boxing lessons. Alfred goes to the gym to see what it was like and tries to walk out but Mr.Donatellie stops him. Alfred decides to give boxing lessons a try and doesn't realize how much work it would really be. If you want to know more I recommend that you read the book THE CONTENDER.

Rating:
Summary: a knockout of a book
Review: the contender was an exellent book that I would recomend for others. you read along a young man's path from a school dropout to an in shape boxer.through boxing, alfred brooks, is able to find himself. I thought this book was good because it deals with real life problems such as drugs, education, and violence. this is a very good book for a teenaged boy. it teaches good ethics like never give up, never lose faith, and always keep punching.