The Contender

Rating:
Summary: TKO
Review: The Contender was very informing on the different tactics and strtagies there are in boxing. It also desplays a vast array of different characters, and depicts them using a flowing story line. the book is about a young high school dropout that lives in the Bronx. After his best friend is arrested he needs to seek refuge from his troublesome world. This refuge is boxing. It tells about his progress and distractions from temptation. the fight seens are well portraited to give you an inside look at what Alfred (the main character) is thinking. The Contender is a great book and should be commended for its many strong points!

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: This book was not really my type of book, but I still thought it was good.
The characters, at times, seem shallow, but are overall interesting. Alfred, the main character, has obstacles he must overcome. His friend, James, is a ... addict, who has only one person who really cares about him; Alfred. Alfred struggles to find himself through a series of 'tests', provided by his mentor/boxing trainer/surrogate father, Mr. Donatelli.
The setting seemed appropriate for this book, and really made you relate to the story.
The plot was fairly predictable, but there were some surprises.

Rating:
Summary: The Contendor
Review: This book was all about history. It is also about a very fun sport, boxing. The author of this book was not a very creative writer, he made this book pretty dull. Alfred was a very good boxer though. he won two matches, tied one and lost one. I thought the book had a very good point, but it was not written in a very good form. I am wery glad that James ended up getting help at the hospital. All in all, I think that this book was a very interesting book, but it wasn't the greatest.

Rating:
Summary: The Conteder
Review: At first i wasn't very excited to read a book about boxing, but it was a school assignment so i didn't have a choice. I like how Robert Lipsyte starts out with action and doesn't over introduce the characters. It also isn't just about boxing like you would think. This book includes current problems that teens face today and severe racial issues. i would deffinitly reccomend this book to my other friends but no one younger then 12 because some of the material in this book wouldn't be understood by a younger child.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: The Contender is a book of roller coaster emotions, excitement and suspense. This is a book that tells the story of a boy who goes through life halfway and doesn't have high self esteem. Later, boxing turns his life around. He gains the self esteem that he needs, stands up to bullies, and helps his friend when his friend ditched him. This is a really great book. You have to read it!

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: The Contender, by Rorbert Lipsyte was overall a good book. Though I would rate the book about a 3on a scale of one to five because it isn't really the kind of book that I would read and it wasn't that interesting to me. THere were some good cliff hangers that made you want to read more. Teh begginning chapters just kind of got you familiar with the book and weren't very interesting. As you got further in the pace picked up. The book also shows that you should make good desicions and don't let peer pressure push you around. Alfred, the main character, faces many sruggles throughout the book and tells how he overcomes them. The ending kind of leaves you hanging but it lets your imagination imagine what happens to Alfred and his good friend.

Rating:
Summary: A good book
Review: This book is very good but the beginning and end is not that good. Once you get into it, people like it. That's probably why people cannot get into the book because the beginning is not very good. It is bad enough the start is bad, the end is horrible. They just cut off. It is talking about how Alfred will help James and then it ends. There is no outcome or anything. The middle part of the story is very good. It is about how Alfred is succeeding in his life. This story is in the time period of the 70's.

Rating:
Summary: Contender Review
Review: I thought The Contender was a spectacular book. It first had me thinking it was terrible at the beginning. It started slow and boring. It talked about the city and described it briefly. But then the author came back with a chain of strong points. He had strong discriptive words that helped me visualive the author's thoughts. I almost felt as if I was right in the action. Watching from the stands at Alfred. He taught me about Harlem harsness, and also about the life of a black boy named Alfred during segregation. It told me about Alfred's experiences and punishments of his choices. The author made a strong point towards the mid-end. He told me about how it wasn't about being a contender in boxing, but rather the contender of life. How Alfred should try to be the winner of life. He taught me about the value of lifes and friends. He also taught me about the value of good friends who will stand up for you and help you in your times of need. Overall this book was excellent except the end and the beginning. It didn't have a strong end. It got off subject. It talked to much about friends and Alfred trying to be a good friend. But, the author left you hanging. This book was set up for a sequal. I think and hope there'll be a sequal. I'm hoping to see it in stores, so my class or I can read it.

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: The Contender is a wonderful book filled with mystery and suspense. I felt as though I was right there with Albert (the main character) through his struggles and triumphs. Through the book I felt what it was like to live during segregation and what it was like to have a friend on drugs. The Contender is a real tearjerker with real life situations. Albert trains to become a boxer with his coach Donatelli. Will he turn pro.? I recommend this book to every one who has a passion for reading.

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: I think the book was very good. It had a very good plot and setting. But the ideas didn't flow. At one point Major had a knife at Alfreds throat, then he invited Alfred to his Clubroom like they were good friends and they didn't say when they made up. Also the book never explained to us what Stick and move...double-jab...double-hook...cross with the right...hook over the jab...slip and stick...break clean...move 'im Alfred ment and it just came out of no where. Besides that the book was very interesting.