The Contender

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: I rated the Contender four stars because it was a really good book. The story talked about the troubles of Alfred, a kid growing up in Harlem, and the way he deals with them by boxing. Alfred, with help from Donatelli, learns to try his hardest and not give up. I liked this book because it was about a kid and had things I could relate to, like peer pressure and problems with friends. The Contender is a great easy-to-read book that you can really get into. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys boxing, but you don't have to like boxing to like this book.

Rating:
Summary: The Contender Review
Review: The Contender is a good book. I recommend it to all readers kind of unexciting in the beginning, but it gets better and very interesting. The book has very many surprises. It also teaches a lesson about working hard and not giving up because Alfred starts out, bad but then he works hard and becoms very good. It is also a good story about Harlen back then and how it was hard for black people. The Contender is an outstanding book.

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Summary: AP's Conter Book Review
Review: This was a cool book. It really good book. The characters seemed liked they were real people. And the atmosphire they lived in was great. The detail on the boxing was excellent. I cant believe the great details they put in this book. It was a fantasic story line with a tad of sport added to it. overall i rate this book a 4.5. Though it did have its bad side. If you dont read a book for long periods of time you probaly wouldn't like this book very much. Contender was a good story overall though and I enjoyed it although it is pretty boring at the begening it picks up towards the end! Overall i rate this book a 4.5!!!

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Summary: Molly's Contender Review
Review: "The Contender" was a fairly good book. The writing was superb and you could really get a feel for the atmosphere of Harlem, NY. All the characters were portrayed very realistically and their personalities were original and identifiable. The only complaint I have was that it most certainly not long enough - I felt that I didn't have time to get attached to the characters enough to really care what happened to them. Robert Lipsyte is a great author, but perhaps he ought to put his talents to better use by making his books longer and appealing to a wider range of audiences. Books about wrestling/boxing/fighting, no matter how well-written, aren't all that interesting to a non-sports fan. I'll give it three stars!

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: This book is about a high-school drop out that is determined to be a boxer. While Alfred is working to become a boxer, his best friend, James, is learning to deal with drugs and violence, as he hangs out with the wrong crowd. After Alfred has managed to win two matches, his trainer tells him that the competition is too extreme for him. When reading this book, you will learn about determination, friendship, and most importantly, life.

Rating:
Summary: Rated A For Awesome!
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. I felt that it diserved four out of five stars. In the beginning, the book was slow for me and it was hard to get into. Luckily for me, it started getting better by chapter two. By chapter three, I thought it was great! That was when I really started to like it. I began reading all day. It was extremely fun. I was sad when it was all over. I didn't like the end that much because I wished that it wouldn't ever end. I wished that it would go on forever. In the end, I was glad that I read it. I hope, even though it is unlikely, that there would be a secuel. If there is I would definatly read it.

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: The Contender was slow-paced at the beginning but became more interesting later on. If you don't understand the boxing terms, it can be conusing. I didn't like the part when he was still drunk. It was confusing and dull, as he were half asleep. I liked the ending, though. Basically, the Contender is about believing yourself, reaching goals, and helping firends in times of need.

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Summary: The Contender Book Review by: Ryan
Review: I thought that The Contender was a great book that helps you tell if a friendship is a good one like Alfred's and James', because in the end Alfred was what James needed to help him. I thought Alfred was a great friend to James and a friend who doesn't want James to get hurt. If you like boxing this would be a great book for you to read. Alfred, the main character, wants to make something of himself because he was a highschool drop-out that was headed down the wrong path. Overall, I thought this was a great book that taught me to value my friendships even more than I already do.

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: I thought The Contender deserved a 4 star rating because it was a really good book. It was a book that explained about what it was like for a person to grow up in Harlem. The Contender had a lot of detail and showed the feeling very well, it sometimes even made you feel like you were there in the book. I thought that the book was a very influencial and told that if you work hard enough you can do anything you want to. Alfred worked hard and became more that just a high school dropout, he became an excellent boxer. Even though the book was very good, I don't think it deserved a five star rating because it didn't emphasize very much on things other than boxing and life in Harlem. I think it should include more on what was happening currently in the United States and around the World. The world was opening more chances for colored people. Overall, The Contender was a great book.

Rating:
Summary: A book that you can not put down.
Review: The Contender by Robert Lipsyte is an amazing book. The story involves a teenager named Alfred Brooks who is having a tough time in his life. His friend is addicted to drugs, he is a high school dropout, and he has a dead-end grocery store job. So, he decides to enter the world of boxing. He makes friends, learns great lessons, and makes his life a little better. The book is fantastically written and the character study is outstanding. The way Lipsyte develops Alfred is writing at its best(at least for me I'm only twelve). If you ever see this book in the library, bookstore or at school, check it out or buy it right away. I loved it and i think anyone else will.