The Contender

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: I think the Contender is a very good book. It is very exciting and the author describes everything in great detail. I rated this book 5 stars because it got my attention right off the bat. It also was interesting so I never got tired of reading it. The Contender has a good plot and is always on topic. I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't hate boxing. The character Alfred was very strong and never gave up. He had a good attitude toward everything and stood up for himself. I feel sorry that his best friend James started taking drugs. Alfred was very brave to help his friend James when he cut himself badly from breaking into Epstiens. Major was also a could character for the part he played in. He was always mean to Alfred up until Alfred started training and boxing. All the characters matched the role in the story and I think that Robert Lipsyte is a very good author.

Rating:
Summary: The Contendor
Review: I pretty much enjoyed this book. I had to read it for school and I wasn't very excited about it. The subject matter (boxing) does not appeal to me. Besides that fact Robert Lipsyte did a very good job on this book. The Contender is the story of a young man named Alfred Brooks who is going through a very hard time in his life. He had dropped out of high school and, Alfred and his best friend are growing apart. Alfred also has to deal with living in a bad place and all the bad people around him. When there is no where else to turn Alfred decides to give boxing a try. This books main theme is how Alfred used boxing to help him through all of his troubles and how he learned to be a real "contender". I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys boxing and inspirational stories.

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: I read the Contender for Language Arts and thought I was going to dislike it because it was about boxing. However, once I started, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. This novel for young adults addresses issues most teenagers still face today, like fitting in and finding out what you are good at. It is about a young African American, Alfred Brooks, living in Harlem in the mid sixies. He wants to countinue being friends with James, his childhood best friend, but James has gone the wrong way and started hanging out with thugs. Alfred then tries boxig. It gives him something to do and goals to set. However, staying with it, not turning down the easy (and the bad) road, and competing competitivly are all things Alfred must face. This book about a teenagers struggle is a must-read for all advanced readers.

Rating:
Summary: My Personal Opinion On The Contender
Review: I thought that this book was a great book for mature teen boys. Girls would probably not like this book because it mainly deals with problems that boys would encounter. Robert Lipsyte can really get the reader of ~The Contender~ fascinated in this novel. If you do not like gloomy books you probably would not want to read this because it has many depressing problems that would happen in the real world. Overall this book has a very deep plot which makes it one of my favorite books.
-Salvie

Rating:
Summary: The Review of the Contender
Review: The Contender by Robert Lipsyte was a excellent book. At first I didn't want to read it because it was about boxing. It seemed like a regular book about a boy learning to box. It was interesting. I learned a lot about boxing, and the life in Harlem. It was a page turning book once you got into it. I couldn't put it down until I finsihed it. Because they just left you there wondering what was going to happen to James and Alfred. I started to read the sequeal "The Brave." This was a really great book.

Rating:
Summary: The "book" of champions
Review: This book is one of my all time favorites. It's about a african-american teen who lives in the bronx during the 1960's. He takes up boxing to prove himself and trains hard and works daily. He strugles to prove himself inside and outside the ring. Will Alfred be the next Contender or will he be the next chump.

Rating:
Summary: A "Box"-Office Hit
Review: The Contender was a book of suspense and making decisions for yourself. It was thrilling through the whole book, and kept you on the edge of you seat. You could relate the characters to people in real life . For instance, the friend who turns against you, the bully, and the person who never gives up. I would recommend this book to any person who enjoys the adventure of reading, though I think the themes of the book were directed more toward teenagers. Boys that read this book will be more interested in the boxing part of the book and the girls that read it will be more interested in the relationships in the book. This is definitely a book that everyone should pick up and read!

Rating:
Summary: The Contender(its ok)
Review: The Contender is a ok book. It is set in Harlem, New York where there are many druggies and gangs. The book is about a boy named Alfred who wants to become a boxer. So he exercises, eats right, and trains everyday to be a contender. Alfred lives with his aunt who has three daughters of her own. The book is very loyal to Harlem's factual background, by being a horrible place to grow up, or even live. But the book is very suspenseful; you never know where the story is going to go next.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: The book the Contender was interesting, and that is just about it. The main character wasn't really a good role model for young children. This book was aimed for younger readers, yet it deals with issues like drugs and alcohol. I don't know what Robert Lysite was thinking when he wrote this book. If it weren't for the great boxing theme, I would have given the book 1 star. The boxing was really exciting because it told in-depth information on what happened inside the ring. I didn't know a lot about boxing before I read this book, I thought that you just hit someone until they where tired. Funny, huh? I now know a lot about boxing and am glad that I do. So, for all you boxing fans out there, you should read this book. For the rest of you, put it on the bottom of your books to read list.

Rating:
Summary: The Contender
Review: The Contender is a pretty good book. It talks about a person in his late teens who takes up boxing. This book takes place in Harlem, New York in the 1960s and it is very realistic in the atmosphere of Harlem. The 17 year old, Alfred lives with his aunt in a rough neighborhood with many drug addicts and rough people, and has to deal with racism. However, Alfred becomes a boxer and that is what the story talks about, his training and experiences. The book shows how hard it is to become a contender. My favorite parts are the fights that Alfred takes place in. They are very realistic and are unpredictable.