The Contender

Alfred Brooks, a teenager and a high-school dropout, knows that his life is going nowhere. He's had the same old job at a local grocery store, and there are no opportunities for advancement. He wants to be someone, someone special. When one of his best friends, James, starts hanging around with the wrong group of teens, and later is sent to prison for robbing Alfred's grocery store, Alfred knows that his friend's friends are not the kids to be with. To avoid being thrashed by James's possy, Major and Hollis, Alfred wants to defend himself. He doesn't want to be pushed around.

Alfred decides he wants to be a boxer, and begins his training at Donatelli's Gym, a gym that has turned out three champions. At first, Mr. Donatelli tried to dissuade Alfred from boxing, by telling him the many triffles he would have to go through to become a contender, but Alfred still wants to try. He runs in the morning, eats a select diet, and after work, he goes to the gym to work out.
For a long while, Alfred maintained his training. One night, however, Major and Hollis gang up on Alfred, and bring him to their clubroom. They keep Alfred there by telling him that James had just been let out of prison, and that he would stop by the club. While there, Alfred got drunk from vodka and got high from marijuanna, both of which he was unsuspectant of until James arrived. Before he blacked out, Alfred saw that James was fumbling with a bag of cocaine, and knew that his friend was sinking further and further in to drug addiction. Alfred was very spacey for the next few days.

Later, Alfred resumes his training, and then is fitted for a custom-mouthpiece. This is a sign that shows that Alfred is close to fighting. After three professional fights, Mr. Donatelli states that it is time for Alfred to stop. He has proved what he wanted, to be a fighter. Alfred then went back to night school to finish his education.

This novel is simply amazing! The book tells us that it is not the desire, but the effort to win that makes the man! This book is not just for sport lovers, but is for those who can comprehend the deep meaning of fighting and being a fighter!

ALSO RECOMMENDED - THE BRAVE - THE CHEIF - Both books in this order follow after The Contender

I like The Contender because it shows how Alfred found his own way. His best friend wanted him to do drugs but instead he fought his fears and released his anger by becoming a boxer.

The story begins when a man named Alfred is waiting on his friend, James. James is a drug addict and has forgotton all about Alfred because he is getting fixed. When Alfred walks into the clubroom he tells about lose cash in the Epstiens' store. James and his friends try to break in. Like most crimes, the leader got caught, who is James. He was sent on probation and Alfred didn't see him again until later. As the story goes on, Alfred starts going to the gym. Soon after, he meets an old man by the name of Donatelli. Alfred starts training and before he knew it he had his first fight. He won his match and the next one after that. Then, Donatelli told him that he was not to fight the next match, but Alfred didn't give up. At the end of the fight the winner was declared that the opponent had won. Yet, in a way Alfred had also won. What I liked about the book was the variety of emotions that took place and I also liked the characters.

The contender is about a young teenager who is hanging with the wrong friends, and is going through some tough times. He gets chased and haunted down by some guys that used to be very close friends with him and now they want him for a severe reason. He seems to be scared and he wants to fight for his life, so now he tries out to be a Contender or a boxer. Through reading the book, I was not sure if I was going to like it, especially in the beginning. By the time I was almost done with the book, I like it more. Anybody, who is likes boxing or does box, I recommend you read this book

Alfred is a high school drop out who has a grocery store job working for Jewish people. Alfred has friends that do drugs. He has people after him for something he didn't even do. Eventually he trains in Harlem for boxing where he learns to be a true man. He learns respect for others and himself.I think the book teaches us a lesson about bieng a leader and not a follower. I think the book was very well done.