The Contender

Oct 30, 2012 Narayan Neupane rated it 5 of 5 stars

(by Narayan Neupane) Date(Jan-8-11)

I found this book on ms. nelson class. That was my reading ESL class. when I saw the cover of the book, I saw one guys with wearing a boxer gloves that make me to read. When I saw that I think that could be the best book. Also I though that I can get some lesson from that book so that is why I like this book and I think that this book will be also hard but when I read I am interested on this book. I am interested to know something and I start to read.

"The Cont...more (by Narayan Neupane) Date(Jan-8-11)

I found this book on ms. nelson class. That was my reading ESL class. when I saw the cover of the book, I saw one guys with wearing a boxer gloves that make me to read. When I saw that I think that could be the best book. Also I though that I can get some lesson from that book so that is why I like this book and I think that this book will be also hard but when I read I am interested on this book. I am interested to know something and I start to read.

"The Contender" by Robert Lyipsyte is a story about a young man named Alfred. Who was taken in by his aunt when he was young because of his drug-addicted parents? When I look at the book title it sounds me like struggling before being a winner. As I go through inner part of the book it gets more interesting. I never thought Alfred was high school droop out and always hangs out with his best friend James and James' friends Major and Hollis.

Of course, Alfred was my best character. The reason Alfred was my favorite character was, when Alfred was on boxer game in gym, he loses, but he did not let himself down and he did not make himself a loser. He was trying again and again. Also, when Alfred was dropout from high school, at that time he might make his life worse like other high school dropout student, but he change his life in different way. He joins the Donatelli’s gym. Donatelli’s was owner of a boxing gym and he was a retire boxer coach. Alfred struggle for his future life even though he was a high school dropout.

The conflict on the story was, James and his friend offer Alfred to hang along with them while they robbed the Epstein's grocery store where Alfred works. Minutes later Alfred realizes that the Epstein's put a new silent alarm system in the store and he races to try to stop them. Those friends become safe by being arrested. Also, when Alfred was in uncle house, he used to get drunk, but when he saw love between husband and wife he start to ignore the alcoholic things. Some of the kids on street are after Alfred; to overcome the problems Alfred join the gym.

I want to recommend that book “contender” is really an interesting book to read; and, it is good to study for those people who are trying to do a boxer. This book is good for those people who are young and want to be contender because in this book Alfred was only six tin year old when he get dropout of high school. I think that fighting for right is good. It can make society better. If one person refused to do bad thing like Alfred then the trouble will decreases on society. When you read this book you will see fair, love, life, friend and also teacher who used to be kind. The main thing you can get chance to read was one guy who was hopeless and who don't have any ideas about his life he improve. At the end, as usual like the hero never lose. In this story Alfred became contender.
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Jun 01, 2012 Zach Longacre added it · review of another edition

This book is about Alfred Brooks. He is a high school drop-out who is working at a grocery store. His best friend James, who is battling drug addictions, tries to break into the grocery store after hours and gets put in jail. Alfred is not looking for a purpose in life, and decides to join Donatelli's Gym. He made this decision when he walked past it one night after thinking about his future. After meeting Mr. Donatelli, Alfred gets a strict work out plan and diet which he struggles through.

I li...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Bryan Cook rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although I HAD to read a book this summer, I think this was the book to choose. My opinion for The Contender is that it is a great book. It kept me interested the entire time I was reading it. The main character, Alfred Brooks, is a high school dropout that wasnts to learn how to box. He ends up going to a gym where Mr. Donatelli and other boxers and trainers teach him how to box. His childhood friend, James, ends up geetting in with the wrong crowd and gets into drugs and trouble with the polic...more

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Nov 06, 2008 Jeremy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an amazing book; I was intrigued from the very beginning of this novel. I would recommend this book to anybody that loves fighting and underdog stories. I think the authors intention to writing this book was to encourage young men that are living in the hood that and to let them know they don’t have to be bad like everybody else around them and with hard work they can really do something with their life. My favorite character was definitely the main character, Alfred Brooks, I felt like...more This is an amazing book; I was intrigued from the very beginning of this novel. I would recommend this book to anybody that loves fighting and underdog stories. I think the authors intention to writing this book was to encourage young men that are living in the hood that and to let them know they don’t have to be bad like everybody else around them and with hard work they can really do something with their life. My favorite character was definitely the main character, Alfred Brooks, I felt like I had a great number of things in common with him, when he was 10 years old his father deserted Alfred and his mother, when I was 5 my dad abused me and my father and we had to leave, but a year later he was murdered, so I too know what its like not to have a father. This book made me feel a number of emotions, if I wasn't excited; I was captivated, this book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I wasn't able to predict the ending of the story at any point in the novel I just kept getting more and more excited as I kept reading it. All the similarities between me and Alfred kept me reading this book, it felt like I was reading a story about me but instead of it being about boxing my story would've been about football and all the adversity I've had to go through to get where I am today. If this book was made into a movie I would have to pick Columbus Short to be the actor to play Alfred Banks, Denzel Washington to play the part of Mr.Donetteli, and Ice Cube to play the part of Alfred’s best friend James. My favorite part of the book was when Alfred was training for boxing, it made me want to go outside and run for hours then come home and hit the weights until I couldn’t move another muscle to save my life. My least favorite character in the book was Major, Major was the antagonist of the story, he was always trying to fight Alfred and he was the leader of the bad group (the thiefs, punks, and potheads). My favorite quote of this book was this one said by Mr. Donetteli “when you get hurt in the ring for the first time, really hurt. Then I would know you were a contender.” because he wasn't just talking about fighting but he was talking about life in general. All in all I thought this was an amazing book.

-CHIP
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Dec 04, 2012 Megan Dickinson rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't really like this book; it doesn't make any sense. It's not my type of book. Can we read a different/better book next time? The ending didn't make sense, Alfred just walked away into the sunshine with a guy who ditched him for bullies for the whole entire book and gives up his boxing career for James. James doesn't do anything for Albert except to give him trouble. Then, Albert forgives James which I don't think he should have done; if I were him, I would have taken him to the police, I w...more

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May 29, 2013 05BradenG rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-shelf

Title of book: The contender year: 1967

Author: Robert Lip style Pages:167

main issue: this kid is off the streets wants to stay out of trouble so he starts boxing

Setting: New york Down town

Description: Black tall skinny got heart not born a fighter but was made a fighter

story summary: He is this kid from not a good neighbor hood he is a dropout in high school and he works at a grocery store his friends around him are getting into drugs now and some gang members have a problem with him and want to...more

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May 17, 2013 Judy Lewis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"The Contender," by Robert Lipsyte is considered by many to be a YA book for boys, and while I agree that young boys will learn to love reading through the pages of this book I have to say that I absolutely loved it and I couldn't put it down. It’s more than a sports book and it certainly isn't the “issues” book that I thought it might be. It is a poignant and touching story about friendship and the complicated journey of this thing called life.
Set in the Burroughs of New York in the 1960’s, p...more "The Contender," by Robert Lipsyte is considered by many to be a YA book for boys, and while I agree that young boys will learn to love reading through the pages of this book I have to say that I absolutely loved it and I couldn't put it down. It’s more than a sports book and it certainly isn't the “issues” book that I thought it might be. It is a poignant and touching story about friendship and the complicated journey of this thing called life.
Set in the Burroughs of New York in the 1960’s, protagonist, 17 year old African American, Alfred Brooks is a high school drop out working in a local Jewish grocery. Alfred is an orphan and lives with his widowed aunt and her three daughters. He sleeps on a roll away bed in the kitchen of her tiny apartment, and he works hard at his job to help support the family. His “friends” mock his hard work and constantly set about the business of poisoning his mind against the white man. They call him Uncle Alfrid, a slave, and they mock his hard work ethic claiming that the white man will always keep a foot on his throat. Even his life-long friend James is won over by this kind of thinking. Feeling completely alone Alfred is at a crossroads in his life when he discovers the sport of boxing. The difficult training stirs up a life altering question for Alfred. It asks him, are you going to be a contender or not? He searches himself to discover if he is going to be a contender in both the ring and in life.
The first two chapters of this book were just okay. The story begins with immediate action, but I feared that it might be filled with stereotypical thugs dragging one another into an abyss of wasted talent and broken, brutal lives. However, the end of chapter two introduced a new hope, and an opportunity for agency; from the turning of that page I could not put "The Contender" down. I think it’s a fantastic book for all ages, but specifically anyone who has ever played a sport cannot help but be inspired.
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Apr 08, 2013 John Lennon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sports

Robert Lipsyte’s novel, The Contender, is the story of seventeen-year-old Albert Brooks. Brooks has a broken life. He is a high school dropout whose mother has passed away. His aunt takes him in, but her over-protectiveness and constant nagging becomes too much for Alfred. James, Brooks’ best friend has turned to drugs and begins to fall out of touch with reality. Perhaps worst of all, Alfred’s job at the grocery store has become monotonous and meaningless. In the streets of Harlem, where can a...more Robert Lipsyte’s novel, The Contender, is the story of seventeen-year-old Albert Brooks. Brooks has a broken life. He is a high school dropout whose mother has passed away. His aunt takes him in, but her over-protectiveness and constant nagging becomes too much for Alfred. James, Brooks’ best friend has turned to drugs and begins to fall out of touch with reality. Perhaps worst of all, Alfred’s job at the grocery store has become monotonous and meaningless. In the streets of Harlem, where can a boy find refuge from these harsh conditions? For Alfred, asylum comes in the form of Donatelli’s Gym. Here, he finds his passion in boxing. With new motivation, Alfred fights adversity and his life takes on new meaning. By the end of the novel, readers will find true inspiration in the struggles and triumphs of Brooks as he reaches for his dreams.

Personally, I liked this novel a lot. My family has a background of boxing, so I was able to connect. I think that Lipsyte did a great job of creating lifelike characters that made the story more compelling. The use of diction—such as in the line “the lights dazzled his eyes, and then a truck crashed into his belly, and a baseball bat blasted the side of his head” (138)—makes the novel sing. This beautiful description carries a story about boxing to the next level. Moreover, the writing is very well polished, and done in a way that makes the novel flow very well. It took me a while to read it, but only because I did all of my reading at night. There was not a moment that I was reading it that wasn’t entertaining. Definitely a good book.

As an educator, I cannot justify teaching this in a classroom; however, it will absolutely be on my book case. The historical context of the novel does make it intriguing, but there really isn’t a lot of literary merit to the book. I would absolutely recommend this to any student. More specifically, I would think that it would be a great book for male students from 8th grade on up. The fact that it centers on boxing and the perspective from which it is written seems somewhat male oriented to me. With this being said, I would still recommend it to female students as well, I just don’t know if the interest would be the same.
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Feb 25, 2013 Kaelin Davis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The definition of a contender, according to this book, is someone coming up, who knows there’s a good chance they’ll never get to the top, someone who is willing to put in an excessive amount of hard work to get a result. When I saw this book on the shelf I knew I could relate in numerous ways. I knew that I could get many things out of this novel. Me being a wrestler I have similar experiences that I face daily that an average boxer faces also. And I knew that by reading this book, I could poss...more The definition of a contender, according to this book, is someone coming up, who knows there’s a good chance they’ll never get to the top, someone who is willing to put in an excessive amount of hard work to get a result. When I saw this book on the shelf I knew I could relate in numerous ways. I knew that I could get many things out of this novel. Me being a wrestler I have similar experiences that I face daily that an average boxer faces also. And I knew that by reading this book, I could possibly become a better wrestler.
Even though Alfred, the main character of this novel, started boxing for different reasons than the reasons that I started wrestling I still seemed interested. He was looking to escape the harsh realities he faced every day in his neighborhood. His friend was arrested basically because of him, he had gotten beaten almost to a pulp, and he had nothing to look forward to. Boxing was basically his way of taking a stand for once in his life. On the other hand, I started wrestling because I really had nothing else to do. I actually had no clue that I would become a wrestler in high school let alone do four years of it. I guess our sports called out for us in the same way but for different purposes.
Alfred is also a young African American living in Harlem. I lived in Chicago for quite some time and I know how hard things can be sometimes. Alfred had seen how bad society is now days and he refused to become a part of it. So he looked for something that could lure him in a whole different direction. And this was boxing. Lucky for me I moved out of our bad neighborhood before I got involved in anything that could’ve ruined my future. I actually think I could have survived in my old neighborhood. By survive I mean not becoming corrupted with violence, ignorance, and any other aspects of an average young man living in that area. I would have had a similar mind set to Alfred’s which would have involved me finding something positive to do to spare my time. Since I related to this book it really encouraged me to finish it, and eventually share my experience.

As most people may know boxing is a very challenging sport. And I think wrestling can share most of the characteristics of boxing. For example, in wrestling you, the wrestler, is the only one on the mat for your individual match. You cannot be accompanied by any of your teammates. There are no double teams in wrestling. There is just you and another man, who is trying to defeat you. He’s trying to take something away from you and it’s your choice if you want to allow him to succeed or not. Boxing has all of those characteristics. There is only one other man in the ring. And you have to defeat him before he tries to defeat you. This is one of the things Donatelli, Alfred’s trainer, tried explaining to Alfred in the beginning of the story. And Alfred actually understood completely.
After I finished the book I felt kind of incomplete. I felt like I should have done better in my season this year. I wish my season could have lasted longer. Alfred felt the exact same way when Dontelli told him he had to retire. He didn’t want to because he felt like he had a longer future in boxing. He felt like he wasn’t finishing what he had started. I admired Alfred’s fight in the story. He encouraged me to perform extremely hard in any sport I decide to participate in. Even though I’m probably not a contender, I got a little closer to being one by reading this book. I would recommend this book to all athletes who are in need of some type of encouragement.
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Oct 29, 2012 Trevor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Contender is the story of Alfred Brooks, a 17-year-old African-American high school dropout who is torn between the street life of his Harlem neighborhood, and his dreams of becoming a champion boxer. He lives with his aunt pearl and her 3 daughters. Alfred goes through rigorous training as he struggles to improve himself and overcome his doubts of his ability. I believe that boxing is a way for him to prove to himself that he has the heart of a contender in the boxing ring and in life even...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Sam8cn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: summer-reading

I loved this fantastic and heart warming novel and I consider it one of the better sports books I've read. Its core character Alfred Brooks, a high school drop out decides to go into boxing after his best friend James chooses the wrong path and gets in trouble for robbing a grocer and gets deeper and deeper into drug addiction. He gets coached by the great Donatelli who tells him that it isn't the highest goal that means the most, but the journey and climb. He is troubled morally for everything...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Jackson M rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book the “The Contender” by Robert Lipstye was a decent book. I would recommend this book to my friend because it is a high paced book and its about sports. This book wasn’t amazing but it was pretty good that is why I rated it a four out of five. The Contender was about a highschool drop-out named Alfred Brooks. He lived in Harlem with his aunt and also he works part time at a grocery store. Alfred’s bestfriend got addicted to drugs and started to hang around with punks, therefore Alfred is...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Matt Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This summer I was told i had to read a book. this book was about a black boy, and the boy was going down the rong path. His friend was doing bad things and he got put in jail. So to prevent him to go to jail he started to box.

The summery of the book is that two boys were starting to get in trouble so one boy started to do good and he started to box but the other boy was still doing bad things so that kid went to jail. the boy that started to box was training all day every day but after a few wee...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Seth Singer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the novel The Contender, a boy named Alfred Brooks lives with his aunt, and drops out of high school so he can work full time at the grocery store where he works. Alfred's aunt, in the book called Aunt Pearl, takes care of Alfred after he lost both of his parents. Alfred's best friend, James, loses his relationship with Alfred after he is arrested and gets addicted to drugs. Mr. Donatelli is the owner of a gym that Alfred joins to box when he decides that he wants to find meaning in his life....more

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Sep 06, 2011 Alice (Farewell, Office) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As an adult who mainly reads books written for an older audience, I am conditioned to books with well-developed, 3-dimensional characters and multiple subplots. In contrast, this book is rather simplistic. The main character, Alfred Brooks, is mostly a 2-dimensional character who also happens to be dynamic. Characters who undergo changes in personality and beliefs tend to be more well-rounded and finding a flat, but dynamic character can be fairly rare. However, this is exactly what Lipsyte has...more

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Aug 29, 2011 Camden rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I first read this book in 8th grade. I was trying to remember some of my required reading books to recommend to Tanner (11). I remembered this title but couldn't remember what it was about. I just reread it and loved it. I think it made great English lit for a middle schooler. Lots of points to discuss and a sweet, realistic story. I enjoyed his writing style and was totally cheering for Alfred Brooks. Also, I wish evry kid had a Mr. Donatelli:

"Everybody wants to be a champion. That's not enoug...more

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Jan 15, 2011 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: african-americans, young-adult, historical-fiction, lis722

This was a really wonderful book. It's a well-written, inspiring story of a boy who stood at the proverbial fork in the road, and makes the right choice--though not without difficulty. In the 1960's, Alfred Brooks is a high-school dropout. He works part-time at a grocery store, his parents are dead, and his best friend has fallen in with a bad crowd. Knowing that he, too, is close to falling into this world of drugs and violence, Alfred turns his energies toward boxing. Through his commitment to...more

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Jan 13, 2011 Lazaro Ortega rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: every body who like boxing

Recommended to Lazaro by: Ms. Nelson

The protagonist, Alfred Brooks is hanging out with his best friend, James, and James's friends Major and Hollis. The three of them want to break into the Epsteins' grocery store where Alfred works. Although Alfred does not go with them, he forgets about the new alarm system that the Epsteins just installed. James gets caught by the police, and later that night, Major and Hollis beat Alfred up. A man from the neighborhood, Henry, takes Alfred home. Henry mentions that he has been working for Mr....more

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May 08, 2013 Zac P. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Contender starts off as just a regular childhood life in the ghettos of Harlem, New York. Young Alfred Brooks has always been very close with his best friend James since birth until one night James got sucked into going to rob the Epsteins grocery store by Major and his gang, and from that night on James just forgets about Alfred completely. Major seeks out where Alfred is and finds him and beats him up because Alfred forget to tell the gang about the silent alarm that the Epsteins newly in...more The Contender starts off as just a regular childhood life in the ghettos of Harlem, New York. Young Alfred Brooks has always been very close with his best friend James since birth until one night James got sucked into going to rob the Epsteins grocery store by Major and his gang, and from that night on James just forgets about Alfred completely. Major seeks out where Alfred is and finds him and beats him up because Alfred forget to tell the gang about the silent alarm that the Epsteins newly installed and Major blames them getting caught on Alfred and wants to seek his revenge. After Alfred got beat up an older crippled man named Henry found his knocked out body and brought him back home and laid him in bed. Henry works at old gym run by Vito Donatelli who has trained many brilliant boxers in his career and Henry tells Alfred to stop by the gym soon and start up boxing. Alfred becomes one of the toughest boxers in the ring and never got knocked out, no matter what happened he never backed down easy and fought to the end. At the end of this book Alfred hears James had just gotten hurt and police are looking for him, so never forgetting his partner and best friend he finds James and saves his life. Two themes of this story are never forget your best friends and always be there for them and to follow your dreams no matter how hard things get, never quit on yourself.
My favorite character in this book was Alfred Brooks. I reacted very strongly to this character because we have all the same goals in life. We want to be a somebody, that person that everybody recognizes while they're walking down the street and that all the young kids look up to and talk so strongly about. Alfred and Mr. Donatelli were talking about why Alfred thinks that he should start boxing and Alfred says, "I want to be somebody"(page 35). Also, I connected so strongly to Alfred because of his will to get what he wants. And he never gives up no matter how hard his competition is even if he knows he's going to lose. One thing that every athlete or competitor wants to hear is when your coach or mentor says that your ready to start. Mr. Donatelli finally gave Alfred the call that he was ready to fight when he says, "Its time you were fitted for that custom mouthpiece."(page 147). This means he's ready for his first fight and can finally get his own mouthpiece and step in the ring with another contender to prove himself. I think that this was really a personal reaction to the character just because we have very similar goals.
I think The Contender is an AMAZING book, and that is very truthful coming from someone who hates reading anything. I would recommend this book to everyone around the world just because of the messages and inspiration that it provides. This book is easily one of the best books I've read and probably the best book I will ever read. Any person looking for inspiration or just a good book to pick up and read has to go out and get this book. I promise that you'll love it. (less)

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Sep 13, 2012 Frankie Lopez rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books

The Contender by Robert Lipsyte, is one of my favorite books that I have read because it deals with real life situations, and a struggle to fight an addiction. If you like a book that is slow paced with great meaning and life lessens, then this is the book for you. This not only touches your heart but it relates to you in many ways.It consists of a young adult that gets wrapped up with the wrong people and getting evolved in bad situations. He struggles to fight the addiction of drugs and of pee...more The Contender by Robert Lipsyte, is one of my favorite books that I have read because it deals with real life situations, and a struggle to fight an addiction. If you like a book that is slow paced with great meaning and life lessens, then this is the book for you. This not only touches your heart but it relates to you in many ways.It consists of a young adult that gets wrapped up with the wrong people and getting evolved in bad situations. He struggles to fight the addiction of drugs and of peer pressure.

It all starts with the main character Alfred Brooks messing with the wrong people and gets evolved with these hoodlums. One of them being one of his best friends since childhood, James. James and his know good friends decide to rob the local grocery store that Alfred works at, thinking it will be easy. Little do they know that there was a new alarm that was installed, that even Alfred didn't know about. James ends up getting caught and Alfred ends up getting beat up by the hoodlums names Major and Hollis. Alfred gets tired of living in fear and decides to go to this old gym he had seen. He meets a very wise man by the name of Mr. Donatelli. He has a lot to offer Alfred and trains him. Alfred gets caught up with the drugs and drinking because of Major thinking that James, (Fresh out of jail) his best friend, would be there too. Alfred ends up quitting drugs and wins 2 fights and he loses the third one by unanimous decision. He retires and decides to help out his friend James and get him help.

This story really touched me and I can relate to this story in some way. This book has a great story line and I would love to read it over and over. It teaches you many lessons, like never give up on your friends know matter what. The author really used a lot of real life situations that can relate to anybody. Also if you like boxing this is a great book for you because it gives you a lot of tips and you can follow what this book preaches or should I say Mr. Donatelli preaches.(less)

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Oct 12, 2011 Ibet Ortiz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The contender is about a guy that started boxing.He doesn't want to be a slave of another person. He dreamed to be a famous boxer. I think this is a great book because you can learn something from him. When you have a dream you have to go for it.

This story happens in Harlem NY. At the beginning of the book Alfred's friend goes to the jail, then he drops out of school.At the moment he was thinking about starting boxing so he went to a GYM that was close to his house, but his aunt was unsure. Sh...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Miles Mcginley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"The Contender" by Robert Lyipsyte is a story about a young man named Alfred Brooks who was taken in by his aunt when he was young because of his drug-addicted parents. Alfred Brooks is a drop out from high school who always hangs out with his best friend James and James' friends Major and Hollis. Alfred abstained the offer to tag along with them while they robbed the Epstein's grocery store where Alfred works. Minutes later Alfred realizes that the Epstein's put a new silent alarm system in th...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Yesenia added it · review of another edition

This novel was about a boy named alfred brooks who is a high school drop out , he lives with his aunt and has a dream. his dream is that he wants to learn how to box but he thinks that he wont make it , knowing that he's a high school drop out & that he might not get no where. he's also been having trouble with his friends because they are a bad influence to him, they most likely peer pressurehim on stealing a grocery store and doing bad things , but along this novel he has a best friend na...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Meredith Lewis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-course-reading, ya

At first, I thought this book was set in the early 90s (cover art deception?), but once I realized it had been written originally in the late 60s, that gave a different meaning to the obvious racial tension explicitly discussed throughout the book.

Summary time: Two main conflicts--1) Alfred Brooks is 17, a high school drop-out (because he didn't see any point in finishing), working a stock job at a grocery store and doesn't really see his life as having a direction. 2) Alfred's best friend, Jam...more At first, I thought this book was set in the early 90s (cover art deception?), but once I realized it had been written originally in the late 60s, that gave a different meaning to the obvious racial tension explicitly discussed throughout the book.

Summary time: Two main conflicts--1) Alfred Brooks is 17, a high school drop-out (because he didn't see any point in finishing), working a stock job at a grocery store and doesn't really see his life as having a direction. 2) Alfred's best friend, James, dropped out right after he did and is now hanging with the local druggie crowd. Alfred is facing both a crisis of self in terms of his "empty" future and the changing relationships between himself and his best friend, someone who had been by his side through the death of both of his parents. After James gets caught trying to rob the store Alfred works at (Al. let it slip that the store owners leave money in the register overnight), both of these tensions come to a peak as Alfred now needs a new form of emotional support. He stumbles into the boxing gym a super nice neighborhood guy works at and starts to work through his metaphor of self-development-- boxing.

Look, I don't like sports books or movies, but I liked a lot of things about this book. I liked that Alfred, at an appropriate developmental time in his life, actually realized that HE had to be the one making choices to direct his own fate. Since he did have support systems in place, he was the only person holding him back from A future. I liked that people talked about the fact that his educational helplessness wasn't unfounded-- his well-educated cousin actually mentions how, even if he can get a "good" (ahemwhite) job, he'll most likely get it to be a token symbol. I also liked the ethnic utopia of the gym, realistic or not. Message there? Activities can be a unifying concept.

The book also has two endings, one for each conflict. The boxing one is quite satisfying. I liked that Alfred's attitude shifted and he saw the options in front of him, including those long-term. (How many of us thought super long term when we were 17?) The friendship conclusion? I didn't buy it, but it did tie the final loop in the bow. (less)

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May 04, 2012 Chantelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another inner-city-kid overcomes the odds story.

Gangs, shootings, drugs, etc. The protagonist fights (ha, pun intended) his way out with the help of caring mentors at a boxing gym.

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Mar 01, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-2012

"You gotta be the contender before you can be the champion."

Alfred Brooks s a 17-year-old African- American high school dropout whose life can go one of two ways- the street life of his-Harlem neighborhood with his best friend James, or chase his dreams of becoming a champion boxer. As his best friend James is spiraling out of control with drugs and gang life, Alfred begins training at a gym and even is a spectator at a fight in Madison Square Garden.

Throughout the book Alfred struggles with w...more

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Jan 18, 2011 Rodrigo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think this book is interesting because of the outhor's
way of describing the story and how is trying to tell you a very big and important message that says no matter what happens you always have, something like a big oportunity to go on and have life eaven when you went through the hardest things in your life you could still have something you always wanted to have you just need to fight for it until you get it, like Alfred did when donatelli tells Alfred that he can't be fighting anymore beca...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Tanner rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Contender is a book about a younger man who lives in the black ghetto. He goes through many hardships throughout his life. Alfred Brookes the main character had dropped out of high school and was now working at a grocery store. Then he gets beat up by a guy named Major. So Alfred Brookes decides to go to a guy's gym. Mr. Donatelli is the owner of the gym and explains to Alfred he may not want to continue training and may never see the inside of a ring in his career. Alfred tells Donatelli ab...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Aidan Barrett rated it 2 of 5 stars

'The Contender' by Robert Lipsyte, is about Alfred Brooks,a young man whose life is going nowhere. While he works at a grocery store, he still runs with a tough crowd on the streets of Harlem. He stumbles into boxing and enjoys it,and is decent at it. Boxing cleans up his act, and for the most part keeps him off the streets. I, personally, would not recommend this book.

First, the book starts out slow and does not pick up until the second half, where Alfred starts to fight and gets away from hi...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Traci rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Since I was going to have a long weekend to relax and read, I decided I should tackle a few more of the "classics" on an old list I saved from a previous patron. This book was next in line and I ordered it from work, even though it really didn't look like anything I was interested in. As they say, don't judge a book by its cover - or its storyline.

Alfred Brooks is a 17-year-old high school drop out in late 1960s Harlem. He's black, but he's not proud. He has managed to find himself a small job a...more Since I was going to have a long weekend to relax and read, I decided I should tackle a few more of the "classics" on an old list I saved from a previous patron. This book was next in line and I ordered it from work, even though it really didn't look like anything I was interested in. As they say, don't judge a book by its cover - or its storyline.

Alfred Brooks is a 17-year-old high school drop out in late 1960s Harlem. He's black, but he's not proud. He has managed to find himself a small job at a local grocery owned by a Jewish couple; there's not much chance of bettering his position (or so he thinks) and he misses hanging out with his best friend, James.

One Friday night he goes out to locate James; he finds him at the local "club" hanging out with his thuggish friends, Major, Hollis, and some others. While talking about his job, Alfred lets slip that due to their religion, his employers leave money in the safe every Friday night; of course, the "bad" boys decide to rob the store. Unfortunately, they are in such a hurry that Alfred doesn't have a chance to tell them about the brand new alarm system that was just installed (he claims he "forgot" to tell them; maybe he did, and maybe he didn't). James is arrested while the other boys manage to escape, and of course, they come looking for revenge.

Alfred is tired of his life, and tired of being pushed around by the gang. One night he wanders into Donatelli's Gym, and he meets the owner himself. They talk, and Alfred states he wants to be a fighter. Donatelli attempts to talk him out of it, explaining that the hours of training will be grueling and that Alfred will probably quit within a few weeks, but the young man is determined. The book then follows Alfred on his quest to become a professional boxer, showing him doing a lot of repetitive training and becoming frustrated that he's not put into matches right away. Donatelli explains that it takes a lot to be a fighter, not just good moves; there must be an inner fire, too. Eventually Alfred does fight, and he discovers that while he's not too bad a boxer, he has an inner strength to fight much bigger battles in his life, including rescuing his friend James from the stranglehold of drugs.

This was a very well-written, and still timely, novel about a young black man. I had to flip to the copyright page to remind myself that it was written back in the day and not just last year; the issues are still very relevant (think of all the gang trouble we have in inner cities, especially those that deal/use drugs). There are some things that date the book a bit; there's a group of activists that try to enlist Alfred in their cause, claiming that "whitey" is holding back Alfred and that joining them is his only way of advancing his life. There are many who would argue that race relations are still strained, and probably many who would claim that "whitey" is still holding down the man, be he African-American, Hispanic, or any other ethnicity.

Alfred's transformation is believable and a wonderful thing to watch. He struggles to follow Donatelli's authority/advice, and at one point, pretty much decides that he knows what's best for himself, skipping his workouts and hanging out with the gang. Of course he sees the error of his ways, and when he slinks back into the gym, Donatelli has a talk with him - but doesn't turn him away. It was a very good read, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good coming-of-age story. (less)

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