The Boxer's Heart
A Woman Fighting
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- 12,99 €
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- 12,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
"Brave and ballsy . . . the internal chaos that prompts Sekules' rage and desire to retaliate is a more original, fascinating place to visit than any gym." —Salon.com
The Boxer's Heart is a brilliantly candid memoir of the world of women's boxing, now updated and with a new afterword. Written in raw and vivid style, it tells the story of how a young everywoman moves to New York City to write and, through struggles and disappointments in her personal life, rises through the ranks at the famed Gleason's Gym to box professionally. Sekules's account unfolds with the pace and depth of a great novel, crammed with larger-than-life characters and piercing observations. Any woman who has grappled with anger and trust in her relationships, been nagged by insecurity at the gym, or wondered what it feels like to throw a punch will identify with this witty and honest account of " the sweet science of bruising."
"It's a knockout, folks . . . The Boxer's Heart is a winner, on all cards." —Newsweek
"What is most captivating about Sekules' love letter to boxing is how she reconciles the feminine proclivity for tenderness and nurturing with their simultaneous ability to knock one another out, to unleash fury in a controlled and respectful way." —Oprah.com
"Sekules . . . is appealingly self-aware . . . [and] gives us a sense of women's boxing as a thriving movement." —The New York Times Book Review
"This is a story of self-discovery, about finding out what you love, and then doing it—with passion, with a boxer's heart." —Kirkus Reviews
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"The sweet science of bruising" is how travel editor Sekules describes the art of boxing. In her memoir she documents the sport in unflinching detail--from a round-by-round recap of her first professional match to the often maternal relationship between a boxer and her trainer. The major underlying theme of the book is--not surprisingly--gender issues. While women have been boxing since the 18th century, Sekules discovers there is no model of behavior for women in the male-dominated world of modern boxing, and to her disappointment, she finds that the women who are involved are not interested in any kind of female camaraderie. As expected, her participation in the sport causes waves with the men surrounding her. Her boyfriend displays a new penchant for masochism in bed, which she quickly tires of, and a male boxer tells her over e-mail that he pays women to beat him up in the ring. Her trainer develops a crush on her and pouts at inopportune times when he is rebuffed. And a sports journalist calls her hours before a professional match and reveals that he is "titillated" by "catfights." From boxers, she writes, "I was learning to transfer weight from weight to fist and also from problem to tool." If by book's end, the problems are not solved (or even solvable), it is apparent that Sekules has all the tools she needs and more.
