The Contender: Amazon.ca: Robert Lipsyte: Books

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Alfred's life is going nowhere fast. He's a high-school dropout working at a grocery store. His best friend is drifting behind a haze of drugs and violence, and now some street punks are harassing him for something he didn't do. Feeling powerless and afraid, Alfred gathers up the courage to visit Donatelli's Gym, the neighborhood's boxing club. He wants to be a champion--on the streets and in his own life. Alfred doesn't quite understand when Mr. Donatelli tells him, "It's the climbing that makes the man. Getting to the top is an extra reward." In the end, he learns that a winner isn't necessarily the one standing when the fight is over. Teens and adults alike will be knocked out by this powerful story of how a frightened boy becomes a man. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A 17-year-old Harlem boy struggles to become a champion boxer in this excellent novel [recommended] for use in the early phases of secondary school literature study." -- Language Arts

“A novel filled with hardships and hope.” -- ALA Booklist

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First Sentence
He waited on the stoop until twilight, pretending to watch the sun melt into the dirty gray Harlem sky. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

265 Reviews

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(129)
3 star:		(55)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(6)

Average Customer Review

3.9 out of 5 stars (265 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Alfred and His Problems, May 13 2004

By

Gerardo (Grayslake) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Contender (Mass Market Paperback)

I read the book THE CONTENDER by Robert Lipsyte. I really enjoyed the book because it's not really long nor hard to understand. The book is really action packed and keeps you wanting to read it more and more. The main character is Alfred. Alfred's conflict is that his best friend James want's him to go to the store he works at and help him break in so they can steal. The place Alfred works is at the supermarket that James wants to rob. Alfred gets jumped on the way home from the supermarket one night by one of James' friends who wanted help to rob the store.After Alfred gets jumped he decides that he wants to take boxing lessons. Alfred goes to the gym to see what it was like and tries to walk out but Mr.Donatellie stops him. Alfred decides to give boxing lessons a try and doesn't realize how much work it would really be. If you want to know more I recommend that you read the book THE CONTENDER.

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4.0 out of 5 stars THE CONTENDER, May 4 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Contender (Mass Market Paperback)

The Contender
The contender is a great book explaining some of the problems people have in the ghetto with great detail. I especially like the way in which the author works around the problem which Alfred (main character) getting beat up, bullied and having racists always on his back. Alfred tells his friend about his job and how sometimes that the store he works at is empty on Sundays. His friends decide to break in and steal money from the store but Alfred doesn't go and forgets to tell them about the new alarm in which goes off and cops come and arrest his friends. Alfred hides, but all of his friends who didn't get caught want to kill him, so he must learn how to fight. He actually becomes a Boxer. I think this book greatly describes the thinking of teenagers today and gives meaning of what teenagers face everyday. Also on pages 8 and 9 in chapter one it describes a place where he can be himself and can hide and get away from the world, which is a secret place. Overall I think Contender is a must read!

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4.0 out of 5 stars The Contender the Champion, April 14 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Contender (Mass Market Paperback)

Alfred Brooks' life looks like it's falling apart; he's a high school dropout and has a grocery store job that is amounting to nothing. He is wanted by dangerous people for something he didn't even do. His best friend James is sinking deeper and deeper into drug addiction And is robbing houses. Alfred accidentally got him in jail. He's a mess his life is way out of whack. So Alfred needed something so he could amount to something. He decides to start to go to Donatelli's Gym, a boxing club in Harlem that has trained champions. He learns to box and gets himself an agent. He starts to turn his life around but there are still things going on around him. He learns there that it's the effort that makes the man not the win. It takes perseverance to do what he did and to overcome what he overcame. This book shows what it takes and that someone and anyone can under the worst circumstances become a champion. I would recommend this book for any mature reader. Everyone should read The Contender. It will make you a believer in anything. On a scale of 1 to 100 I'd give a 93. Especially for someone going through tough times or even to anyone this cannot not touch. Everyone will start to believe and everyone can overcome and be A CHAMPION.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Contender
The Contender, by Robert Lipsute, is an extraordinary book, full of action, adventure, and excitement. Read more

Published on April 12 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars The Contender
"The Contender," by Robert Lipsyte is an extraordinary book. It had action, adventure and excitement.
The story started out with Alfred Brooks got jumped. Read more

Published on April 1 2004