i love this book if i didn't have a second copy this would not leave my library..this is a story of a troubled teen facing gangs, drugs,etc...instead he works his way up to be a boxer..and the disciple it takes to become one..no gore..great for children on a 4th grade reader and up..i taught this book in a high scool 10grade english class..it speaks to the young and the teenager..language very minimum, with no sexual content... a must read for a child coming of age story

Alfred Brooks is scared. He's a high school dropout and his grocery store job is leading nowhere. His best friend is sinking further and further into drug addiction. Some street kids are after him for something he didn't even do. So Alfred begins going to Donatelli's Gym, a boxing club in Harlem that's trained champions. There he learns it's the effort, not the win, that makes the man, that last desperate struggle to get back on your feet when you thought you were down for the count.

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