Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History (Abridged)

by Jeremy Schaap Narrated by Jeremy Schaap

Overview

James J. Braddock, dubbed “Cinderella Man” by Damon Runyon, was a once promising light heavyweight for whom a string of losses in the ring and a broken right hand happened to coincide with the Great Crash. With one good hand, Braddock was forced to labor on the docks of Hoboken. Only his manager, Joe Gould, still believed in him, finding fights for Braddock to help feed his wife and children. In less than twelve months Braddock went from the relief rolls to face heavyweight champion Max Baer, the Livermore Butcher Boy, renowned for having allegedly killed two men in the ring. A ten-to-one underdog, Braddock carried the hopes and dreams of the working class on his shoulders. And when boxing was the biggest sport in the world, when the heavyweight champion was the biggest star in the world, his unlikely upset made Braddock the most popular champion boxing has ever seen.

Against the gritty backdrop of the Depression, Cinderella Man brings this dramatic all-American story to life, evoking a time when the sport of boxing resonated with a country trying desperately to get back on its feet. Rich in anecdote and color, steeped in history, and full of human interest, Cinderella Man is a classic David and Goliath tale that transcends the sport.

Editorial Reviews

OCT/NOV 05 - AudioFile

Written with an ear for the language of the ring and read with crackling energy, Jeremy Schaap’s biography tells the story of James J. Braddock, the salt-of-the-earth father and athlete who became, to everyone’s surprise, the World Heavyweight Champion of 1935. Schaap’s detailed and colorful reporting includes many incisive and entertaining bits of dialogue in the speech of 1930s’ America. Parading through the proceedings are such characters as the clowning heavyweight celebrity Max Baer, misunderstood Max Schmeling, slugging Joe Louis, and even Jack Dempsey. Cinderella Man is a full-color newsreel for the ears with Schaap’s award-winning vocal style and journalism going all 15 rounds. D.J.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award 2006 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

OCT/NOV 05 - AudioFile

Written with an ear for the language of the ring and read with crackling energy, Jeremy Schaap’s biography tells the story of James J. Braddock, the salt-of-the-earth father and athlete who became, to everyone’s surprise, the World Heavyweight Champion of 1935. Schaap’s detailed and colorful reporting includes many incisive and entertaining bits of dialogue in the speech of 1930s’ America. Parading through the proceedings are such characters as the clowning heavyweight celebrity Max Baer, misunderstood Max Schmeling, slugging Joe Louis, and even Jack Dempsey. Cinderella Man is a full-color newsreel for the ears with Schaap’s award-winning vocal style and journalism going all 15 rounds. D.J.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award 2006 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171966157
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	04/26/2005
Edition description:	Abridged

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