Rating: - The Contender Loses Steam Along the Way!
Robert Lipsyte's novel, The Contender, is written for pre-teens and struggling students. The story is about Alfred Brooks, a young Harlem teen who works at a grocery store and discovers boxing through Donatelli, a successful coach. Until then, Alfred has dropped out of high school at 11th grade to work a dead-end job at family owned supermarket in Harlem. It's not until his friends Henry and James get in trouble that he decides to take up boxing with Donatelli who sees a contender much like the film, On the Waterfront starring Marlon Brando as a man who could have been a contender. Alfred's story can relate to the youth today and it's not so much about winning as it is about getting in shape and striving for something. Alfred begins his journey to be a boxer by training himself with Donatelli's help and belief in him to be the next contender despite all the risks of physical damage. It's not until Alfred starts striving to become a boxer that he becomes more alive in character and somebody to root for in life.

---

Rating: - Ok
the author of this book is a fantastic writer, but this book overall was nothing special. i was forced to read it for my 7th grade adv. Lang. arts class, and was a little disapointed. I ended up being bored to tears in class ,and got the cliff notes. I think I would have enjoyed the book better if I read it myself not in a classroom. I think it deserves 3 stars. Its ok thats it. It is about how a boy can change his life by taking up boxing. Good luck if you have to read it (=

---

Rating: - Inspiring and Intense
The streets of Harlem are a nasty place to live. Drugs, alcohol, and stealing are just a few of the problems that you would face if you lived there. This is where Alfred Brooks is living. He lives in a small apartment with his aunt Pearl and his three younger cousins. He is a high school dropout and is having trouble keeping his current low-paying job at the local grocery store. His only true friend, James, is slowly sinking into drug trouble.
Things aren't looking up for him, to say the least. After some close brushes with the cops and some vicious thugs, he decides he needs to do something to change his life. Finally, he makes his way to a boxing gym on a street corner, not far from where he lives. Alfred has passed the gym before, but he has never gone in. From that moment on, he decides he wants to become a boxer.
In The Contender, the writer really brought me into the story and made me feel like I was right there with the characters. He uses real-life type language and real-life situations that make sense. All of the characters that he introduces flow well with the plot and I became attached to them.
I recommend this book to anyone who is even remotely interested in sports and the struggle to reach the pinnacle of your athletic ability. I give this book five stars.

---

Rating: - An Adult's Review
Set in Harlem in the 1960s, The Contender is a moving story about a 16 year old named Alfred Brooks who lives with his aunt and cousins in a small, dingy apartment. His father has long since disappeared, his mother died of pneumonia, and Alfred, essentially a very good kid, has made some mistakes. He dropped out of high school and now works sweeping floors in a grocery store. His best friend James hangs out with thugs and drug users and is quickly becoming an addict himself. One evening when Alfred goes looking for James he finds him at the usual hangout of him and his thug buddies. While talking, Alfred lets it slip that the grocers he works for, the Epsteins, leave money in the cash register overnight on Fridays while they observe the Sabbath. The thugs, and Alfred's best friend James, decide to rob the grocery store. What Alfred forgets to tell them is about the new alarm system recently installed. So of course, after they are caught and arrested, and eventually bailed out, they come looking for Alfred. One night while they're chasing Alfred he runs into Donatelli's Gym, a boxing club where fighters train. And this begins Alfred's journey into fighting, not just boxing, but fighting to make something of himself when the odds are against him. Realistic and gritty, this novel is a wonderful book for young adults. I have read it many times with 7th and 8th grade, and 10th and 11th grade, language arts students and they love it, whether they are themselves from inner-city neighborhoods in Harlem or the Bronx, or from the suburbs. The consistent theme running through the story is the importance of striving to make something of yourself, to become a contributing member of society. It is extremely well written and a novel I enthusiastically recommend.

---

Rating: - Great Book!!
This story is about a teenager named Alfred Brooks, and in the book he is simply trying to make a life for himself. He dropped out of High School, and he's working at a grocery store. To make things even worse, his friend is turning to drugs and he is getting harassed by a group of guys. Alfred decides to go to Donatelli's gym, because he wants to become a champion, a boxer.

My english class read this book, and I enjoyed it. I think you should read the book, and maybe it'll make you think about reaching the goals of becoming a champion.
[...]