schmeling, max

". . . recount[s] the politically and racially charged rivalry between African-American boxing champion Joe Louis and white German boxer Max Schmeling, which grew between their 1936 and 1938 matches. Tracing both men's careers from inception until they hung up their gloves, the authors illuminate how emblematic each was to his country while exploring the social issues of the day"--Publisher's description.

Examines the careers of both Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, their historic matches in 1936 and 1938 in the midst of Nazism, and the cultural and social divisions the two men came to represent.

In 1936 Berlin, fourteen-year-old Karl Stern, considered Jewish despite a non-religious upbringing, learns to box from the legendary Max Schmeling while struggling with the realities of the Holocaust.

". . . recount[s] the politically and racially charged rivalry between African-American boxing champion Joe Louis and white German boxer Max Schmeling, which grew between their 1936 and 1938 matches. Tracing both men's careers from inception until they hung up their gloves, the authors illuminate how emblematic each was to his country while exploring the social issues of the day"--Publisher's description.

In 1936 Berlin, fourteen-year-old Karl Stern, considered Jewish despite a non-religious upbringing, learns to box from the legendary Max Schmeling while struggling with the realities of the Holocaust.

Fourteen-year-old Karl Stern has never been in a synagogue or practiced religion, but to everyone around him he is a Jew. Longing to prove his worth, he starts taking boxing lessons from champion boxer and German national hero Max Schmeling. As a skilled cartoonist, he's never before had an interest in boxing, but as Max's apprentice, Karl finds both his boxing skills and art flourishing. When Nazi violence against the Jews heightens, he must balance his dream of becoming a great boxer with his obligation to protect his family.