War in the Ring
Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, and the Fight Between America and Hitler
Square Fish · Print & ebook · January 24, 2023
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- Who it’s for
- A boxing rivalry opens onto the racial and political tensions gathering before World War II.
- Themes
- Boxing and social mobility, Race and American identity, U.S.–Nazi tensions
- Genres
- Sports Biographies for Kids, Historical Biographies for Kids, African American Life (U.S.)
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Start with this bookAbout this book
War in the Ring presents a riveting nonfiction book for kids about a boxing match that represented the growing tensions between the United States and Nazi Germany in the lead up to World War II. Joe Louis was born on an Alabama cotton patch and raised in a Detroit ghetto. Max Schmeling grew up in poverty in Hamburg, Germany. For both boys, boxing was a path out and a ladder up.
Continue reading
Little did they know that they would one day face each other in a pair of matches that would capture the world's attention. Joe grew into a symbol of inspiration to a nation of Black Americans hoping to carve a slice of the 'American Dream' in a racially fractured country. Max, on the other hand, became a Nazi symbol for the superiority of the Aryan race. The battles waged between Joe and Max still resonate, and the cultural implications of the international sensation continue to reverberate far past the ring.
Beyond the Ring
A boxing rivalry opens onto the racial and political tensions gathering before World War II.
Come here for
- The collision of sports history and international politics
- Two fighters cast as symbols far beyond the ring
Expect
- A nonfiction account of the matches’ cultural resonance
- A focus on race, the American Dream, and Nazi ideology
Where it sits
| Sports Biographies for Kids | 84% |
|---|---|
| African American Life (U.S.) | 28% |
| Historical Biographies for Kids | 26% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Sports Biographies for Kids
- African American Life (U.S.)
- Olympics
- Authors
- John Florio, Ouisie Shapiro
- Publisher
- Square Fish
- Published
- January 24, 2023
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Boxing and social mobility · Race and American identity · U.S.–Nazi tensions
- Reading lane
- Sports Biographies for Kids