Cinderella Man

Marc Cerasini (author)
70 pages. Paperback. Published by Penguin Books, 2006.

The book tells the story about James J. Braddock, an Irish-American boxer fighter, born in New Jersey. It was set in the period of time close to United States' Great Depression. Braddock worked as manual labor longshoreman. Because he broke his hand in a fight, he wasn't able to work everyday. Braddock was invited by his friend to fight agains a famous fighter. It was expected for Braddock lose the fight, but he didn't. Instead he beat his opponent with a knockout. A sportswriter gave him the nickname "The Cinderella Man." He fought some other fights. Due to the unexpected score, they called him the underdog. The book covers one of the important moments in the boxing history where Braddock beats the champion at the time, Baer. Baer was famous because he killed the last two opponents in the ring. When the fight was over, Braddock become the heavyweight champion of the world. By the end of the book he  uses the money he earned to buy a house, in which he spent the rest of his life with Mae, his wife.