Cinderella Man

James J. Braddock, Max Baer and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History

By: Jeremy Schaap

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

Lost in the annals of boxing is the sport's true Cinderella story. 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 of 1929.

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. The diminutive, loquacious Jew and the burly, quiet Irishman made one of boxing's oddest couples, but together they staged the greatest comeback in fighting history. In 12 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 charismatic, natural talent and in every way Braddock's foil, Baer was a towering opponent, a Jew from the West Coast who was famously brash and made great copy both in and out of the ring. A 10-to-1 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 had 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. Schaap paints a vivid picture of the fight world in its golden age, populated by men of every class and ethnic background and covered voluminously by writers who elevated sports writing to art. 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.

©2005 Jeremy Schaap (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.

Excellent

Great book, I'm a boxing fan so the boxing history was interesting, filled with names I already knew but now I have a more detailed story behind the names. I think a non boxing fan would still enjoy the story. If you are a fan this is a must listen, I'm sure the movie will focus less on boxing history. The narrator did a good job, his tone and cadence are a perfect match for the subject and time period. I got the unabridged and wish it was even longer. One of the better books I have heard.

Fantastic historical drama

It really is too bad such a great story is weighed down by such a nondescript and blas? title because the story is a very entertaining one. Set during the peak of the Great Depression, Cinderella Man walks us through the peaks and valleys of turn-of-the-century boxing before entourages and scandal turned the public off. Although mostly focused on the story of James J. Braddock, we also hear of his contemporaries, their rises, reigns and falls.

This story will inevitably raise comparisons to a contemporary "Cinderella" story: Seabisquit. The horse, however, wins this match hands down. Nevertheless, take a listen to both and transport yourself easily to a different time.

A great book for everyone

Even though this book is about boxing, it is really about people and their struggles in life. It shows how a person can deal with adversity and rise above it.

The book also does a good job covering the depression and the effects on all people.

I can not wait for the motion picture to come out to see if it comes close to being as good as the book.

A real classy book.

Outstanding

Almost everyone knows the story of the girl who had a rough life and eventually rose to the top with the help of her fairy godmother and lived happily ever after. However, this story is much more than that. It is about an underdog pugilist that endured everything life threw at him and rose to the top with only the belief he had in himself and the desire to provide for his family during the Great Depression. It is a story that will touch your heart and prove to anyone that all one needs to succeed in life is perseverance, desire, and the love and support of family and friends. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Boxing fans and nonfans alike.

Cinderella Man (Unabridged)

I'm not a boxing enthusiast, but I was, once in my youth, a competitive athlete. I usually listen to my audiobooks only on my bike ride into work. I stayed up two nights in a row, laying in bed listening until I fell asleep. I just had to keep listening even though I knew the outcome from the start.

Cinderella Man is right

Great book, probably could have downloaded the abridged and left some of the fighter boxing history out of the book, but absolutely the kind of story you wish you would here more in todays society. Great story about determination and human kindness. Want to see the movie now.

Pretty good for what it is

This book is a documentary and reads as such, which is to say that it doesn't read like a novel. It's not a "page-turner," but it is an interesting portrayal of a tenacious boxer during the depression.

Outstanding listen

For those who love boxing and sports or for anyone who loves a good rags to riches story, this book is a must read! One of my favorite listens here at Audible, yet...

Cindirella man

Any additional comments?

As an avid boxing fan, I really enjoyed listening to old stories. The book was quite factual but I liked it, as well as both main characters Max Bear and Jim Braddock, who was greatly portrayed in the movie by Russel Crowe.

I'm on my third listen

I love this book and the narration. I've had this audio for several years now and I'm on my third listen. I'm inspired each time and each time I hear something new.

Best Boxing Book On Audible

I read this book blind having not seen the film and I was blown away.

The author does an excellent job of painting pictures of all the relevant people: James J Braddock, his family, his manager Joe Gould and the fighters who were around at that time, giving the story context rather than just telling it chronologically. He also does a great job of describing America and New York as it was in that time too and where Braddock's story fits in.

The narrator gives it a very old school sound too with his tone but still has excellent sound quality too, it sounds like it was recorded in both 1920 and 2020 😄

a must listen for all boxing fans, 10/10!

This goes on my favourites shelf!

This has been my favourite book of the last while. The narrator is fantastic. I dunno if he did this on purpose but his delivery seems almost to match the radio commentators of the era. It really sets the scene for the story.

The book is very well written and easy to follow. The overarching story centers around Braddock but the book goes into detail on a few other fighters of the time as well. My biggest surprise was the difference in how Max Baer was portrayed in the movie to how he was in real life. This book gave an extremely entertaining and enlightening account of Baer's life and character which I enjoyed.

This is a must read for any boxing fan, for anyone interested in that era, and for anyone looking for an amazing story of an amazing man.

A great read

The real Rocky. Jimmy Braddock is worthy of his high perch amongst the greats of heavyweight boxing champs. There's much more to being a great fighter than having great technical ability. Has there ever been a been a more worthy Champ? I doubt it.

brilliant

brilliant listen, captured the era perfectly, such a fantastic story, well worth the purchase, a must listen

Brilliant stuff

Loved every bit of it. Really enjoyable story. Better than the film. And it was a good film

Fantastic Story, Fantastic Narration

Fantastic amount of detail is found throughout this book. It gave a wonderful insight into the game at the time and has some brilliant stories about the fighters from the era.

This is the second title I’ve listened to by Grover Gardner and he was fantastic again.

Fantastic underdog story

the story of Braddock has been told many times in boxing films and novels, a 'washed up' fighter down on his luck makes a comeback and lifts himself out of poverty.

what makes this book interesting is the descriptions of life outside the ring during the 30's and the state of boxing in general after it's huge popularity throughout the roaring 20's with stars such as jack Dempsey.

Fantastic listen/read.

A Knockout1

Any additional comments?

I knew the story of Jim Braddock from my childhood (my grandfather told me all about him) and some years ago really enjoyed the excellent film, so have been meaning to listen to this audio-book for ages now. I thought it would be good but it was so much better than I imagined. A great story that is well read. Not only the story of Jim Braddock but also the Charismatic Max Baer too.

Its the Heavyweights!

I enjoyed this book, not necessarily because of the main story but the surrounding stories that link into James Braddock's life. Max Baer, Jack Dempsey, Primo Carnera, Joe Louis are all present here and we hear lots of snippets and back stories which ensure that the overall presentation of the Cinderella Man is enjoyable. I love this period in time and the stories and characters that have presented themselves so I'm a little biased, but of you like boxing and this time period, then this is a must listen.