A Clenched Fist: The Making of a Golden Gloves Champion

Peter Wood is not unlike a master artist, who, when painting a majestic rose makes certain to include the painful thorn. Saccharine sweetness is not Peter's style. He depicts life as he sees it and lives it. Rather than cover the blemishes, he exposes them. He lauds boxing as his saviour and condemns it for the pain and hurt in inflicts. Peter Wood tells it like he sees it and feels it. Expertly blending beauty with pain and crossing that often thin line between love and hate, Peter Wood may not have his reader smiling all the way through the book, but he will never, for a second, lose his reader's attention with his powerful, engrossing and honest style.

I'm a man who doesn't like boxing, but I LOVED reading "A Clenched Fist". Yes--there are many gritty, (even disturbing), moments within this colorful memoir. However, the tone here is upbeat, optimistic and tender. Wood's insightful story gives a reader a heart-felt glimpse into a fighter's soul and anxiety-laden life. I see myself (a pacifist) within the characters as they punch toward their goal. Wood's insight and colorful writing about fear, getting punched, coaching lost souls, and the high school experience touched my heart. His words ring true. It's all a quest for love and self-acceptance. This strange sport is so fascinating!

This author takes us back in time a creates the scenario of which he builds a fighter physically and more important mentally. A young kid has to purchase this book, and an older trainer may pick up a thing or two...

I received an advertisement regarding this book, while I was attending the NYC Golden Gloves Finals this past year. I am glad I held onto that advertisement and purchased this book. In this book Peter Wood is the coach, not the fighter, and he pours his heart into helping his young fighters, and his emotion and boxing knowledge make the book ring true. Like boxing, this book is raw but eloquent. It reminds me of a Robert Parker book, with its hardboiled dialogue and crafty similes. For example, when describing one of his fighter's opponents, Wood says, "His wide nostrils, bulging buttocks and thick neck look prehistoric-it's like he was scraped off a cave wall." Boxing is dying for some good literature, and Wood helps fill the void. If you are a boxing fan, I think you will definitely enjoy this book.