The Berlin Boxing Club

Robert Sharenow

May 2011 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this eBook

Sydney Taylor Award-winning novel Berlin Boxing Club is loosely inspired by the true story of boxer Max Schmeling's experiences following Kristallnacht. Publishers Weekly called it "a masterful historical novel" in a starred review.

Karl Stern has never thought of himself as a Jew; after all, he's never even been in a synagogue. But the bullies at his school in Nazi-era Berlin don't care that Karl's family doesn't practice religion. Demoralized by their attacks against a heritage he doesn't accept as his own, Karl longs to prove his worth.

Then Max Schmeling, champion boxer and German hero, makes a deal with Karl's father to give Karl boxing lessons. A skilled cartoonist, Karl has never had an interest in boxing, but now it seems like the perfect chance to reinvent himself.

But when Nazi violence against Jews escalates, Karl must take on a new role: family protector. And as Max's fame forces him to associate with Nazi elites, Karl begins to wonder where his hero's sympathies truly lie. Can Karl balance his boxing dreams with his obligation to keep his family out of harm's way?

Includes an author's note and sources page detailing the factual inspirations behind the novel.

Ratings and reviews

What a great book. I would give 4.5*s for this one. I enjoyed the historical fiction part mixed equally with the boxing part of the story. I was just so sad that there was no epilogue in the end to sum up several questions I had. But aside from that a good.story overall.

I have summer reading projects and had to choose one book to read from a list of others. I'm so glad I picked this one it's such a great book, and I highly recommend reading it.

We have to read our own holocaust books in my reading class and this was the one I picked. We couldn't bring them out of the class and my school library didn't have it. I decided to buy it on here and I just finished it. 5 stars for sure. Highly recommend it.

About the author

Robert Sharenow is an award-winning writer and television producer. He is the author of the middle-grade novel The Girl in the Torch, as well as the teen novels My Mother the Cheerleader and The Berlin Boxing Club. Since its publication in 2012, The Berlin Boxing Club has been named a Sydney Taylor Book Award winner and an Amelia Walden Award finalist, and has received multiple received multiple starred reviews, as well as a spot on ALA’s Best Books for Young Adults list. The novel has been published in several countries and languages and is perennially taught in high school curriculums in the United States and around the world. Sharenow lives in New York with his wife and two daughters.