A Book Review

Beyond Glory is the tale of Louis/Schmeling, and for those of you not as in love as I am with combat sports, Joe Louis and Max Schmeling were two heavyweight prizefighters in the depression era who had two legendary fights, one in 1936 and one in 1938. The fights themselves became huge political affairs being that Schmeling was closely assosciated with Nazi Germany and was a close personal friend of Hitler, whereas Louis was America's best shot at beating Schmeling, but was a black man in the middle of a still invariably racist America.

This book delves deeply into all of the political, racial, and social turmoil surrounding the clashes between the two and all of the fallout for both men from each encounter. The money, deception, politics, and manipulation at hand are gripping tales by any description. I really enjoyed the book and I recommend it to anyone interested in the time period, even if you aren't a boxing fan. David Margolick does a fantastic job of citing sources from the actual time period, as it is obvious he must have spent an insane amount of time researching it from old newspapers, newsreels, and firsthand accounts.

My rating: 5/5 stars. Cannot go wrong with this one.