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jillian_b's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Body shaming
Moderate: Cursing and Adult/minor relationship
jazzinbuns's review against another edition
5.0
A surprisingly harrowing work of fiction depicting just one of many youths and families that suffered the beginning of the genocide of the Jewish peoples of Europe. It ends shortly after the events of Kristallnacht with slivers of hope and a heartwarming moment of love, but serves as a great fictional telling of what many youths endured from the 1930s to well past World War II.
erincataldi's review against another edition
5.0
Hands down one of the best fictional Holocaust novels for teens I have ever read, and I have read a lot! I could not put this down and finished this within a day. I love historical fiction and I love boxing so this book was a match made in heaven. Loosely based off of historical events surrounding the world heavyweight boxing champion from Germany, this novel centers on a young Jewish boy, Karl, in Berlin who gets the amazing opportunity to train under the great boxer himself. As anti-antisemitism grows in Germany, Karl finds himself in a tight spot; even though he looks Aryan and isn't a practicing Jew he gets lumped in with all the undesirables and all he wants to do is box, draw cartoons, and try to win over the cute girl living in the apartment complex. Filled with cartoon sketches, boxing advice, and the trials of growing up in a society where you and your family are reviled, this story resonated with me and I LOVED it! I liked it so much that it's one I would buy and re-read. Fantastic and not just for teenagers or fans of boxing.
kmcneil's review against another edition
4.0
This powerful and thought-provoking novel set in Berlin from 1934 to 1938 dramatically chronicles the impact of Hitler's rise to power through the eyes of Karl Stern. After suffering a humiliating beating by some pro-Nazi bullies, the 13-year-old happily accepts the chance to be coached by Max Schmeling, the champion boxer he meets at a reception in his father's art gallery. Boxing has never been one of Karl's interests, but it becomes his main focus. Prior to his humiliation at school, drawing cartoons was his passion and they are cleverly interspersed in the story. He and his family are nonobservant Jews, and Karl even expresses anti-Semitic attitudes early in the book. But eventually politics and economics begin to overshadow everything in the boy's life. Much of the art at the Stern Gallery has to be sold secretly since the Nazis have banned it as degenerate. Karl's mother has periods of depression. As the entrenchment of Fascism grows, things become even more confusing. Karl admires Schmeling greatly, but becomes disillusioned by the boxer's association with Hitler and high-ranking Nazis. The gallery is destroyed on Kristallnacht when roving bands of Nazis smash windows of businesses owned by Jews. Karl's father is wounded and Karl and his sister run to a customer who risks a great deal to help them. Ultimately it is Schmeling who saves the two young Sterns and pays for their passage to America. This is an unusual story with well-drawn, complex characters, gripping history, and intense emotion.‰ЫУRenee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ Copyright 2011 Reed Business Information.
emilyderickson0's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kelleemoye's review against another edition
5.0
Reviewed at:
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/06/berlin-boxing-club.html
This book reminds me a bit of Cleopatra's Moon- not because they have anything to do with each other, but because they both are pieces of historical fiction that so easily weave history and fiction making it hard to decipher what is real and what is their story.
The Berlin Boxing Club is about a fictional boy named Karl Stern who is in a very real world of pre-WWII Germany. The book takes place beginning in 1934 and takes us through Karl's experience as a young Jewish boy in Germany all the way until Kristallnacht in November, 1938. Karl's family was not religious and was only Jewish because of his ancestors yet as soon as Nazi power took hold, they were exposed as many families were in Germany. Karl, luckily, did not look Jewish so he evaded much of the harassment, but his father and sister were not as lucky. The story takes the reader through the story of Karl and his family as their world turns against them.
Along side this story of Karl's family's story of their fall from grace is Karl's story of boxing. Karl is lucky enough to be trained by Max Schmeling, the famous "Black Uhlan of the Rhine". Though Max is very much a real historical figure, his story with Karl is not. But it is through this story that we learn about Max Schmeling and his part in Germany history and his conflicted feelings about the Nazi party.
Finally, and what I found to be the most interesting part of the book, The Berlin Boxing Club is about art. Because of my father that I know about how many masterpieces were lost during WWII because of the Nazi regime and about the underground dealers that worked to get the forbidden art out of Germany, but this book puts me in the middle of it. Karl's father is an art dealer and art plays a very important role in the story. Also, because of Karl's love of comics and being an inspiring cartoonist himself, we learn about the history of comics and how they played a part in the propaganda during the war.
Originally read: May 6, 2012
Reread: July 14, 2012
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/06/berlin-boxing-club.html
This book reminds me a bit of Cleopatra's Moon- not because they have anything to do with each other, but because they both are pieces of historical fiction that so easily weave history and fiction making it hard to decipher what is real and what is their story.
The Berlin Boxing Club is about a fictional boy named Karl Stern who is in a very real world of pre-WWII Germany. The book takes place beginning in 1934 and takes us through Karl's experience as a young Jewish boy in Germany all the way until Kristallnacht in November, 1938. Karl's family was not religious and was only Jewish because of his ancestors yet as soon as Nazi power took hold, they were exposed as many families were in Germany. Karl, luckily, did not look Jewish so he evaded much of the harassment, but his father and sister were not as lucky. The story takes the reader through the story of Karl and his family as their world turns against them.
Along side this story of Karl's family's story of their fall from grace is Karl's story of boxing. Karl is lucky enough to be trained by Max Schmeling, the famous "Black Uhlan of the Rhine". Though Max is very much a real historical figure, his story with Karl is not. But it is through this story that we learn about Max Schmeling and his part in Germany history and his conflicted feelings about the Nazi party.
Finally, and what I found to be the most interesting part of the book, The Berlin Boxing Club is about art. Because of my father that I know about how many masterpieces were lost during WWII because of the Nazi regime and about the underground dealers that worked to get the forbidden art out of Germany, but this book puts me in the middle of it. Karl's father is an art dealer and art plays a very important role in the story. Also, because of Karl's love of comics and being an inspiring cartoonist himself, we learn about the history of comics and how they played a part in the propaganda during the war.
Originally read: May 6, 2012
Reread: July 14, 2012
nataliealane's review against another edition
3.0
"The Berlin Boxing Club" is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of Nazi Germany. Karl Stern has never identified as Jewish because his family doesn't practice, but is Jewish nevertheless by Nazi standards. Blonde, fair, and blue-eyed, he can even pass for a normal German on the streets. But when a gang of school bullies discover his secret, his entire world changes. His father makes a deal with an old friend, German boxing champ Max Schmeling, to teach Karl how to defend himself. Readers watch Karl grow up, experience his first love, and struggle with his identity and his future.
What I liked:
-Max and Karl's relationship. As the story progresses, Karl becomes dependent on boxing and Max; and who can blame him? It acts as an anchor for his dysfunctional family and the persecution he and his family face as Jews(whether they identify as Jewish or not). However, Max is more of a distant mentor than seen in a lot of books. He's off touring and boxing in America and across Europe a lot of the time. This adds dimension to the story, I think, because it also forces Karl to learn independence and how to be a man on his own. He is able to look to other boxing champions and find comfort in his identity as a Jewish boxer through some of the heroes he discovers along the way.
-Karl and Hildy's relationship. "The Berlin Boxing Club" is a coming of age tale for both the protagonist and his sister. We see Hildy mature as the plot progresses, and we also see her struggle with her identity as Jewish.
-The art. Given how Karl's father runs an art gallery, it makes since that art is such a big part of Karl's life. I liked seeing his comic work and his drawings of the boxers. Incorporating his art made it more personal and added a unique visual element to the book.
-The boxing aspect. Obviously, the training and the boxing serve as a big symbol for Karl's growing up. Besides that, I got to learn a lot about boxing. The information was easy enough for me to understand, and I know very little about the sport, but it still felt genuine.
What I didn't like:
-A lot of stuff happened. It felt hard to connect to Karl's character because some of the book felt like one event after another. I get that we're following Karl throughout his adolescent years, but I think the story and Karl would have been just fine without a couple of the events in there.
-I think some of the language/phrases were too modern for the time period it was supposed to be in, in comparison to other books set in the era.
-When Karl is kicked out of the boxing tournament. The people's reaction didn't seem genuine to me. You'd think that, given how much the Jews were hated, the audience would have reacted more violently.
-some conflicts didn't add much to the character development/plot. For example, after meeting the Countess, Karl questions if his father is gay. A conclusion is never reached in his pondering, nor in the rest of the plot.
-A couple of loose ends/plot holes. For example, when the Nazis broke into the gallery, they said the printing press in the basement was used for printing illegal materials. The audience is aware of that fact, but how did the Nazis find out about it? How were they able to trace the flyers to the Sterns?
Overall, not one of the best Holocaust/WWII-era books I've read, but definitely worth a read.
What I liked:
-Max and Karl's relationship. As the story progresses, Karl becomes dependent on boxing and Max; and who can blame him? It acts as an anchor for his dysfunctional family and the persecution he and his family face as Jews(whether they identify as Jewish or not). However, Max is more of a distant mentor than seen in a lot of books. He's off touring and boxing in America and across Europe a lot of the time. This adds dimension to the story, I think, because it also forces Karl to learn independence and how to be a man on his own. He is able to look to other boxing champions and find comfort in his identity as a Jewish boxer through some of the heroes he discovers along the way.
-Karl and Hildy's relationship. "The Berlin Boxing Club" is a coming of age tale for both the protagonist and his sister. We see Hildy mature as the plot progresses, and we also see her struggle with her identity as Jewish.
-The art. Given how Karl's father runs an art gallery, it makes since that art is such a big part of Karl's life. I liked seeing his comic work and his drawings of the boxers. Incorporating his art made it more personal and added a unique visual element to the book.
-The boxing aspect. Obviously, the training and the boxing serve as a big symbol for Karl's growing up. Besides that, I got to learn a lot about boxing. The information was easy enough for me to understand, and I know very little about the sport, but it still felt genuine.
What I didn't like:
-A lot of stuff happened. It felt hard to connect to Karl's character because some of the book felt like one event after another. I get that we're following Karl throughout his adolescent years, but I think the story and Karl would have been just fine without a couple of the events in there.
-I think some of the language/phrases were too modern for the time period it was supposed to be in, in comparison to other books set in the era.
-When Karl is kicked out of the boxing tournament. The people's reaction didn't seem genuine to me. You'd think that, given how much the Jews were hated, the audience would have reacted more violently.
-some conflicts didn't add much to the character development/plot. For example, after meeting the Countess, Karl questions if his father is gay. A conclusion is never reached in his pondering, nor in the rest of the plot.
-A couple of loose ends/plot holes. For example, when the Nazis broke into the gallery, they said the printing press in the basement was used for printing illegal materials. The audience is aware of that fact, but how did the Nazis find out about it? How were they able to trace the flyers to the Sterns?
Overall, not one of the best Holocaust/WWII-era books I've read, but definitely worth a read.
mviiams's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book, and I felt like it was a refreshing and different take on the Holocaust. I was interested at first, but I had a really hard time with the middle... it seemed to drag on and I felt like we weren't getting anywhere. I felt like the end was super rushed and lacked a lot of the detail that the rest of the book had.
This would be a great book for young adult males to read to get a perspective on the Holocaust as most stories I've found seem to be oriented to women.
This would be a great book for young adult males to read to get a perspective on the Holocaust as most stories I've found seem to be oriented to women.
laura_m_j's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book I need to share with 10th grade English/Global studies teachers and students. Great historical fiction from inside Nazi Germany in the late 1930's. Told from the perspective of a young man growing up in Berlin, secular Jewish background, caught up in the racist profiling against non Aryan people.
Of course, to me it resonates with our current battle against profiling Hispanics.
Of course, to me it resonates with our current battle against profiling Hispanics.
readwithpassion's review against another edition
5.0
Although Karl Stern's family is not religious, they are considered Jewish based on the fact that three out of four grandparents were Jewish. Luckily for Karl, he does not have Jewish features, so his classmates and the public are unaware of his heritage. When his classmates discover his true religion, they beat him up. At an art auction, his father's friend, Max Schmeling, offers to give him boxing lessons. (Max Schmeling was a very famous boxer at the time who knocked out Joe Louis.)
Karl develops his skills as a boxer and struggles to maneuver through a world that is becoming increasingly anti-semitic. I liked this book because it taught me a lot about the build-up of the Holocaust, so it was different from many other books from that time period. Sharenow does an excellent job weaving history and comics into the story, and it was very engaging. Whenever I put the book down, I couldn't stop thinking about Karl and his family.
I would truly recommend this book to all readers--as it is a story about a boy, rather than a story about history. I think everyone would find aspects of this book interesting.
Karl develops his skills as a boxer and struggles to maneuver through a world that is becoming increasingly anti-semitic. I liked this book because it taught me a lot about the build-up of the Holocaust, so it was different from many other books from that time period. Sharenow does an excellent job weaving history and comics into the story, and it was very engaging. Whenever I put the book down, I couldn't stop thinking about Karl and his family.
I would truly recommend this book to all readers--as it is a story about a boy, rather than a story about history. I think everyone would find aspects of this book interesting.