Quotes
“Sullivan was perhaps the first real
American sports superstar and especially because he meant so much as a
minority champion…As important a cultural figure as he was a
sports idol.” Frank Deford, New York Times bestselling author and senior contributing writer for Sports Illustrated
“Travel back to the 1880s and sample some nickel beer, free lunch, horse
trolleys, and the babble of immigrants. Christopher Klein, in this
well-researched book, delivers the sportin’ life of the Gilded Age when
Americans crowned their first athlete-king, John L. Sullivan, in coast-to-coast
banner headlines.” Richard Zacks, New York Times bestselling author
“In this muscular, relentlessly detailed book,
Christopher Klein not only tells Sullivan’s story but also documents the
evolution of boxing from illicit bare-knuckle savagery akin to today’s
steel-cage extravaganzas to the ‘sweet science’ of legally sanctioned bouts
between skillful gloved opponent.” Wall Street Journal
“From the first page to the last, Klein’s prose
retains its powers of enchantment and illumination. It is one of the best
boxing books ever penned.” Boston Globe
"[A] treasure trove of information that covers
sports, celebrity, crime, politics, and entertainment…[and] tracks John L. Sullivan, the ‘Boston Strong Boy,’ across the country and globe
as he rises from the tenement to the heavyweight championship and everything
that came with it.” Publishers Weekly
“Attentive as he is to
historical details, Klein’s storytelling gift is most evident in how he depicts
‘John L.’ as a beloved hero who was eventually undone by ego and who had a
legendary appetite for food and drink…A lively, consistently entertaining sports biography.” Kirkus Reviews
“Joe Barrett’s narration brings this larger-than-life character to the mind’s eye of the listener with a wonderfully gruff, Irish-New England accent. Author Christopher Klein captures much about this man—and there’s a lot not to like—but it’s Barrett who embraces Sullivan’s voice in an animated way. That effort makes Strong Boy a great marriage of scholarship and narration.” AudioFile