Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History by Jeremy Schapp

Review by C. Douglas Baker

Jeremy Schaap does a nice job of telling the story of James J. Braddock pulling off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history on June 13, 1935 when he defeated Max Baer for the world heavyweight boxing championship.

While I don't think Schaap does a wonderful job of capturing the era or the times that Braddock lived in, he does an excellent job of conveying Braddock's up and down career, his relationship with his manager Joe Gould, and the desperate straights both found themselves in during The Great Depression. It's really a heartwarming story in many ways.

Schaap also provides us a very good look at the character and career of Max Baer. In many ways Baer's career could be seen as a bit of a tragedy in that he squandered his great talent by not applying himself to the craft of boxing.

Then again, he was emotionally affected by the death of Frankie Campbell after Baer knocked him out in the ring.  He appeared to see boxing as a means to wealth and fame but didn't really like it, at least the training aspect of it.

Schaap's treatment of the controversial Baer seems evenhanded and well woven into the book.

Overall, for sports and boxing enthusiasts, a definite thumbs up.