Looking for a Fight

by Lynn Snowden Picket

The author was in her mid-30s and "looking for a fight" after a humiliating divorce, when she began training as a boxer at Gleason's, the legendary Brooklyn gym. She wasn't there just to blow off... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385315848
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: The Dial Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Fun, Brutal, and Fun!

What I love about this book is Ms. Snowden Picket's ability to verbalize in such vivid detail her experiences inside the ring. It's always so disappointing to listen to boxers talk about the sport as they seem uwilling or unable to give any kind of visceral description of what fighting is like for them. What's fascinating is that Ms. Snowden Picket comes to their defense in describing why professional fighters cannot afford to reflect on their experiences honestly if they want to keep winning. The necessity for Mike Tyson to have a hypnotist is one of many examples Snowden Picket uses to illustrate this point. What also makes this book so engrossing is that it is not "just a boxing book", but rather, one woman's experience in an indisputably male dominated world that dramatically changed her. Beyond putting us in her gloves, she also puts the reader squarely in her life. I'm looking forward to her next book!

Braver than me ... or crazier

Either way, the product is a fantastic book. I'm just glad it wasn't me who had to step into the ring, so she could make the discoveries for me. Not that I have ever wanted to become a boxer, but it was exciting to read about. It was also scary to see what it turned her into. One part in particular involving a father and his son is a moment that is both hysterical and horrific all at the same time. That chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Thankfully, the rest of the book is equally captivating.

Inspiring

I read in the Washington Post that this was an exceptional book, so I picked it up, and I was not disappointed. I don't know much about boxing (or at least I didn't), but I do know how hard it is to describe yourself and your feelings honestly. Lynn Snowden Picket does just that, revealing parts of herself to her readers that wouldn't otherwise be seen. She mixes humor, tragedy, ego, and humbleness into one fascinating story. Take the time to read this excellent memoir, and see for yourself.

I read this book numerous times and I'm better for it.

I have been a big fan of this author for a long time and so I latched on to this book with maximum interest. And I am happy to say that it certainly exceeded my expectations in every way. I had advanced knowledge that this book was going to be about boxing but I had to wait several years to finally get to read it. That was a long time to wait, especially in my case as I wanted to get my hands on it for a practical reason. I knew that if I could read it it would give me some guidance on how to stop being what some would describe as a wimp. It all started when I was walking a little dog in Central Park one day. A passing tough let me know my little dog was "pathetic" and I was so overwhelmed that I am ashamed to say that I didn't do a thing in response. As a result, the little dog became mortified and swooned on the spot after the verbal assualt. I proceeded to pick him up and cradled him in my arms, and at the fountain I applied cool compresses to his head, but no matter what I did from then on he was never the same. He became withdrawn and morose.Seeing the dog laying in the darkness of my apartment night after night, knowing that he was reliving that fateful encounter, made me resolve then and there to stop living the life of a wimp. From then on, I resolved to defend my loved ones like a tiger! And so, knowing this book on boxing would be out any day, I waited. And I waited and waited and waited and after many years it finally arrived via UPS which the dog is afraid of as well.All I can say is thank God I finally got my hands on this book. I can tell you that if you are worried and fear that you might be something of a wimp, read this book carefully and study every sentence closely at least twice and you will soon find yourself capable of handling any situation no matter how you had initially viewed yourself. For example, it has given me a lot of new found confidence and if I can ever convince the dog to leave the apartment again I'm sure I will be ready for his next assailant.