Shadow Box: An Amateur in the Ring

by George Plimpton

Book Overview

George Plimpton makes his riskiest foray into participatory journalism -- stepping into the ring against a champion boxer -- in Shadow Box, repackaged and including never-before-seen content from the Plimpton archives.

Stepping into the ring against light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore, George Plimpton pauses to wonder what ever induced him to become a participatory journalist. Bloodied but unbowed, he holds his own in the...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031632664X
• ISBN13: 9780316326643
• Release Date: April 2016
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Pound For Pound It's Right Up There On My Shelf

Pound For Pound It's Right Up There On My Shelf There is something so incredibly magical and almost supernatural about this time in boxing - when Muhammad Ali was THE man, when Joe Frazier was a machine - an honest to goodness machine - take 100 punches just to land that left hook. This was the time when Ken Norton was a riddle that Ali couldn't figure out...and when Big George Foreman was simply concurring the world - destroying myths, legends and knocking everything down. George Plimpton captures that feeling - it's not thrown in your face, but you can feel it. The boxers and fights are slightly on the peripheral of the story he's sharing. It's mostly about him and his experiences with boxers, boxing and other writers, but it is about boxing and in the time when boxing was amazing. It's a great book for the boxing fan and a great book for the literary fan. Pound for pound one of the greats!

A sharp study of boxing-- and mortality

This is, for my money, Plimpton's best book. Informative, funny, philosophical (there's a long section on the deaths of authors-- how they died, and how they'd _like_ to die), historical-- somehow it fits together beautifully, and amuses on every page. I've recommended this to many friends, some of whom don't care for boxing; they share my enthusiasm for it. Plimpton seems to be living to a ripe old age-- he deserves many more years of happiness for all the good writing he's done, especially here.

Droll yet witty insight into professional boxing pre 1980...

George begins his book with his experience of sparring with the great Archie Moore and goes on to discuss the inside machinations/ events/ incidents of professional boxing into the years of Muhammad Ali. His humbling experience early in the piece leads to not only words of self deprecation but also serves as a reference point for his understanding of those in the sport he admires, those who are unique and the bad elements prevalent in the world of boxing. Overall the book is insightful and funny, and at times unique in perspective. Definitely worth picking up a copy...

I enjoyed every page.

There are few finer story tellers than Plimpton. This is one of his best and funniest works. Some remarkable stories.