Have you ever been in a predicament where you have to do the right thing or you will get picked on for the rest of your life? Well that is what The Contender is about.In this story.A boy named Alfred Brooks changes his whole life around by being the contender. Alfred Brooks is a young African American, who lives in Harlem New York, and he has dropped out of school at a young age. Alfred is living with his Aunt Pearl.
Alfred has been beating up in an alley,and he finds himself looking at a boxing gym. Alfred has met a boxing instructor named Mr.Donatelli. Mr. Donatelli is a former boxer and is now helping kids like Alfred that are getting picked on or bullied, by helping them learn how to box to portect themselver when this happen to them again.

I could really compare The Contender with another book I have read called Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers. The Contender and Scorpions had me on my tippy toes. They had me wanting to read more and more. If the author of The Contender came out with another book, I would read it. I would want to read that book because The Contender is an outstanding book. The way The Contender made me feel was it made me think a lot while I was reading this book. Alfered is amazing person you never know what he is going to do next. Alfred is one of my favorite person in this book he showed that if you are going to set your mind to do something, never back down from it and keep your head up high.Alfred would make a lot of people think before they do stuff because of what kind of things he gose through and has to face in life.

I think people who has drop out of high school should read this book because it shows how even though you might not think anynone cares about you there is always someone there to pick you up and help you.If I had to rate this book I would rate it a 6/5 because this was an amazing book.