The Boxer's Heart

Book excerpt: “Brave and ballsy . . . the internal chaos that prompts Sekules’ rage and desire to retaliate is a more original, fascinating place to visit than any gym.” —Salon.com The Boxer’s Heart is a brilliantly candid memoir of the world of women’s boxing, now updated and with a new afterword. Written in raw and vivid style, it tells the story of how a young everywoman moves to New York City to write and, through struggles and disappointments in her personal life, rises through the ranks at the famed Gleason’s Gym to box professionally. Sekules’s account unfolds with the pace and depth of a great novel, crammed with larger-than-life characters and piercing observations. Any woman who has grappled with anger and trust in her relationships, been nagged by insecurity at the gym, or wondered what it feels like to throw a punch will identify with this witty and honest account of “ the sweet science of bruising.” “It’s a knockout, folks . . . The Boxer’s Heart is a winner, on all cards.” —Newsweek “What is most captivating about Sekules’ love letter to boxing is how she reconciles the feminine proclivity for tenderness and nurturing with their simultaneous ability to knock one another out, to unleash fury in a controlled and respectful way.” —Oprah.com “Sekules . . . is appealingly self-aware . . . [and] gives us a sense of women’s boxing as a thriving movement.” —The New York Times Book Review “This is a story of self-discovery, about finding out what you love, and then doing it—with passion, with a boxer’s heart.” —Kirkus Reviews