Review by Booklist Review
Rosenblatt was the editor of Fightland, a website that covers mixed martial arts, when he got the bug to take up the sport. It was a long journey to the ring for a 33-yard-old man who was overweight, smoked heavily, and drank too much. In this memoir, he uses his training regimen as a stepping-off point to discuss particulars of fighting, such as the development of the jab, a fighter's best tool but one mastered by very few. He also examines the nature of fear and the sources of pain from a physiological perspective. The culture of the boxing gym plays a big role, too, as fighters support each other, trading tips, critiquing technique, and commiserating when things don't go well. (Then they get in the ring and try to clobber one another.) As his first fight approaches, Rosenblatt resorts to the time-honored tradition of abstinence, and he also must drop some weight, making him horny, hungry, and angry when he climbs into the ring. A very entertaining and informative chronicle of a quixotic journey of self-examination.--Wes Lukowsky Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In his erudite yet solipsistic memoir, former Fightland editor-in-chief Rosenblatt contemplates the impulses that brought a 33-year-old, self-proclaimed pacifist and dandy to the cage. After Rosenblatt realized that "part of me had always been attracted to the idea of fighting," he began studying Krav Maga, then Muay Thai, Brazilian jujitsu, and boxing until, seven years later, he entered his first mixed-martial-arts competition. As the date of his bout approached, Rosenblatt grappled with anxiety, self-doubt, and self-denial, and he offers musings on the mental and physical aspects of competing, including one on a moment he'd been dreading: the weigh-in a week before the fight, when, if he was over his target weight, he'd have to forfeit ("On the day of the weigh-in I consume nothing at all.... I run on the treadmill for twenty minutes somehow wringing from my dehydrated body a few last drips of sweat"). He also discusses histories of combat sports (until the late 18th century, "the jab was viewed skeptically by boxers... for being insufficiently masculine"). Rosenblatt can distract with internal monologues (as an Ashkenazi Jew, "shame is in the blood... the thought that my people didn't do enough to defend themselves, in Kishinev or Odessa or Auschwitz") rather than focus on his sparring partners, training, or coaches. Instances where his gaze does turn outward are vivid and entertaining but all too infrequent. Ultimately, Rosenblatt makes it hard for readers to care about his story, or perhaps even remember that he's training for a fight. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Taking stock of his life in his 30s, writer Rosenblatt avidly pursued mixed martial arts (MMA) in a futile attempt to escape the blandness and repetition of the everyday, and to escape from his pacifist existence. Immersing himself in MMA videos led to working out and sparring in various martial arts and, after almost a decade, the opportunity to fight in front of hundreds of spectators. In recounting his journey, Rosenblatt riffs on varied topics such as the brain/body connection in the face of fear, the effects of alcohol on the brain, and the relationship between sex and athletic performance. In the end, by flirting with death in the metal cage, he achieves the transcendent experience of feeling truly alive. VERDICT Some readers might agree most with the author's admission of self-absorption, and others might question observations such as Jesus submitting to the cross in search of a transformative experience, but Rosenblatt offers much food for thought in this intellectual memoir blending sports and self-transformation. [See Prepub Alert, 7/30/18.]-Jim Burns, formerly with Jacksonville P.L., FL © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
