The Sixteenth Round: From Number 1 Contender to Number 45472

Amazing and intimate book detailing Ruben Carter's up bringing, time and in juvi, his box ing career, and the prejudice and bigotry that landing him behind bars for a crime he did not commit. This was an American tragedy. And the fact Ruben came out of prison after his conviction was reversed with the heart and the mind that he did is a miracle.

Like The Autobiography of Malcolm X before it, I felt like I was being taken back in time, into the periods of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's childhood, his boxing career, his short stint in the military, and of course, his long and wrongful imprisonment. Although I have by now seen the movie with the brilliant Denzel Washington as Carter himself, reading the memoir provided a new and somewhat different experience. It saddens and frustrates me that the police and prison systems of Carter's time have not changed as much as they should have. However, I am so glad that Carter did not give an inch to those in authority, when they abused their authority. They had no idea who they were dealing with! I am also glad to know that Carter and Jon Artest, his fellow athlete are free and exonerated. But in the words of the enigmatic Q on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, the trial never ends.

This book and Eye of the Hurricane are must reads. The movie Hurricane is good, but does not do these books justice

Rarely does a person not addicted to alcohol or women write a book as great as this one. The author does a great job of making all the douche bag characters in this book pay for their fowl deeds. A third of the way through the book the author makes an important decision, he decides that instead of receiving another beating he is prepared to die in self-defense. When hurricane goes to Jamestown (juvenile detention) he gives great descriptions of the prison guards like Mr. Lightfoot, "a 33-year old man whose mother has protected him from the world." When he goes to the military, he describes the rest of the soldiers as "inexperienced children with no idea of how the world works."There is a reason Bob Dylan wrote a song about this guy, he truly is an old school character, prepared to die to defend others with less strength than himself. This is the 7th best book I have read in my life. The top 12 are:'Tis by Frank McCourtDays of Obligation : An Argument with My Mexican Father by Richard RodriguezMarching Powder : A True Story of Friendship and South America'sStrangest Jail by Thomas McFadden, Rusty YoungMoneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael LewisThe Closer We Are to Dying : A Memoir of Father and Family by Joe FioritoThe Sixteenth Round: From Number 1 Contender to Number 45472 by Rubin CarterScar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis, Larry SlomanThe Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream by Paulo CoelhoMakes Me Wanna Holler : A Young Black Man in America by Nathan McCallDown Under by Bill BrysonFirst Contact in Korea: A Native English Teacher's Journey into the Backwoods of South Korea by Brian Ward

Enjoyed this book every much, but was totally saddened by his anger and hate toward "the system", authority, and his family. Early in the book he remarks how his family was never short of food, housing, love between family memembers, but that his father was very strong-willed, and did use a belt, etc. But then who's parents didn't at that time; it was normal parenting techniques. He also said that he had numerous brothers and sister, many of who obtained advanced degrees, yet he was the only one who became a harden criminal. He leads you to believe he was completely a creature of his tough, criminal enviornment, but yet he then states how he really loved to fight, to case pain, to enforce his will on others. Yes, his incarceration for murder is a complete misapplication of justice, and his anger is expected and worthy, (luckly he was later able to get his verdict overturned. But he fails in his mind that where he finally ended up was because of his own poor decisions; his failure to obey rules and orders, and his complete unwilliness to have anyone tell him what to do. I enjoyed the book very much, but found myself feeling very sorry for the man, and yet at the same time being very angry at him because throughout the book fails to realize because of his poor choices and actions, he was his own worst enemy.

This story is such a good book. I am a boxer and had to choose a book to read for school and I picked this one. I hate reading but this book kept me actually reading it. The story is just so good and really opened my eyes to the injustice and racism towards black people in the 1930’s. The stuff Rubin went through as a kid is terrible. This book I would give a 10/10.

Bought the paperback. Thought it would be small but it's a nice size with larger print for these older eyes of mine.

I saw the movie "Hurricane" with Denzel Washington and was so moved by the film that I immediately went to my computer and purchased the book from Amazon. What I did not realize is that the book was far more powerful than the film! It offers the complete insights of what the correctional facilities are like in a dog-eat-dog nightmare that Rubin Carter endured for most of his adult life.The courage and ferocity of this man is unrivaled and I could not put the book down. Carter is a testimony to what "the system" can do to a man and yet he overcame insurmountable odds in the face of bigotry and hatred. He is a legend, an unsung hero and a man that faces life and its challenges with a tenacity few in society could endure. This book will change your perceptions in many, many ways. I strongly advocate it!

I remember reading this book and wondering how he could get through it. Than I met the man and began to understand the book a bit better.

As described good quality and arrived on time.

En general me gusta mucho.

Un excelente libro sobra la transformación de un hombre y su vida. Ven la película de Huracán con Denzel Washington

Oggetto arrivato prima di quanto ci aspettassimo, spedizione / confezionamento pacco ottimale.Ora non resta che da leggerlo ed in inglese non sarà una passeggiata . Molte parole mi appaiono in "slang" vd dedica .. , o comunque di un inglese parlato , quasi da strada .. ; lo lascerò da leggere a mia figlia .Sono comunque entusiasta per avere un libro scritto da un vero uomo libero da esempio per tutti coloro che sono meno forti di lui .