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It was the best of traditions: every Friday evening, right
after work, Gordy’s dad gave Gordy boxing lessons. After
that, they’d eat dinner together and listen to the fights on
the local radio station. It was especially good when Joe
Louis was in the ring.
But then “times got hard,” people started talking about
Germany, and Gordy’s dad lost his job. The Friday night
tradition stopped for awhile, and Gordy’s mom had to take in
some tailoring to pay for the family’s groceries. One night,
when Mr. Rubinstein, whose family left Germany to escape the
Nazis, stopped to drop off the work, his son, Ira, came
along. That was when Gordy learned that other kids admired
Joe Lewis, too.
But Ira didn’t know the first thing about boxing! He didn’t
even know what “dukes” were, so Gordy had some teaching to
do. Every time Mr. Rubinstein dropped off some work for
Gordy’s mom, Gordy and Ira practiced boxing out in the
alley. Gordy taught Ira how to keep from getting hit too
hard and they had fun pretending. They even made up boxing
names for themselves.
Weeks later, that practice and pretend came in handy when a
real bully came after Ira. Gordy stepped into the fray
because he knew Joe Louis wouldn’t let Ira fight alone, but
hitting someone in anger made him sick.
Was that how Joe Louis felt?
That evening, Ira and his father came over to listen to Joe
Louis versus Max Schmeling on the radio. For years to come,
it would be called The Fight of the Century but in the end,
it wouldn’t last long: just a little over two minutes.
Its effect on two little boys, however, would last for many
years…
Considering all that’s happened in the recent past, A
Fist for Joe Louis and Me couldn’t be more timely.
Using as a backdrop an event that made history nearly 90
years ago, author Trinka Hakes Noble tells a story of a
young African-American boy and his friendship with a Jewish
boy. It’s a tale set during the Depression when
anti-Semitism and racism made poverty seem a little bit
sharper but Noble’s characters don’t complain; instead, they
face problems together, which leaves behind the idea that we
can find common ground and mutual interest, if we’re open to
them. That, and artwork by Nicole Tadgell, make it an
appealing message for any age.
This book is meant for grade schoolers but be sure to go
over the author’s note with your child, found at the end. It
adds meaning to the story inside A Fist for Joe Louis and
Me and it makes this a book your child will fight to
own.
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