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A Bittersweet Science
A Bittersweet Science provides an epic look into the world of big-time boxing from the perspectives of the many individuals who make up this frequently brutal yet often entrancing sport. From the exploited fighters who bleed for pay to the scurrilous promoters and slick young television executives who make the backroom deals to the sardonic journalists who are there to record it all with a jaded eye, it’s an insight into a world most will never know. More than just a boxing story, A Bittersweet Science examines the profound question of whether the ends really do justify the means in a world without objective morality.
It’s the story of “Action” Jackson Hayes, the unbeatable but volatile heavyweight champion who’s suspended from the sport because he’s just too violent and then decides to make his vacation permanent when he discovers Jesus. Enter promoter extraordinaire Abraham “Abby” Lincoln. A former 1960s student protest leader turned used car entrepreneur turned boxing mega promoter known for his tie-dye tuxedos and love of Machiavelli, Lincoln needs to appease his money men by bringing some excitement back to a moribund heavyweight division. With the aid of charismatic televangelist Antonio Harper, he lures Hayes out of retirement for a multi-million dollar showdown with young Tommy O’Callahan. That O’Callahan can’t fight very well is negated by the fact he just happens to be a white heavyweight... and his family has a bitter personal history with Hayes.
Caught in the intersection of it all is brilliant but discontent sports columnist David Goldman, whose disillusion with the amorality of the people he’s tasked to write about is mirrored by his own marital woes. But when events take an unexpected turn, Goldman finds himself thrust into the middle of a legal firestorm as both Lincoln and Hayes wind up in court facing off against ambitious prosecutor, Michael Bratkowski. Bratkowski is determined to make a name for himself with this year’s version of the trial of the century. The real fight has just begun but Abby Lincoln is determined to score a knockout over all his foes, even if it means sacrificing his favorite son, Jackson Hayes.
It’s the story of “Action” Jackson Hayes, the unbeatable but volatile heavyweight champion who’s suspended from the sport because he’s just too violent and then decides to make his vacation permanent when he discovers Jesus. Enter promoter extraordinaire Abraham “Abby” Lincoln. A former 1960s student protest leader turned used car entrepreneur turned boxing mega promoter known for his tie-dye tuxedos and love of Machiavelli, Lincoln needs to appease his money men by bringing some excitement back to a moribund heavyweight division. With the aid of charismatic televangelist Antonio Harper, he lures Hayes out of retirement for a multi-million dollar showdown with young Tommy O’Callahan. That O’Callahan can’t fight very well is negated by the fact he just happens to be a white heavyweight... and his family has a bitter personal history with Hayes.
Caught in the intersection of it all is brilliant but discontent sports columnist David Goldman, whose disillusion with the amorality of the people he’s tasked to write about is mirrored by his own marital woes. But when events take an unexpected turn, Goldman finds himself thrust into the middle of a legal firestorm as both Lincoln and Hayes wind up in court facing off against ambitious prosecutor, Michael Bratkowski. Bratkowski is determined to make a name for himself with this year’s version of the trial of the century. The real fight has just begun but Abby Lincoln is determined to score a knockout over all his foes, even if it means sacrificing his favorite son, Jackson Hayes.
805 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 15, 2012
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