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The Boxer
Told over the course of the ten rounds of his first fight, this is the story of amateur boxer Sunny. A seventeen-year-old feeling isolated and disconnected in the city he's just moved to, Sunny joins a boxing club to learn to protect himself after a racist attack. He finds the community he's been desperately seeking at the club, and a mentor in trainer Shona, who helps him find his place in the world. But racial tensions are rising in the city, and when a Far Right march through Bristol turns violent, Sunny is faced with losing his new best friend Keir to radicalisation.
A gripping, life-affirming YA novel about friendship, radicalisation and finding where you belong.
A gripping, life-affirming YA novel about friendship, radicalisation and finding where you belong.
272 pages, Paperback
First published June 13, 2019
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598 people want to read
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August 23, 2020Oh this was very good indeed. Engaging, angry story of a rather innocent, quiet Indian boy who gets beaten up in a racist attack and takes up boxing. His friendship with another boxer who becomes radicalised as a racist is really well done, and the whole story is told in between rounds of their climactic fight. It's terrifically involving, especially in showing us how Keir the white boy got to the pass he did without over-sympathising--we all have choices. Very well written, showing the flaws in all sorts of stances and the impossibility of one simple right/wrong dichotomy, and the boxing scenes are crackingly good.
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March 15, 2019The Boxer is a powerful YA contemporary about seventeen-year-old Sunny, who starts learning to box after a racist attack. Set in Bristol, the narrative cuts between the past, in the days immediately preceding and following the attack, and the present, where Sunny is taking part in his first fight after months of training with his new mentor, Shobu. Over ten rounds in the ring, we see his self-doubt, his determination, his fear, his courage, and his pain as he begins to lose his best friend to far-right radicalisation.
This is a compelling and important new read by a much-loved author. Much as I love books about London, I appreciate that Nikesh Shukla explores a different city in this book, as we don’t see enough of the rest of Britain in YA.
Make sure you pick this up in June. You’re going to love Sunny – he’s such a realistically complex and sympathetic protagonist – and you’ll be cheering yourself hoarse for him long before you’ve turned the final page.
This is a compelling and important new read by a much-loved author. Much as I love books about London, I appreciate that Nikesh Shukla explores a different city in this book, as we don’t see enough of the rest of Britain in YA.
Make sure you pick this up in June. You’re going to love Sunny – he’s such a realistically complex and sympathetic protagonist – and you’ll be cheering yourself hoarse for him long before you’ve turned the final page.
March 17, 2020
When Sunny suffers a brutal racist attack at a train station, he finally finds the community he’s been seeking in Easton’s Gym, where he learns to box and fight to be seen human again.
When racial tensions rise in the city and a Far Right march turns violent, Sunny is forced to make the hardest choice of all.
Featuring friendship dynamics, family relationships, racial slurs, far-right radicalisation, and the power to fight for what you feel is right and what truly matters in life, this YA story set over ten rounds of boxing is an interesting, powerful and motivational read for all ages. Although there is some violence and racial abuse, everything is handled with diplomacy but still manages to convey the genuine feelings of teenagers living in an ethnic society and how relationships suffer due to peer pressure and attitudes.
3.5 stars for “The Boxer” by author Nikesh Shukla
When racial tensions rise in the city and a Far Right march turns violent, Sunny is forced to make the hardest choice of all.
Featuring friendship dynamics, family relationships, racial slurs, far-right radicalisation, and the power to fight for what you feel is right and what truly matters in life, this YA story set over ten rounds of boxing is an interesting, powerful and motivational read for all ages. Although there is some violence and racial abuse, everything is handled with diplomacy but still manages to convey the genuine feelings of teenagers living in an ethnic society and how relationships suffer due to peer pressure and attitudes.
3.5 stars for “The Boxer” by author Nikesh Shukla
September 20, 2020
The Boxer, while it is a about a novice boxer, could have more accurately been titled The Anti-Racist.
And it really is not a Young Adult novel, save that its lead character Sunny is an 18-year-old, gay male. His sexual preference is as insignificant to the plot as the color of his eyes, which I can't recall being mentioned. Sunny could be in love with his straight boxing mate Keir, but their affection is more likely due to the bonds of friendship in the lonely-ass, angry, working-class city of Bristol, England, currently in the throes of anti-immigrant fever.
Not a coming out novel or even a coming-of-age yarn, this is more of a growing-into-one's-self story about one bristly London transport, who stumbles into a gym after being violently attacked for his brown complexion.
Boxing is the vehicle that allows Sunny to occupy his space. Helping him grow into that place are some pretty amazing adults linked to the Easton Boxing Gym. The narrative is ringed by 9 rounds of a boxing match, which begin and end each chapter, effectively keeping us ringside during the backstory.
My one caveat is that Sunny can be one annoying hero, headstrong in perilous places where he shouldn't be anywhere near, paralyzed in others. Nothing that boxing can't fix!
And it really is not a Young Adult novel, save that its lead character Sunny is an 18-year-old, gay male. His sexual preference is as insignificant to the plot as the color of his eyes, which I can't recall being mentioned. Sunny could be in love with his straight boxing mate Keir, but their affection is more likely due to the bonds of friendship in the lonely-ass, angry, working-class city of Bristol, England, currently in the throes of anti-immigrant fever.
Not a coming out novel or even a coming-of-age yarn, this is more of a growing-into-one's-self story about one bristly London transport, who stumbles into a gym after being violently attacked for his brown complexion.
Boxing is the vehicle that allows Sunny to occupy his space. Helping him grow into that place are some pretty amazing adults linked to the Easton Boxing Gym. The narrative is ringed by 9 rounds of a boxing match, which begin and end each chapter, effectively keeping us ringside during the backstory.
My one caveat is that Sunny can be one annoying hero, headstrong in perilous places where he shouldn't be anywhere near, paralyzed in others. Nothing that boxing can't fix!
February 16, 2022
I got this from my library as part of a 'Blind Date with a Book' challenge and I did not expect to like it as much as i did!
The main character Sunny gets great character development and the boxing scenes are super well written. Added bonus is that HE'S BROWN! so i could relate a lot to the culture and the way he felt in certain scenarios. It tackles racism pretty well and is pretty enjoyable overall.
The main character Sunny gets great character development and the boxing scenes are super well written. Added bonus is that HE'S BROWN! so i could relate a lot to the culture and the way he felt in certain scenarios. It tackles racism pretty well and is pretty enjoyable overall.
January 29, 2022
On my blog.
Actual rating 2.5
Rep: Gujarati mcs, gay mc
CWs: racist violence and slurs
Galley provided by publisher
Sometimes your rating for a book depends more on how much you’re in the mood for a particular book than the book itself, and I definitely feel like that’s partly what happened here. For some reason, I was just not in the right frame of mind to read this one and that probably did have a bit of an impact on how much I enjoyed it. But don’t get me wrong – I did still like this book. I could have liked it more, is what I’m saying.
The Boxer is about Sunny, who is the subject of a racist attack while waiting for the train. At the suggestion of a friendly taxi driver, Surinder, Sunny decides to join a boxing club. Here, he meets Shobu, a former professional boxer who becomes his mentor, and Keir, another youth boxer. Sunny and Keir strike up a quick friendship, but things start turning sour as tensions rise in Bristol and Sunny starts to lose Keir to radicalisation.
If there’s one thing in books that really gets me sad, it’s the falling apart of friendships. Even for absolutely valid reasons like here. So, obviously, this book made me sad. Which, I guess, is testament to Nikesh Shukla’s writing and character development. I knew from the start that Keir would go down the route that he did (it’s pretty well-signposted, even with the blurb telling you), and yet I still found myself sad on Sunny’s behalf that he was losing a friend in this way, even as he built a family around himself.
Also testament to the character development is that I felt genuinely nervous for Sunny at certain points in the book. (To be fair, at least one of those was because he was doing a stupid thing, even if it was for someone he thought could still be a friend.) Which meant, at times, I was reluctant to read it almost, because I didn’t want to have my heart broken like that.
All this makes it sound like I could definitely have rated this higher than I did, but I think what I struggled with at times was the writing style. I can be fairly particular about writing styles, especially ones I like, and there were just a few too many times where it felt a little clunky to me. I got used to it eventually – I definitely noticed less clunkiness as the book went on – but that early feeling of not really liking the writing stuck with me.
Writing aside, though, this was probably a case of right book at the wrong time for me. So, although I liked it, I could have liked it more.
Actual rating 2.5
Rep: Gujarati mcs, gay mc
CWs: racist violence and slurs
Galley provided by publisher
Sometimes your rating for a book depends more on how much you’re in the mood for a particular book than the book itself, and I definitely feel like that’s partly what happened here. For some reason, I was just not in the right frame of mind to read this one and that probably did have a bit of an impact on how much I enjoyed it. But don’t get me wrong – I did still like this book. I could have liked it more, is what I’m saying.
The Boxer is about Sunny, who is the subject of a racist attack while waiting for the train. At the suggestion of a friendly taxi driver, Surinder, Sunny decides to join a boxing club. Here, he meets Shobu, a former professional boxer who becomes his mentor, and Keir, another youth boxer. Sunny and Keir strike up a quick friendship, but things start turning sour as tensions rise in Bristol and Sunny starts to lose Keir to radicalisation.
If there’s one thing in books that really gets me sad, it’s the falling apart of friendships. Even for absolutely valid reasons like here. So, obviously, this book made me sad. Which, I guess, is testament to Nikesh Shukla’s writing and character development. I knew from the start that Keir would go down the route that he did (it’s pretty well-signposted, even with the blurb telling you), and yet I still found myself sad on Sunny’s behalf that he was losing a friend in this way, even as he built a family around himself.
Also testament to the character development is that I felt genuinely nervous for Sunny at certain points in the book. (To be fair, at least one of those was because he was doing a stupid thing, even if it was for someone he thought could still be a friend.) Which meant, at times, I was reluctant to read it almost, because I didn’t want to have my heart broken like that.
All this makes it sound like I could definitely have rated this higher than I did, but I think what I struggled with at times was the writing style. I can be fairly particular about writing styles, especially ones I like, and there were just a few too many times where it felt a little clunky to me. I got used to it eventually – I definitely noticed less clunkiness as the book went on – but that early feeling of not really liking the writing stuck with me.
Writing aside, though, this was probably a case of right book at the wrong time for me. So, although I liked it, I could have liked it more.
March 31, 2020
Though an interesting read, I felt that it got a bit dramatic at times especially when it came to Sunny and his feelings about being attacked. He also behaved as if he was in Year 9, rather than Year 12 and on his way to uni, when he dealt with the people around him throughout the novel.
June 5, 2020
Packed a punch! (Forgive the pun...)
Though I was unsure in the opening pages that this was going to live up to the hype of reviews online, the book quickly manifested as one that had a lot of important ideas to comment on and presented with a character to invest in. With Sunil's plight and trauma, readers are drawn into a vividly drawn world of the teen, his peers, friends, family; alongside the boxing gym, busy protests, a home and a school. All relatable, and all used in unique ways for Shukla to explore the intensity of living as a Hindu teen in the racially aggravated climes of Bristol.
There is something about the story told that feels both seemingly archaic in the ideas it presents...yet devastatingly current in the manifestation of the modern racial climate forcing readers to acknowledge and realise, more than once, the inherent racism still alive and well in the contemporary society we all inhabit.
Powerful, moving and thoroughly important in the YA cannon. Read it.
Though I was unsure in the opening pages that this was going to live up to the hype of reviews online, the book quickly manifested as one that had a lot of important ideas to comment on and presented with a character to invest in. With Sunil's plight and trauma, readers are drawn into a vividly drawn world of the teen, his peers, friends, family; alongside the boxing gym, busy protests, a home and a school. All relatable, and all used in unique ways for Shukla to explore the intensity of living as a Hindu teen in the racially aggravated climes of Bristol.
There is something about the story told that feels both seemingly archaic in the ideas it presents...yet devastatingly current in the manifestation of the modern racial climate forcing readers to acknowledge and realise, more than once, the inherent racism still alive and well in the contemporary society we all inhabit.
Powerful, moving and thoroughly important in the YA cannon. Read it.
July 20, 2020
An engaging story which could spark an interesting discussion about being a bystander to racism, the dangers of stereotyping and how easy it is to become radicalised. However, at times it was a little too simplistic in its presentation of these issues for me (especially given the violence means I’d recommend it for age 14+ who I think could handle some more complexity). Still, it could be a good ‘way in’ for teens to begin to explore such issues.
June 27, 2019
A full review can be found on my blog, Headscarves and Hardbacks!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review!
This is a powerful and timely UKYA novel about racially-motivated hate crime, far-right radicalisation and boxing. Set in Bristol, the narrative alternates between the past and present and follows seventeen-year-old Sunny on his journey to recovery after a racist attack on a train platform leads him to take up boxing as per the recommendation of a friendly taxi driver.
Told over the course of ten rounds of his first official fight, the story first and foremost tackles common misconceptions that many of us, including Sunny, have about boxing. I really enjoyed learning more about the sport through the discussion on how it’s not at all about hurting each other in the ring but about taking up space – which is quite ironic as Sunny is a quiet kid who would much rather not be seen but struggles to blend in or hide because of his skin colour.
I also loved that this novel took us outside of London because it delivers a powerful reminder that Britain, as a whole, has a problem with race, no matter how much we try to ignore it or pretend that we live in progressive areas that are far more accepting than the capital. Through the unravelling of Sunny’s short friendship with Keir, who is lost to radicalisation after racial tensions begin to rise, we are forced to accept that, when the time comes to pick a side, it’s always going to be about race.
Nevertheless, it’s Sunny’s courage and determination that is the true highlight of this novel. It’s about having the strength to keep on fighting for his friend as well as the strength to keep on fighting with his friend. But, ultimately, it’s about knowing what’s actually worth fighting for and finding that strength to walk away.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review!
This is a powerful and timely UKYA novel about racially-motivated hate crime, far-right radicalisation and boxing. Set in Bristol, the narrative alternates between the past and present and follows seventeen-year-old Sunny on his journey to recovery after a racist attack on a train platform leads him to take up boxing as per the recommendation of a friendly taxi driver.
Told over the course of ten rounds of his first official fight, the story first and foremost tackles common misconceptions that many of us, including Sunny, have about boxing. I really enjoyed learning more about the sport through the discussion on how it’s not at all about hurting each other in the ring but about taking up space – which is quite ironic as Sunny is a quiet kid who would much rather not be seen but struggles to blend in or hide because of his skin colour.
I also loved that this novel took us outside of London because it delivers a powerful reminder that Britain, as a whole, has a problem with race, no matter how much we try to ignore it or pretend that we live in progressive areas that are far more accepting than the capital. Through the unravelling of Sunny’s short friendship with Keir, who is lost to radicalisation after racial tensions begin to rise, we are forced to accept that, when the time comes to pick a side, it’s always going to be about race.
Nevertheless, it’s Sunny’s courage and determination that is the true highlight of this novel. It’s about having the strength to keep on fighting for his friend as well as the strength to keep on fighting with his friend. But, ultimately, it’s about knowing what’s actually worth fighting for and finding that strength to walk away.
May 4, 2019
For a book about boxing and racism, this lacked a punch. I think it's just a style thing; I felt the same about Shukla's debut too. I never really connected to Sunny - his narrative felt a bit distant and lacked heart, and at times he was annoying.
January 2, 2022
A great book that doesn't shy away from the atrocious racism prevalent within today's society. Brilliant for teaching kids about it as the language is realistic bit age appropriate
June 13, 2022
An insightful and educational look on racism
November 12, 2019
More like 3.5 stars
Not going to lie, at first I did not like this book. It unfortunately was one of those books that gets better as it develops further. I would recommend sticking with it though, as it is not a bad book.
My main complaint with The Boxer is that it is incredibly hard to connect to the main character. Apart from boxing, you never get an insight into what his other interests are. There is a slight hint at the fact he may like comics, but they are used as more of a prop. You also never find out what he studies at college, and if you do, it isn't memorable. He has one friend to begin with, which is fine, but Madhu barley makes an appearance at the end of the book. Sunny's relationship with other characters falls flat, unfortunately.
However, this book does redeem itself in the fact I personally really enjoyed it towards the end. I know next to nothing about boxing, nor have any interest in it but I still found it entertaining. Sunny's character arc is fairly good. I would suggest this as a book to read when you have no others you desperately want to. it's okay, but not *that* okay.
Slight spoilers!
Sunny's relationship with Keir is also undeniably forced. they hang out, what, twice? Then he is suddenly Sunny's best friend. It all happens very quickly. I guess the reason for this is because the book is fairly short, but I don't think it would do any harm to have it a little longer in detail.
It is also incredibly hard to believe Sunny is in college. he has the mindset and maturity of a 14 year old at best. What college age teen does not know how to make toast? This may also be because we never know if he is ding well in college, until the end when he gets kicked out, but that is nothing to do with academics.
I also unfortunately feel like Sunny's whole character is a sob story. An Asian, gay kid living in central Bristol with a dying dad, subjected to a racist attack. Sadly what he experiences is not unusual, but it just feels like the author is wanting to make you feel so sorry for Sunny it gets a little annoying. Also, the fact he is gay plays absolutely no part in the book, which is both a good and a bad thing. It's great as nearly all the books with LGBT main characters are about just that, whereas this particular book makes it no big deal. It also happens t add absolutely nothing to the story. I could've read this entire book without knowing that he was gay and it would have made no difference to the story line. I guess that's how it is supposed to be. Sunny however has no love interest, or a possible one at that. It just seems... out of place?
Overall, if this is your thing, totally give it a go. I enjoyed reading this book despite any complaints.
Not going to lie, at first I did not like this book. It unfortunately was one of those books that gets better as it develops further. I would recommend sticking with it though, as it is not a bad book.
My main complaint with The Boxer is that it is incredibly hard to connect to the main character. Apart from boxing, you never get an insight into what his other interests are. There is a slight hint at the fact he may like comics, but they are used as more of a prop. You also never find out what he studies at college, and if you do, it isn't memorable. He has one friend to begin with, which is fine, but Madhu barley makes an appearance at the end of the book. Sunny's relationship with other characters falls flat, unfortunately.
However, this book does redeem itself in the fact I personally really enjoyed it towards the end. I know next to nothing about boxing, nor have any interest in it but I still found it entertaining. Sunny's character arc is fairly good. I would suggest this as a book to read when you have no others you desperately want to. it's okay, but not *that* okay.
Slight spoilers!
Sunny's relationship with Keir is also undeniably forced. they hang out, what, twice? Then he is suddenly Sunny's best friend. It all happens very quickly. I guess the reason for this is because the book is fairly short, but I don't think it would do any harm to have it a little longer in detail.
It is also incredibly hard to believe Sunny is in college. he has the mindset and maturity of a 14 year old at best. What college age teen does not know how to make toast? This may also be because we never know if he is ding well in college, until the end when he gets kicked out, but that is nothing to do with academics.
I also unfortunately feel like Sunny's whole character is a sob story. An Asian, gay kid living in central Bristol with a dying dad, subjected to a racist attack. Sadly what he experiences is not unusual, but it just feels like the author is wanting to make you feel so sorry for Sunny it gets a little annoying. Also, the fact he is gay plays absolutely no part in the book, which is both a good and a bad thing. It's great as nearly all the books with LGBT main characters are about just that, whereas this particular book makes it no big deal. It also happens t add absolutely nothing to the story. I could've read this entire book without knowing that he was gay and it would have made no difference to the story line. I guess that's how it is supposed to be. Sunny however has no love interest, or a possible one at that. It just seems... out of place?
Overall, if this is your thing, totally give it a go. I enjoyed reading this book despite any complaints.
July 15, 2019
This second YA novel from UK author Nikesh Shukla stems from the author’s own experience of a racist incident on the last train home to Bristol. He tweeted “Shook by the incident and how easily things can go wrong, I thought about why I didn't just get up and move carriages, why I shrank. I wanted to own space. And also learn to defend myself.” This led the author to boxing classes and to writing The Boxer. His main character Sunny reflects this experience. Already feeling dislocated in his new community after he has moved with his mother from his family home in London to Bristol to be near his terminally ill father, Sunny is the victim of a racially motivated attack that leaves him physically and mentally scarred. An encounter with a friendly taxi driver leads him to a boxing community where he learns not only how to defend himself but also some lessons about strength and friendship. The story evolves over the course of ten chapters, contrasting the ten rounds of the match between Sunny and his former friend Keir, and through flashbacks of the events that led them to this point. Through the flashbacks the reader sees through Sunny’s eyes his frustration at his father, his humiliation at his perceived weaknesses, his preconceived ideas of boxing and his horror at the far-right radicalisation of his friend. This is a very powerful story about a very topical issue of race relations and the rise of far-right conservatism and violence. It is also an affirming story of a young boy discovering his own strengths and ultimately discovering what is worth fighting for in life. Highly recommended.
Suitable for 15+ racially motivated violence, boxing, strategy, family, friendship, courage, moral decisions, identity, self-esteem
Suitable for 15+ racially motivated violence, boxing, strategy, family, friendship, courage, moral decisions, identity, self-esteem
July 7, 2019
Most of the YA I read tends to be American so I've recently really appreciated Nikesh Shukla's YA books addressing the political realities of life in English cities for young people of colour. His last YA book Run, Riot was a thriller that dealt with police brutality, gentrification and corruption, while his new book The Boxer explores the impact of white nationalism and far-right radicalisation.
The Boxer's protagonist Sunny is victim of a violent racist attack and starts boxing training as a way of managing the trauma. At the gym he makes friends with Keir whose family are involved in white nationalism, but Sunny desperately wants to believe that Keir is different from them. I felt for Sunny so much reading The Boxer, he went through so much but in a way that felt realistic. He's new to Bristol after moving so his dad can receive specialised hospice treatment for terminal cancer, and ends up feeling the full impact of racism from everyone from well meaning white teachers trying to rescue him to violent thugs.
The Boxer was interesting to read right after Thomas Page McBee's Amateur, with Sunny's gym written as a place of solidarity and support for people of colour. I liked that Sunny was gay but this wasn't made a big issue of, and that his Olympian boxing trainer was a woman. I also really liked the ending which I don't want to spoil!
In the current climate of anti-immigration rhetoric and with the far-right on the rise I'd love to see books like The Boxer that confront the violent consequences of these politics in every school library.
The Boxer's protagonist Sunny is victim of a violent racist attack and starts boxing training as a way of managing the trauma. At the gym he makes friends with Keir whose family are involved in white nationalism, but Sunny desperately wants to believe that Keir is different from them. I felt for Sunny so much reading The Boxer, he went through so much but in a way that felt realistic. He's new to Bristol after moving so his dad can receive specialised hospice treatment for terminal cancer, and ends up feeling the full impact of racism from everyone from well meaning white teachers trying to rescue him to violent thugs.
The Boxer was interesting to read right after Thomas Page McBee's Amateur, with Sunny's gym written as a place of solidarity and support for people of colour. I liked that Sunny was gay but this wasn't made a big issue of, and that his Olympian boxing trainer was a woman. I also really liked the ending which I don't want to spoil!
In the current climate of anti-immigration rhetoric and with the far-right on the rise I'd love to see books like The Boxer that confront the violent consequences of these politics in every school library.
May 12, 2021
The boxer was a compelling and inspiring read that I would recommended to everyone! It followed the story of a teen, named Sunny, who unfortunately faced discrimination and racism because of his colour. Sunny eventually seeks content at a boxing gym and this is where the story really escalates; Sunny expresses his self through the art of boxing and manages to break free from stereotypes. This book really opened my eyes to the racism that still exists in our modern day society. The story line was so evocative and enticing that I couldn't put the book down. I loved the flashbacks and how we could see the change and progression in Sunny's character throughout the story: Sunny goes from timid and afraid to confident and proud of his own abilities and who he is as a person. This book was an amazing read that I'm sure many others will be inspired by and will definitely enjoy!
July 29, 2022
A riveting read from beginning to end. Don't worry you don't have to be a keen boxer or know all the terminology to enjoy this book. Tells an all too familiar tale of modern society but in a refreshing way. We go through the fight in real time, round by round, but interspersed between rounds is the story of Sunny and what has brought to this moment in time-all very meta! Reminded me of Jason Reynolds and how he also used real time to be reflective of past events in Long Way Down. Ending is cleverly crafted and all the more powerful for it. The words of the author say it all really " Racism is bad folks. Really bad. It's 2019 and I shouldn't have to be telling you this. But we live in the times we live in, it sadly bears repeating." ...and repeating and repeating and repeating...
August 15, 2020
I find the concept of the book very intresting and especially important right now, but very dragged out. Him telling himself that its his fault all the time got so boring that i only found the little bits of the final match intriguing. (Sunny behaves like hes 14 at times and it gets a bit annoying) The ending was very unsatisfying and I loved Keirs character and I think he could've been so much more than he was at the end. But all the characters were really realistic to day to day life! Still, ending was super unsatisfying and i skipped a few pages because i was so bored. I'd suggest to read a different book.
June 24, 2020
Terrific story, based in incidents in Nikesh's own life. This is a writer I am certainly going to look out for and recommend at school. Very pertinent subject, looking at the huge impact a racist attack has on a teenage boy and how they managed to overcome the feeling they were to blame. All tied up with a friendship with a boy from an extremely racist family, who eventually fails to extract himself from these close family ties. The whole story is intersected with a boxing fight, which the rest of the story moves towards, between the two boys. A great cast of characters too.
August 19, 2020
I found this something of a surprise in that I was expecting it to be a good book, but I wasn't expecting to love it so much! I found this a powerful story of identity and racism enhanced by some great characters and a well structured plot. I found the way both Sunny and Keir interacted was both convincing and frustrating. There were points you could see that things could have been different but also how hard some things are to understand and confront. There's a lot going on but it's very well handled and I really enjoyed it.
August 25, 2019
Nikesh Shukla’s contemporary YA novel is an interesting look at racism and how boxing can give a person discipline, confidence and self-respect but while it’s interesting to have a book look at white extremist radicalisation, Keir’s character and motivation is underdeveloped, as is his friendship with Sunny and I never bought into why Sunny wanted to save him, which is a shame because there’s a lot that’s good about this book and it’s worth a look.
September 16, 2019
This really captured the feeling of what it's like to be a minority ethnicity in the UK right now, to sometimes feel like you're surrounded by people who want to make you feel unwelcome and singled out, who don't want to understand you.
As bad as it is, the parts about the march were so believable - if I opened BBC news and saw a news story about a real march like that, I wouldn't be surprised.
As bad as it is, the parts about the march were so believable - if I opened BBC news and saw a news story about a real march like that, I wouldn't be surprised.
December 22, 2019
This is the story of Sunny, based on the author's own experiences. Sunny is beaten up by random strangers in a racist attack. This is the story of the aftermath, his mental health, his new friends and family. Interwoven with his story is a boxing match from the future between Keir and Sunny, supposedly friends at the start but the reader soon learns this may not be the case in the futures. It's raw, and shocking, and unbelievably still relevant today.
February 28, 2022
This book was a real emotional journey. This book had everything, an emotional event portrayed in a realistic way that didn't feel too overdramatized but reminded the reader that these events do happen and the effect it has on the victim, there was also a lot of character development which ultimately led to an unexpected but appreciated ending. I read this as part of my book club and it allowed for a range of different conversations to be had. Really good book and a short read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2022
An amazing book carrying a powerful message, the Boxer is one of the most relevant books I’ve read this year. The character development of Sunny over the course of the book, from a small boy racially abused and beaten, blaming himself, to one that stops to make a stand, to belong, to own his space and say, ‘I’m here. You got a problem with that?’ I recommend this book to all ages,genders and races. Such a powerful and inspiring book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2019
Deals with racism in UK, from a teenage boys perspective. He gets beaten up on the way home from school, the book takes you on his journey from self hate, hiding his new found passion from his parents and overcoming a racist who started out as a friend. I enjoyed how it got be to consider my beliefs and stereotypes. A good book for a young adult trying to find their way.
June 1, 2020
Empowering and debilitating ...
This book allows the reader to observe the everyday struggles of British teens from different backgrounds and based on differing perspectives. It's simple but powerful. The characters are relatable and the story is both shockingly sad and empowering. A must read.
This book allows the reader to observe the everyday struggles of British teens from different backgrounds and based on differing perspectives. It's simple but powerful. The characters are relatable and the story is both shockingly sad and empowering. A must read.
February 25, 2021
The narrator Sunny turns accidentally to boxing to protect himself after a racist attack. The story unfolds as does the climatic ten round fight alternately throughout. Sunny finds confidence in the family and community he has shut himself away from in tense circumstances. A beautiful though at times quite brutal story.
March 17, 2020
A great YA novel about racism! But most importantly about the way one can react to it. We can let it destroy us, we can become angry and violent, or we can stand up and say "enough".
Hard lesson, beautiful book.
Hard lesson, beautiful book.
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