The Chief

The Contender #3

by Robert Lipsyte

Sonny Bear, the Tomahawk Kid, has a championship left hook. But his boxing career's going nowhere, and he's ready to hang it up. Then his manager, tough ex-cop Alfred Brooks, and his "writer," college boy Martin Malcolm Witherspoon, scheme Sonny into a glitzy Las Vegas match. Suddenly he's everybody's darling and headed for Hollywood stardom. But fame isn't all it's cracked up to be, and Sonny needs to make the fight of his life to decide where he really belongs.

Genres: Sports, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Literature

226 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Aidan Perry]

I Think overall this was a very good book. I think it caught right up too where they left off in the first book. Many of the characters are written grealty. Sonny in my opion is the best written character in the book. With Marty at a close second. This book was mostly about Marty Sonnys friend and a writer in college. But also about our other main character Sonny the boxer and running brave. My favorite phrase/line in the book is "We could go to Vegas and do the Muhamed Ali number." This is my favorite phrase in the book. Because it just describes what they did in Vegas so well. They really did the "Muhamed Ali number". They went their and got exactly what they wanted.I thought the pace of this book was great. I feel that it never really dragged or had and super dry spots only maybe a couple times but not at all really. Paced greatly and reads smooth. The only pro/con I could have too this book was add more boxing scenes the ones that are in it are very good but I feel this book could excell more with maybe a couple more fights.

[Joseph Renicker]

How​ ​far​ ​would​ ​someone​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​their​ ​families​ ​history​ ​remembered?​​ ​The​ ​main​ ​character​ ​of​ ​the​ ​book​ ​​The​ ​Chief eventually​ ​has​ ​to​ ​ask​ ​himself​ ​this​ ​question.​ ​​The​ ​Chief​​ ​fits​ ​into​ ​the​ ​realistic​ ​fiction​ ​and​ ​sports genre​ ​category.​ ​The​ ​book​ ​takes​ ​place​ ​mostly​ ​in​ ​modern​ ​day​ ​New​ ​York.​ ​The​ ​conflicts​ ​in​ ​this
book​ ​are​ ​in​ ​and​ ​outside​ ​of​ ​the​ ​characters​ ​and​ ​could​ ​happen​ ​in​ ​real​ ​life.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​set​ ​around​ ​a​ ​boxer
trying​ ​to​ ​make​ ​a​ ​name​ ​for​ ​himself​ ​in​ ​the​ ​big​ ​leagues,​ ​and​ ​his​ ​writer,​ ​who​ ​is​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​graduate
from​ ​college​ ​and​ ​publish​ ​his​ ​book.​ ​The​ ​book​ ​was​ ​very​ ​enjoyable​ ​and​ ​fun​ ​to​ ​read.

There​ ​are​ ​two​ ​main​ ​characters​ ​in​ ​​The​ ​Chief​:​ ​Sonny​ ​Bear,​ ​a​ ​boxer​ ​who​ ​grinds​ ​to​ ​make​ ​it​ ​to​ ​the
top​ ​and​ ​to​ ​be​ ​the​ ​world​ ​lightweight​ ​boxing​ ​champion,​ ​and​ ​Martin​ ​Witherspoon,​ ​the​ ​person​ ​writing
the​ ​story​ ​and​ ​writing​ ​about​ ​all​ ​the​ ​things​ ​that​ ​Sonny​ ​has​ ​accomplished.​ ​The​ ​book​ ​is​ ​narrated​ ​by
Martin,​ ​the​ ​main​ ​character.​ ​The​ ​characters​ ​in​ ​this​ ​story​ ​were​ ​very​ ​interesting​ ​and​ ​diverse.
Sonny​ ​is​ ​an​ ​Indian​ ​boxer​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Moscondaga​ ​tribe,​ ​who​ ​is​ ​the​ ​last​ ​of​ ​his​ ​kind​ ​known​ ​as​ ​the
Running​ ​Braves.​ ​He​ ​is​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​his​ ​native​ ​land​ ​clean​ ​of​ ​casinos​ ​which​ ​are​ ​being​ ​planned​ ​to
be​ ​built​ ​there.​ ​Martin,his​ ​friend​ ​and​ ​writer,​ ​is​ ​an​ ​African​ ​American​ ​college​ ​student​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​pass
his​ ​writing​ ​class​ ​and​ ​write​ ​a​ ​book​ ​about​ ​the​ ​rise​ ​of​ ​Sonny.

I​ ​give​ ​this​ ​book​ ​four​ ​stars​ ​out​ ​of​ ​five.​ ​The​ ​author​ ​did​ ​a​ ​good​ ​job​ ​developing​ ​the​ ​characters
and​ ​the​ ​story.​ ​I​ ​really​ ​enjoyed​ ​it,​ ​the​ ​characters​ ​were​ ​realistic​ ​and​ ​the​ ​story​ ​was​ ​easy​ ​and​ ​fun​ ​to
follow.​ ​The​ ​author​ ​did​ ​a​ ​good​ ​job​ ​at​ ​making​ ​the​ ​characters​ ​different​ ​conflicts​ ​tie​ ​in​ ​to​ ​one​ ​another.
There​ ​are​ ​no​ ​real​ ​criticisms​ ​that​ ​have​ ​for​ ​the​ ​book,​ ​it​ ​was​ ​an​ ​interesting​ ​book​ ​and​ ​a​ ​good​ ​read.

[Dominic Thompson]

I would give this book 4 stars because it was a good book but I didn't find it to be the best book I have read but it's still good. Some of the things I love about this book how good it is it's a comeback story in a good area for a comeback story boxing it gets in a lot of detail and tells why you should never give up and for some reason gave me rocky vibes.

Something I didn't like about the book is that it was hard to follow at times. In the beginning, it was slow but in that slowness it was detailed and you could kind of visualize it. What was happening in it but another thing I didn't find to be the best is the ending I feel like it could have been a bit better it was still good but could have been better and went out with more of a "bang".

[Miller Berry]

The Chief by Robert Lipsyte review
by Miller Berry

(NO SPOILERS) The Chief (sequel to The Contender) continues following the story of Sonny. Sonny was a troubled kid from Harlem, New York who is influenced by his surroundings to live the life of a criminal. Sonny lives everyday in poverty and starts to try and find a way out. To get away from the street, Sonny finds himself boxing at Donatelli's Gym.
Soon after he aims to be heavyweight champion. Sonny’s deadly left hook boosts him into country-wide superstardom fighting in places like Hollywood, and Vegas. Throughout The Chief, Sonny battles the pressure of being a celebrity, and his life moving at 100mph. Sonny begins to wonder if being a star is even worth it.

[Walterb]

Sunny’s got talent and skill. Unfortunately his emotions and innocence get him in trouble. I love how this book intertwines and connects with his previous book the contender . The role Alfred brooks plays in this book is amazing. Would highly recommend this book .

[Noah Broman]

I think this book is a good book for anyone who is a fan of boxing. It follows the life of Sonny Bear who is a boxer try to be the heavyweight champion of the world. It is told from the point of view of his journalist. Robert Lipsyte does a good job of describing the setting and what is going on in some of the fights that take place in the book. I haven't read the first books in the series so I was kind of lost at the beginning but I started to follow the book a couple of pages in. There are a lot of characters in the book that aren't really as clearly stated as I would like them to be. The book was kept interesting by the fight sequences that take place through out the book. Overall I would recommend the book to anyone who is a fan of boxing or to anyone who loves sports and likes a good comeback story.

[Ryk Stanton]

Third in the series - or second of the Sonny Bear story that started twenty years after Alfred Brooks proved he was a contender. Either way, you won't read this unless you read at least the one before it, and ... well ... it continues to be okay. Worth the read, but not on my list of must-reads. This time the POV changes to Martin Witherspoon, Sonny's friend and writer of his eventual book (which this is purported to be) and there are a few good passages. It's just missing something, know what I mean?

Also, this book will conclude in the next (and final) book - I don't like a novel requiring me to read the next one to finish storylines.

So if you read the others first, this one is okay. If you don't, then you won't find anything noteworthy here.

[Jon Brown]

I guess this book was good. IF you really into boxing the this is the book for you. During the fights the words the author uses describes it as if you were there. Also it is a shorter book and won't take as long to read. It is a about a guy narmed Sonny trying to regain his crown as the heavyweight champion. SO all of my kickboxers, boxers,and extreme fighters get this book. AND READ IT HOMMIE

[Andrew Perrone]

Good book but not as good as the first

[Amanda]

I enjoyed following Sonny's story through Martin's eyes, though I felt the holes in the narrative. A nice wrap-up for the trilogy.