Fighting Ruben Wolfe

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The Barnes & Noble Review
Cameron and Ruben Wolfe are survivors. Living day to day with their family in a working-class home in Australia, the two brothers look for purpose in the mundane. After pursuing a series of bad ideas inspired by hours of watching the horror of bad television -- including selling a broken hair dryer to their neighbor and going to the race track -- the boys are tempted by a fairly intriguing offer. A local fight promoter sees potential in the duo, even though they have no pugilistic experience other than boxing in the backyard. That matters very little to Perry Cole -- he wants to offer them as fresh meat to the very eager crowd of locals hungry for a good, and often bloody, fight.

After agreeing to sign up with the sleazy Cole with the stated reason of using the money to help their parents with the bills, Cameron and Ruben begin training. Cameron is less enthusiastic and does not have the drive that his brother seems to possess. Ruben is intent on winning, on making a name for himself. His first fight evokes in him a sense of purpose and power.

This outstanding story not only introduces the reader to the daily lives of two brothers but also to the inner struggle of the working class and the inherent nature of man. Cameron consistently feels like the lesser man in regard to his brother, both in the ring and with women. The brothers' nightly talks offer an even closer glimpse into the psyche of the two boys. Going from roughhousing brothers to marketable fighters, Cameron and Ruben stick with each other through it all. Cameron's insightful and touching remarks on their relationship and the dynamic of the family holds the reader's interest just as much as the boxing drama. When the two end up in the ring fighting each other, due to Cole's machinations, it is an epic fight of brotherhood against the world.

Author Markus Zusak has written the ultimate story of struggle, hope, and family. Brotherhood and boxing lay the groundwork for serious life decisions and a sudden reality check. Fighting Ruben Wolfe is an inspiration, and young readers are sure to connect with the familial and personal dilemmas of two brothers just looking for a way out.

--Amy Barkat

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In earthy, working-class dialect, Australian novelist Zusak offers a lot of sports action as well as a sensitive inspection of sibling relationships and family pride. Times are tough for the Wolfe family now that Mr. Wolfe, a plumber, has been injured on the job ("He's half a man, because it seems that when a man can't work and when his wife and kids earn all the money, a man becomes half a man"). While narrator Cameron tends to keep his family's troubles locked inside, his brother Ruben lashes out with his fists. So, when a classmate taunts the boys with a derogatory remark about their sister, who has been "gettin' around a bit," Ruben pummels him. News of the fight spreads, and, a few days later, Ruben and Cameron, who has "heart" ("People throw money into the ring corners if they think you've got heart," says the organizer), are invited to participate in illegal boxing matches. Through Cameron's voice and observations of everything from family dinners to fights to dog races, Zusak compellingly relates how the two brothers respond differently to internal and external conflicts. While Cameron lives in fear, Ruben grows increasingly hardened. The moment of truth comes when Cameron and Ruben are forced to meet each other in the ring. It's a somewhat overneat ending to an often provocative book. Ages 10-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

In earthy working-class dialect, Australian novelist Zusak offers a lot of boxing action as well as a sensitive inspection of sibling relationship and family pride, wrote PW. Ages 13-up. (June) n Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

Boxing has always been an underdog's game, and this story of two struggling Australian brothers in an anonymous city keeps well within that tradition. Fighting Ruben Wolfe is the ring moniker given to the older brother when he and younger brother/ narrator, Cameron, are pulled into the underground fight world. The story floats around the theme of boxing, and Cameron's ring fright is well-expressed, but the action is more psychological than physical. It is really about two young men trying to find the initiative to rise above their blue collar family of unemployed father, overworked mother, and big sister on the verge of slutdom. Zusak's prose is tight, tough and idiomatic, and occasionally borders on the poetic. 2001, Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr

KLIATT

This is a working-class story from Australia, about brothers who get a chance to box on the weekends, earning money in a household without much money, getting a taste of what it feels like to be respected. Of course, they have to hide the boxing from their parents, who don't want them to get hurt. The boys' father has been injured and is out of work; but he is too proud to accept welfare, so the family struggles to keep going, trying to maintain some dignity. Fighting Ruben Wolfe ultimately is about fighting to survive a dismal life, to have respect—fighting to be strong enough to face failure. The narrator is the younger brother, Cameron, who never is as good a fighter as his brother Ruben. But, Cameron keeps on struggling even when he loses, and he can pick himself up after a loss; Ruben, on the other hand, has never lost a fight and fears losing more than anything else. The title comes from this conflict: Ruben fighting against his own fears. This story will appeal to male readers, especially those who like action and understand the kind of closeness perhaps only brothers can know—a closeness that may not be expressed in so many words, but is there in loyalty and secrecy and special memories and special ties. The Australian milieu is different, of course, for US readers, and the boxing set-up isn't the same as the boxing stories set in the US, such as Lipsyte's The Contender, but the raw male strength and the drive to prove physical courage transcends cultural boundaries. Zusak is a writer who combines male grit with a kind of driving poetry in his prose. Many pages are formatted like poetry, so readers put off by a lot of words on a page won't flinch at these 217 pages.I note that Chris Crutcher is quoted on the back cover: "Ruggedly poetic. This guy is one hell of a writer." KLIATT Codes: JS*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2000, Scholastic, 217p, $15.95. Ages 13 to 18. Reviewer: Claire Rosser; March 2001 (Vol. 35 No. 2)

VOYA

Zusak paints a gritty but poignant story of two working-class brothers and their family in an unnamed section of urban England. Cameron and Ruben Wolfe spend their time at the dog races when they are not in school or hanging out with their friends. Since his accident, the elder Wolfe has not been able to work or support his family. His pride prevents him from going on the "dole" (welfare) or accepting money from any of his children. That same pride simultaneously holds the family together and pulls it apart. The brothers are given the opportunity to make money and a name for themselves when a shady boxing promoter hires them to fight in illegal boxing matches. Ruben is the naturally talented fighter whose fierce determination to win hardens him into an unfeeling machine. Cameron, although less successful, manages to hold onto his compassion, giving him the appeal of his fight name, "the Underdog." The tension-filled climax is satisfactorily resolved when the boys must face each other in their final match and reveal their secret to their parents. Zusak's language is sparse, poetic, and sometimes humorous with a little profanity and sometimes confusing British slang. Script typeface is used when the boys review the events of the day in the calm of their tiny bedroom, a jarring technique because it is not clear why the typeface has been changed. Zusak uses vivid imagery to relay the innermost thoughts of the characters. Cameron describes his nervousness as "fingers of fear and doubt scratching the lining of my stomach." In spite of some inconsistencies, this enjoyable and entertaining book will appeal to high school students. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P S (Readable without serious defects; Broadgeneral YA appeal; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2000, Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, 176p, . Ages 16 to 18. Reviewer: Brenda Moses-Allen SOURCE: VOYA, April 2001 (Vol. 24, No.1)

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-The Wolfe family has more than its share of problems. Injured in a plumbing accident, the father is unemployed. The mother works extra jobs to help make ends meet. Sister Sarah is an alcoholic. Eldest brother Steve keeps himself emotionally distanced from everyone as he bides his time waiting for an opportunity to escape. Cameron and Ruben are close, almost inseparable, supporting one another. Despite their hardships, the Wolfes maintain a steadfast pride and determination to survive. The story, narrated by Cameron, centers on his relationship with Ruben, who is everything the younger sibling wants to be but is not. Looking to make a financial contribution to the family, the boys encounter a shady boxing promoter who convinces them to fight for money. Aggressive Ruben, who enjoys a good altercation anyway, is enthusiastic. For him, boxing is a way to prove himself. Cameron is petrified, but he goes along with his brother. Predictably, the two brothers face one another in the ring in a climactic scene in which Cameron confronts his feelings about Ruben and himself. Fighting Ruben Wolfe has an intriguing premise that is never fully realized. The characters are only superficially developed, as are the dynamics among the other family members. It is difficult to care about the characters or their situations, and the lack of resolution at the end will leave readers disappointed. A novel that begins with promise but never makes it past the first round.-Edward Sullivan, Langston Hughes Library, Clinton, TN Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.