Body & Soul: Notebooks of an Apprentice Boxer

One of the things that I really like about authors that operate in the same framework as Wacquant is that they are both academic but also very accessible. This book certainly fits the bill because Wacquant does a great job of describing the Woodlawn neighborhood and the boxing culture that exists in the area. His experience and talent as a writer makes reading the book a joy. My only critique is that I wish I would have heard more from other fighters/people who participated in boxing with Wacquant. To elaborate a bit further, Wacquant was the sole writer/creator of the experiences he was describing--which was slightly biased. Still, this is a great book for anyone interested in actual lived sociological research.

A wonderful story and sociological analysis of young black men learning the skills and discipline of boxing in a gym in Chicago's ghetto.The author, a French grad student who joined them to study the "sweet science of bruising," shows insight and compassion. Although the academic insights are significant, he tells a good story without weighing it down with unnecessary jargon.As in any other persuit, boxing requires discipline, and the more successful students have it. As their wise old trainer notes, "The gym is to boxing what the church is to religion."Some good writers have studied boxing, including A. J. Liebling and Joyce Carol Oates. This author joins their ranks.

For anyone interested in the life of a boxer, the training and the overall effort involved, this is a must read. Having boxed as an amateur myself I will vouch for the authentic nature of this writer's detailed observations, and the feel of place and time in a lower income world in which this gym and these fighters exist. For me it was in a less than wealthy area in downtown Los Angeles, and here we read of Chicago's South Side, but the similarities are striking. There is very scholarly sociological input along with first-hand descriptions of the training routine, the hopes, the friendships, the sparring, the lead-up to a tournament bout, and the actual boxing.

It was very intriguing to be inside the mind of a disabled person. It gave the able bodied a new prospective on how to view these individuals and that they are capable of anything and everything they just have to go about it in a different way.

I have just pre-read the chapters. Will finish book soon. But having loved and participated in the sweet science for many years, I have to say that so far Wacquant's treatment of the culture becoming a boxer is excellent. My only gripe with the book is the small print size. Amazon should've suggested ordering a microscope to read it with.

I had Professor Wacquant for one of my classes and I have to say he is an excellent professor who has amazing ideas about today's society. In this book, he argues against the mainstream idea of the underclass and he also explains how the boxing gym is a force in opposition to the forces of the ghetto. Very well written, the book is a very good read. It has been very interesting for me, as I am studying sociology as a college student and I box in my spare time.

It is worth reading if you are into research and sociology. I enjoyed every page!

Put simply: if you want to get a decent look at the inner-city boxing phenomenon, buy this. But if you are in academia, be warned: Wacquant is far from the detached observer he swears he is. A good example of what NOT to do in ethnographic research.

Without a doubt one of my favourite ethnographies around. Having recently started a similarly aggressive and athletic sport I am finding similarities everywhere I go. Whether and anthropologist like myself or not this book is highly recommended.

This book has a really useful index, that's great if you are using it for academic purposes rather than simple enjoyment of a very interesting ethnographic study.

It was a bit wrinkled when I bought it. It didn't look brand new. The rest was ok, very nice book.

Absolut schlecht geschrieben, ein Satz zieht sich über eine halbe Seite und jedes zweite Wort ist unverständlich. Musste es für die Uni kaufen und wollte es nach 3 Seiten verbrennen. Für Sozialforscher vielleicht geeignet, ansonsten Finger weg!