Customer Reviews

American Son: My Story

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a fan of Oscar you will love this book. It is a very short book though.

Because I am a boxing fan, i bought and decided to read the story of Oscar De La Hoya.

It's a very easy, very smooth going book, and Oscar covers everything from his childhood, the acceptance he always wanted from his father, the Gold Medal he won for his mother, the Trinidad fight, and his entrance into being a full time promoter.

Most of the book covers behind the scenes stuff and i was pretty amazed at how open Oscar was, especially about his love life, and fathering several kids out of wedlock.

Overall, it's a very solid book. He doesn't really get too much into detail about his actual boxing matches, like in this round this and in this round that, but he does cover the overall matches, including a whole chapter devoted to the Trinidad fight.

He also writes about being upset with the fact that many fans, mostly Mexican people, how they always seemed to never include him as one of their own, even though he is Mexican-American.

Oscar spoke about how in beating Julio Cesar Chavez two times, he felt the Mexican people would embrace him, or at least respect him, but he never really got that acceptance.

What is also pretty amazing, and being an Oscar De La Hoya fan or not, is that he really has become a very powerful boxing promoter, taking on the likes of Bob Arum and the almighty Don King himself. As a hispanic myself, it's pretty inspiring that a kid from Los Angeles could someday be called one of boxing's top promters, let alone rival Don King.

Overall, American Son is good. It's a very smooth read, very personal story about Oscar De La Hoya. You can tell that when he wrote this book, he really did it with no strings attached.

good book.

The autobiography on "The Golden Boy," who parlayed his pugilistic skills into successful business and philanthropic ventures outside the squared-circle, is an informative and inspiring story on chasing and capturing a slice of the American Dream.

It works because Oscar De La Hoya is candid about every facet of his professional and business careers & personal life, while co-author Steve Springer - through his award-winning reporting in the Los Angeles Times - has literally watched the champ grow up in public.

The legend truly comes to life through De La Hoya's own words and honesty. Though the final chapter in boxing will be "written" later this year, this is an outstanding look into a life that is just starting to get into a top gear.

This book was awsome, very informative and reliable...i ordered it to write a research paper on oscar de la hoya for my chicano studies class and i asked thrm if they coulda sended the book on time or asap and they did, i recieved it the next week and got my research paper in on time, ended up scoring a A on my paper.

I liked the book a lot and it did give some insight on the Golden Boy and i learn a lot about him. But I'm only giving 3 stars for the fact he skip around a lot, his timeline was awful. I would have liked it better if he just talked about his life growing up and then got into the boxing and everything that went around with it instead of skipping around everything and referring back to his childhood or things that happen in middle of the book. I took off another star for the fact i felt he left a lot of things out and held back in certain parts of the book.

I've always been a fan of Oscar de La Hoya, but after reading this book I am an even bigger fan. I love stories about people getting ahead and making something great happen for them. Oscar shared his most personal childhood memories and family life with the readers in this book. I couldn't put it down! From details about his training, mistakes he made in his career and personal life, and rising to the occasion, WOW! 5 stars! I am looking forward to reading some of his other books now. Thank you Oscar for sharing your life with us. You are a compassionate, loving person, and an amazing fighter. I have the highest level of respect for you. Gracias.
Jill K. Moratto

Amazing story from a true mexican american. One can truly relate to this story and life. Must read for all of those who need inspiration and see an "I can do this" attitude. Truly enjoyed this one!

Oscar is one of the best boxers of our times or any time. He has accomplished so much in the sport. He had to go through some hard times to get where he is today. And thru it all he still manages to be a great human being. Some of the stories in the book will make you laugh, some will make you sad. Overall it will give a new appreciation of Oscar the boxer and Oscar the man. A story that is both compelling and touching.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Extensively details who Oscar is and where he (and his family) came from. A truly rags-to-riches story. You cannot help but like this young man. A brisk, intelligent read for everybody especially boxing fans and people of Mexican heritage.

Excellent book!

Just finished reading, "American Son", should have be titled, "Selective Memory, by Me, Oscar!" There was major gaps in the latter parts of the book, such as timelines. The timeline wasn't too clear, and one would have to have followed de la Hoya rather closely to understand. I think there was certain facts that was deliberately omitted, IMHO.

The author appears to be self-aggrandizing, but is really inflating his own ego and adding layers of self-congratulations in each chapter, "Look how special I am", "Look how much money I've earned!" Doesn't really say a whole lot about the man, himself. Just like his interviews, there's just the glossy, pretty surface, and not enough of the man. If you want more about de la Hoya, just check out online articles. They are much more accurate.