The Chief [Hardcover]

Robert Lipsyte (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1993

On the verge of having a shot at the heavyweight boxing championship, nineteen-year-old Sonny Bear finds himself with conflicting loyalties when trouble erupts on his reservation over the construction of a new gambling casino. Sequel to "The Brave."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lipsyte fans will be delighted to discover that the final installment in the trilogy begun by The Contender is worthy, in every way, of the fine novels that preceded it. The language, concise and powerful, moves the story along at a seemingly effortless clip; its staccato cadences are guaranteed to raise more than a few goosebumps. Sonny Bear, the half-Moscondaga, half-white protagonist of The Brave , is back, eking out a meager living on the professional boxing circuit. Also making a return appearance is aspiring novelist Marty Witherspoon, Sonny's old friend and the tale's narrator, who finds himself acting as publicity manager for the aspiring heavyweight champ on an impromptu trip to Las Vegas. Marty's angling lands Sonny in a glitzy and highly publicized match, which indirectly leads him into the hands of a bunch of Hollywood agents who want to make him the country's next TV idol. Before the glamour can take too much of a toll on him, violent events call Sonny back to the reservation, where a newly built casino threatens to destroy the soul of the Moscondaga Nation. Dramatic doings, terse and thrilling language and deftly sketched characters produce a heart-pounding read. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

In a third episode, larger-than-life boxer Sonny Bear fights battles in and out of the ring--and within himself--on his climb to the top. Cheated of his amateur title at the end of The Brave (1991) and disgusted by a series of crooked local fights, Sonny is ready to throw in the towel when he lands a job as sparring partner for an aging boxer making a quixotic comeback attempt. The resulting press attention takes him to L.A. and TV producers' fantasyland, but he turns away from the life of a lotus-eater to solve a violent dispute over legalized gambling back on the reservation. Part of the ensuing compromise is a scheduled bout with the heavyweight champ at the new casino. Sonny's rise to fame is seen through the eyes of Martin Witherspoon, an overweight black college student and would-be writer who, like his well-muscled friend, wrestles with self-doubt but rises to the occasion at need. Sports-journalist Lipsyte writes authoritatively about the world of boxing, moving his story at a headlong pace with pulse-pounding action scenes and providing characters with cocky dialogue; by concluding moments before Sonny enters the ring, he forces readers to consider his larger themes. Memorable sports fiction. (Fiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books; 1st edition (April 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060210648
• ISBN-13: 978-0060210649
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,296,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, October 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Chief (Paperback)

I really liked robert Lypsyte's book The Chief. It really gave me a feel for the characters. It also made all of these emotions towards the characters surface, which I really like in a book. The author makes you have feelings for the characters. He makes you really want the characters to either succeed or fail, but there is not any room for an "I don't care" character. All in all I think everyone should read this book, because it is truly an example of great writing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Chief, March 10, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Chief (Library Binding)

The Chief

This book is about a guy named Sonny Bear who is a Cherokee Indian. He is a boxer who is struggling to get any good boxing matches after he cheated and was disqualified from a match that was for the championship. Ever since, he has been traveling all over the country with his manager/trainer Alfred, a guy named Jake who is a also a trainer and a guy named Martin Witherspoon looking for matches but are having a hard time finding any. Just when Sonny was about to quit Martin had an idea to go to Las Vegas and interrupt the championship match.
I didn't like this book because it was very hard to follow. Also boxing isn't one of my interest but if it is an interest to you then you will probably like this book.

3.0 out of 5 stars Accepting Identity, July 18, 2007

By 

A. Luciano (Lowell, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Chief (Paperback)

Sonny Bear is half Native-American and is possibly in the running to become the youngest heavyweight champion boxer ever. His Native-American blood causes difficulty--he has to figure out where his loyalties lie, and he has to combat racism when he travels from town to town fighting.

Sonny Bear's friend Marty is traveling around with him, trying to keep him motivated to fight and recording his story in the form of a creative-writing project for a college course. Keeping Sonny motivated is becoming more and more difficult. He is disgusted with the home-town fights where everything is balanced against him. His tribe is also in conflict; there is talk of building a casino on their reservations, but not everyone is in favor of the idea.

Sonny needs to get his head straight and decide if he is really going to dedicate himself to the boxing title. Marty may be the only one who can help him get back on track.

This was a decent story, although not very in-depth. The characters, especially Sonny, were likable and interacted well. The conflict was too easily resolved, though, and Sonny's authority was too easily recognized by the angry older members of his Nation.