An historical novel based on the true life story of Frank Gotch, world heavyweight wrestling champion from 1908 to 1915. Gotch was the number one athlete of his era and as well known then as Michael Jordan is today. This book takes the reader on a nostalgic tour of the United States and professional athletics at the turn of the century and shortly thereafter.
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"This is a great book about the greatest wrestler of all time. But it is much more than a story about a wrestler. It's also an exciting history of sports and sports figures at the beginning of the 20th Century. Of all of those early century sports legends, Gotch was the most famous. I liked the way the author told about Gotch's wrestling on the floor of the Roosevelt White House and in front of the largest crowd to see a sporting event in Comiskey park. The author's story telling ability makes it very easy to get wrapped up in this book until Y2K." -- Dale Anderson, columnist WIN Magazine
As a long time devotee of the sport of wrestling, I found Gotch: An American Hero to be an entertaining trip through the past. Frank Gotch is a truly outstanding sports figure in American history and deserves to have a book written about him by America's top wrestling historian. I highly recommend this book. -- Andre Gibson, International Wrestling Institute & Museum website columnist
Mike Chapman just released the best written book of his career (he has 12 titles to his credit). Chapman's latest, "Gotch: An American Hero" is an historical novel based upon the life of professional wrestler Frank Gotch, America's first world champion. This book is 279 pages long and has the makings of a movie written all over it (are you listening Hollywood?).
As a long time devotee of the sport of wrestling, I found Gotch: An American Hero to be an entertaining trip through the past. Frank Gotch is a truly outstanding sports figure in American history and deserves to have a book written about him by America's top wrestling historian. I highly recommend this book. -- Andre Gibson, International Wrestling Institute & Museum website columnist
Mike Chapman just released the best written book of his career (he has 12 titles to his credit). Chapman's latest, "Gotch: An American Hero" is an historical novel based upon the life of professional wrestler Frank Gotch, America's first world champion. This book is 279 pages long and has the makings of a movie written all over it (are you listening Hollywood?).
When reading the book you'll wish you had lived back in the early 1900's...and were able to train right alongside Gotch, Farmer Burns, Dan McLeod and the others. "Gotch: An American Hero" is written in a down-home Iowa dialect that doesn't really exist anymore, and even if it never did, reading the dialogue will be like drinking poetry. Each sentence pulls you closer into the fantasy world of old-time pro wrestling. Every page comes to life and throws you into a realm of "the good old days" of real professional wrestling. Gotch's matches and his life are covered in vivid detail and presented in such a realistic fashion that you'll feel like the champion is your friend. It isn't often that you'll read a book and feel like you're right there, watching the whole parade. You will when you read "Gotch: An American Hero." This book belongs in the library of every grappling enthusiast. --Matt Furey, publisher GAIN Magazine
About the Author
Mike Chapman is one of the nation's top wrestling historians. He has been named National Wrestling Writer of the Year five times and has written 20 books, several on the subject of wrestling. He currently is the publisher of Iowa History Journal magazine based in Newton, Iowa. He has been a journalist, newspaper editor and writer for 40 years. This is his 12th book. Visit his websites at iowahistoryjournal.com and mike-chapman.com
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing Book!,
By iamafloridapoet (Bradenton,FL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Gotch: An American Hero (Paperback)
The book Gotch:An American Hero is extremely well-written.Chapman is VERY descriptive.His use of details puts the reader right in the middle of the action.He conveys emotions very well.Even though it is a historical novel,the book is full of information about the world of professional wrestling in the early 1900s. If I could have given it more than five stars,I certainly would.Mike Chapman has written a very impressive book. I urge all people interested in the history of wrestling to read this.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GREAT BOOK ABOUT A GREAT ATHLETE!,
By
This review is from: Gotch: An American Hero (Paperback)
This is an excellent book that reads like a movie and should be a movie! Before the 1930s professional wrestling was actually a legitimate sport. It's been my observation that a lot of modern professional wrestlers and fans would like to believe that "worked" matches always existed so that they themselves and/or their heroes don't appear as con-artists and so forth. I think this is unfortunate because I think most top modern pro wrestlers are incredible athletes as well as incredible performers. Just look at Ken Shamrock and Brock Lesnar and so on. However, if you seriously research this subject you will find that pro wrestling was once real and so was Frank Gotch and a whole host of other great wrestlers from a very exciting bygone era.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
recommended for any up and coming athlete,
By
This review is from: Gotch: An American Hero (Paperback)
this was an amazing piece on the life of frank gotch. you are completely transported back in time and are part of the action in every scenario. the book was extremely well written as it takes you on a journey WITH gotch and all that he endured. it is almost as if you are standing ring side at every match and every conversation. i was very impressed with the verbage as it seems very accurate to the time and place of the novel. it did leave me wondering if mike chapman is gotch reincarnated.....
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
