A new book by Sonoma State University American Multicultural Studies Professor Michael Ezra is being listed on multiple summer reading lists throughout the country. "The Bittersweet Science: Fifteen Writers in the Gym, in the Corner, and at Ringside" is an anthology book filled with essays about boxing by writers who have extensive firsthand experience ranging from ringside to inside the ring itself.
The book, edited by Ezra and Carlo Rotella, brings together a roster that expands the understanding of the sport’s appeal and debunks some of boxing’s greatest myths. Stories include boxing manager Charles Farrell’s defense against fixing fights and why it helps the sport, former Golden Glover Sarah Deming’s profile of young Olympian Claressa Shields, profiles of greats Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr., and Ezra’s own essay on “Navigating Boxing’s All-Time Rankings.”
The Boston Globe recently listed the book in its list of top summer reads, and Boston’s NPR station WPNR also included it in its suggested summer reading list. Ezra is also the author of “Muhammad Ali: The Making of an Icon” and editor of the respected Journal of Civil and Human Rights.
Ezra has also given interviews about his new book on ESPN Radio and the Ringside Reporter.
"The Bittersweet Science: Fifteen Writers in the Gym, in the Corner, and at Ringside" is available through The University of Chicago Press Books.