← Historical

The Berlin Boxing Club

by Robert Sharenow · 2011

Sydney Taylor Award-winning novel Berlin Boxing Club is loosely inspired by the true story of boxer Max Schmeling's experiences following Kristallnacht. Karl Stern has never thought of himself as a Jew. But the bullies at… more

13 quotes ★ 4.19 (5,958) Historical

Quotes from the Book

The weakest punches are thrown with the tongue.
28
Today you had a very important lesson on taking punches. A lot of people will tell you that the first thing you have to learn is how to take a punch. But I believe the first thing you should know is that you can take one and survive. A punch won't kill you. Conquering your fear is the first step to becoming a powerful fighter.
12
There's adventure in the air. . . and cake to be eaten.
12
The Nazis had broken our windows and torn apart our furniture, but they had not destroyed our selves.
6
You don't need to explain anything to me, Karl. I trust that you were a gentleman." And then he added, "Or at least I trust that you were a gentleman to as high a degree as she wanted you to be. I was a boy once too. No matter who is in power, I never want you thinking it's wrong to desire a girl's attention. That is life's greatest sweetness. I would never want to deny you that joy.
1
In boxing there are rules. You wear padded gloves. It’s always a one-on-one fight. You can’t hit below the belt or use a weapon. I may get beat, but at least I’ll always have a fair chance of winning. The rest of the world isn’t always like that.
1
Organized ghting doesn’t make sense to me,” she said. “Why would you want to let yourself get hurt if you didn’t have to? And why would you want to hurt an innocent person who you’re not even mad at, who you don’t even know?
1
The weakest punches are thrown with the tongue
No entanto, apesar de toda a minha força física, jamais me sentira tão fraco, porque era incapaz de secar as lágrimas dos olhos de minha irmã ou de livrar seu coração da tristeza.
The world is going crazy, Karl. And hen the world is crazy, a sane man is never okay.
I'm getting older everyday, you know. I'm not like a fine wine that just gets better with age. I'm more like a good strong cheese. I can only be aged so long before I start to stink.
One of your father's modern ideas about parenting is to leave you alone and let you become the man you want to be, not the man he wants you to be.
Picasso has magical eyes. He sees the world so differently than we do, but he is able to make us understand what he sees. That’s what a truly great artist does

Watch on YouTube

About Robert Sharenow

We have collected 13 quotes from 1 book by Robert Sharenow on BookQuoters.

More about the author →

About the book

Sydney Taylor Award-winning novel Berlin Boxing Club is loosely inspired by the true story of boxer Max Schmeling's experiences following Kristallnacht.

Karl Stern has never thought of himself as a Jew. But the bullies at his school in Nazi-era Berlin, don't care that Karl has never been in a synagogue or that his family doesn't practice religion. Demoralized by attacks on a heritage he doesn't accept as his own, Karl longs to prove his worth.

So when Max Schmeling, champion boxer and German national hero, makes a deal with Karl's father to give Karl boxing lessons, A skilled cartoonist, Karl has never had an interest in boxing, but now it seems like the perfect chance to reinvent himself.

But when Nazi violence against Jews escalates, Karl must take on a new role: protector of his family. And as Max's fame forces him to associate with Hitler and other Nazi elites, Karl begins t

Book details

First published
2011
Goodreads rating
4.19 (6k ratings)

Keep reading