Ronald Schechter

Interesting, though it works better as biography than as history. Schechter's book, helped considerably by Liz Clark's vibrant illustrations, does a good job of bringing Daniel Mendoza to life, charting his rise to the top of the English boxing scene and his subsequent decline into poverty and oblivion. Unless you're interested in historiography, though, the section where the author explains about the methods of investigating history is not that compelling; I also think that his assertions about politics, nationalism and gender need more evidence than provided by either the graphic biography or the primary documents. (The latter is also a little boring, as the newspaper articles are mostly blow-by-blow reports on the fights between Mendoza and his main rival.) But I am pleased by Schechter's attention to a story that others have overlooked.… (altro)