A riveting narrative middle-grade nonfiction about a boxing match that represented the growing tensions between the United States and Nazi Germany in the lead up to World War II.Both Joe Louis and Max Schmeling were born into poverty and used boxing as a way up the economic ladder, becoming icons in their home countries in the process. In America, Joe was a symbol of hope, especially to Black Americans yearning to participate in the American dream. In Germany, Max was a symbol of the supposed superiority of the Aryan race. The two men climbed through the ropes with the weight of their countries on their shoulders―and only one would leave victorious.The battles between Joe and Max still resonate today. War in the Ring is the story of these two outsized heroes, their lives, their careers, and the global conflict swirling around them.
