Pound for Pound - by F X Toole (Paperback)

About the Book

This posthumously published novel by the critically acclaimed author of "Million Dollar Baby" follows a legendary boxing trainer and a young man trying to make a name for himself as both are forced to fight on in the face of pain, to overcome obstacles, and confront their demons--in and out of the ring.

From the Back Cover

Following his remarkable fiction debut, Rope Burns, author F. X. Toole's Pound for Pound is a big, brawny novel of honor, perseverance, family, and forgiveness, set in towns where violence is the norm and success stories take on an almost mythic importance. It is the story of Dan Cooley, an aging, legendary Los Angeles trainer, who takes on Chicky Garza, a troubled young fighter hungry for glory in the notoriously corrupt San Antonio boxing circuit. Written in the masterful style that has earned the author glowing comparisons to Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, and Frank McCourt, this unforgettable posthumous novel celebrates a unique and powerful bond, and the courage that overcomes insurmountable obstacles in and out of the ring.

Review Quotes

"F.X. Toole is bigger in death than he was in life." - San Antonio Express-News
"Gripping. . . [Toole] can rest easy - the task has been aced." - People
"Toole, a page-turning writer with guts. . ." - Detroit Free Press
"Toole's sentences are tough, spare and full of his obvious belief in the solace of friendship and forgiveness." - Kansas.com
"[Toole's] a page-turning writer with guts and heart. . ." - Charlotte Observer
"Toole has an undeniable knack for crafting instantly believable characters..." - Washington Post
"Toole was a natural storyteller. . . individual scenes will stay with the reader. Pound for Pound is gripping." - Philadelphia Inquirer
"Toole writes beautifully . . . an homage to the resiliency and strength of the human spirit." - Edgardo Vega Yunqué, author of Blood Fugues
"Toole writes beautifully, accurately and with enormous generosity . . . an homage to the resiliency and strength of the human spirit." - Edgardo Vega Yunqué, author of Blood Fugues
"That this posthumous novel is the last such gift we'll receive from a great writer makes it even more special." - Richard Russo
"The brutality of boxing ties this book together, but Toole also understands what makes people love it." - Hartford Courant
"The characters are irresistible, and their gritty, savage, strangely noble world is vividly evoked." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"The savagery of "Pound for Pound" is inextricably melded with profound sweetness. That's how F.X. Toole saw the world." - The Oregonian (Portland)
"The true appeal in Toole's writing is in detail and in his ability as a pure storyteller." - Philadelphia Inquirer
". . .engaging. . . riveting. . . the two converging stories of Dan and Chicky moves as gracefully yet forcefully as a well-trained fighter." - Seattle Times
". . .engaging. . . riveting. . ." - Seattle Times
"...a fine-tuned sense of the ring and... a large, colorful cast...Call it a winner. . ." - New York Daily News
"...memorable characters, gritty authenticity and spare, energetic writing." - USA Today
". . . the reader thanks Mr. Toole here, and forever after, for his last and greatest work." - San Francisco Chronicle
". . . there is no quit in them, nor was there in Toole...he wrote with a boxer's heart." - Sports Illustrated
"Powerful and very readable...Toole's deep love of boxing's rituals, traditions, and code of honor shines through." - Library Journal
"POUND FOR POUND is that most absorbing of pleasures, a great boxing novel." - TIME Magazine
"POUND proves that a flurry of emotional jabs can be just as powerful as one knockout punch." - Entertainment Weekly
"'Pound for Pound' contains some of the most lucidly crystalline descriptions of boxing...F.X. Toole was an extraordinary talent..." - Los Angeles Times
"A stunning cap to a short but brilliant writing career." - Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A tough, tender tale. . . . The characters are irresistible, and their gritty, savage, strangely noble world is vividly evoked." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review