The Boxer's Story : Fighting for My Life in the Nazi Death Camps

Nathan Shapow, a young Latvian, had nothing more on his mind than to enjoy his teenage years and become a champion boxer. But the sound of jackboots marching across Europe and the systematic extermination of the Jews quickly put paid to his dreams. Soon he was to face a different sort of fight. The prize for victory? His life. Escaping certain death with a punch, surviving life on the ropes, Shapow saw his youth disappear in the terror of the Ghettos and the horror of the camps. Cheating almost certain death on a number of occasions, remarkably he survived to forge a new life in what was then. Read more... Abstract: Nathan Shapow, a young Latvian, had nothing more on his mind than to enjoy his teenage years and become a champion boxer. But the sound of jackboots marching across Europe and the systematic extermination of the Jews quickly put paid to his dreams. Soon he was to face a different sort of fight. The prize for victory? His life. Escaping certain death with a punch, surviving life on the ropes, Shapow saw his youth disappear in the terror of the Ghettos and the horror of the camps. Cheating almost certain death on a number of occasions, remarkably he survived to forge a new life in what was then Once in a while there comes along a story so powerful and so emotive that it makes you re-think your own values. This is the story of Nathan Shapow, a young Latvian, born in Riga, with nothing more on his mind than becoming a world-renowned boxer. However, the sound of jackboots marching across Europe and the systematic extermination of the Jews put paid to his boxing dreams. He was to fight a different sort of fight, one for survival. The prize? His life. Seeing his youth disappear in the squalor of the ghettos and the horror of the camps, Nathan fell back on his previous existence to sustain him. The years of training, the running, the speed work, the three-round amateur fights in the gym, the street fights in Riga and the sheer competitive nature he developed saved him on more than one occasion, especially when he was forced to box for his life against a top German fighter in a concentration camp. THE BOXER'S STORY is an extraordinary and powerful true story that reads like a thriller. It will deeply affect everyone who reads it Before 1940, Nathan Shapow, a young Latvian, had nothing more on his mind than enjoying his teenage years and becoming a champion boxer. But the Nazis' systematic extermination of the Jews quickly put paid to his dreams. Soon he was to face a different sort of fight, where the prize for victory would be his life. Escaping certain death time and time again, Shapow saw his youth disappear in the terror of the Ghettos and the horror of the camps. Fighting for his very existence for the simple reason of being Jewish, remarkably, he survived, fell in love and forged a new life in what was then British-controlled Palestine. There, he joined an underground military organisation and quickly became involved in the struggle to create a Jewish state. Extraordinary and powerful, The Boxer's Story is the inspiring true story of one man's enduring fortitude. Nathan Shapow, a young Latvian, had nothing more on his mind than to enjoy his teenage years and become a champion boxer. But the sound of jackboots marching across Europe and the systematic extermination of the Jews quickly put paid to his dreams. Soon he was to face a different sort of fight. The prize for victory? His life. Escaping certain death with a punch, surviving life on the ropes, Shapow saw his youth disappear in the terror of the Ghettos and the horror of the camps. Cheating almost certain death on a number of occasions, remarkably he survived to forge a new life in what was then British-controlled Palestine. He joined the Underground and quickly became involved in the struggle to create a Jewish state – and found love along the way. Extraordinary and powerful, The Boxer's Story is a true tale that reads like fiction. Content: Cover Title Page Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOREWORD CHAPTER ONE : MURDER IN THE GHETTO CHAPTER TWO : A BRIEF CHILDHOOD CHAPTER THREE : THE SOVIET OCCUPATION CHAPTER FOUR : THE RIGA GHETTO CHAPTER FIVE : DUCKING, BOBBING AND WEAVING CHAPTER SIX : THE EMPTY GRAVE CHAPTER SEVEN : CHANGING WEIGHT CHAPTER EIGHT : THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS CHAPTER NINE : THE LIFE AND DEATH OF HERR HARR CHAPTER TEN : SPILVE CHAPTER ELEVEN : THE CRUISE TO HELL (STUTTHOF) CHAPTER TWELVE : MAGDEBURG AND LIBERATION CHAPTER THIRTEEN : THE PATH TO PALESTINE CHAPTER FOURTEEN : HELA. CHAPTER FIFTEEN : BLOOD IN THE SANDCHAPTER SIXTEEN : LEAVING THE FRONT CHAPTER SEVENTEEN : THE NEW WORLD AFTERWORD -- THE SON'S TALE Plates Copyright.