John Florio is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in print, on the web, and on television. He is also the author of the novel, Sugar Pop Moon. Visit him at johnfloriowriter.com.Ouisie Shapiro is a five-time Emmy-winning writer and producer of sports documentaries. Her writing credits include HBO's Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed; Namath: Beaver Falls to Broadway; and Lombardi. She has also produced ESPN SportsCentury documentaries on Jack Dempsey, Sonny Liston, and Rocky Marciano, among others.
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Reviews
"I've lived in St. Louis more than half of my life. I first crossed paths with the Spinks brothers in 1976. Yet, all I knew of Michael and Leon were their ring records and the public caricatures of their personalities. Steady, dependable Michael. Wild, self-destructive Leon. Well written and deeply sourced, 'One Punch from the Promised Land' fills in a lot of blanks." -Bob Costas, award-winning journalist and sportscaster, NBC Sports and MLB Network "The first brothers to both claim the world heavyweight championship, Leon and Michael Spinks finally have a book worthy of the unlikely dramatic arc of their gap-toothed lives. Theirs is a uniquely American story-about not only realizing the dream of rising to great heights, but also the struggle to stay there. John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro deliver a vivid and compelling dual biography populated by the giants and demons of boxing's last golden age." -Jeremy Schaap, ESPN reporter and New York Times best-selling author of Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer, and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History "This is a book about two brothers who became heavyweight champions and a relationship that stretches across the bonds of poverty and hope, fragility and strength. This is the way it happened with the Brothers Spinks. It's a story that transcends boxing. I know. I was there." -Jerry Izenberg, author, and nationally syndicated sports columnist, Newark Star-Ledger"This story of two brothers who used boxing as a way to escape the ghetto and become the first siblings to both hold the heavyweight title has the ring of Hollywood movie.... [T]he writers do a great job intertwining their subjects' life stories with the social and political action of the era. Also, by expertly juxtaposing Leon's carefree, self-destructive personality with Michael's conscientious, dedicated nature, it creates a palpable tension that binds the brothers' parallel yet contrary tales.... Just as much about America's racial and socioeconomic situation as it is an exploration of the dynamics of family and the history of the sweet science." -Publishers Weekly