About the author
Mark Cerasini wrote the book Cinderella Man from the
movie. He often works on novelizations for some of the
big movie companies in Hollywood.
About the movie
Cliff Hollingsworth and Akiva Goldsman worked
together to write the story for the movie Cinderella Man.
Before the movie, the story of Jim Braddock was not
well known in the United States. Hollingsworth wanted
to tell modern Americans about this great man, so he
contacted Braddock’s sons, Jay and Howard. They read
Hollingsworth’s first script and loved it.
Hollingsworth wanted to keep as close to the true story as
possible. When Jim pays money back to the relief office
in Chapter 10, it may seem like a Hollywood fantasy, but
it really happened. Jay and Howard Braddock agreed that
the movie story and their parents’ characters were very
accurate. According to Hollingsworth, Jim Braddock “was
a character who was too good to be true––but he was
true!” However, there have been criticisms over the movie’s
unflattering portrayal of the boxer Max Baer.
Akiva Goldsman is an experienced Hollywood scriptwriter.
Summary
Cinderella Man tells the true story of an American boxing
legend, James J. Braddock. A man of the people, Braddock
fights against poverty and obscurity as hard as he does
against his sporting opponents. The book is based on the
2005 movie, directed by Ron Howard and staring Russell
Crowe and Renée Zellweger.
Chapter 1: The story begins in 1928. The American
economy is strong and Jim Braddock has just won his
twenty-seventh fight since becoming a professional boxer.
The fans love him and his manager, Joe Gould, brags
about the win to Jimmy Johnston, an important boxing
promoter who supported Jim’s opponent.
Chapters 2–3: But by 1933 Jim’s luck has gone. America
is suffering under the Great Depression. Like millions of
other Americans, Jim has no steady job. He and his family
move to a poor neighborhood. Jim finds himself unable to
pay the bills or buy enough food for his children. He can’t
get a job.
Jim breaks his right hand in a fight, but wants to box
again soon afterwards because he needs money. Although
it is against the rules, Joe lets him fight with an injured
hand. Jim suffers an embarrassing defeat against a strong
opponent. He loses his boxing license and his manager Joe
leaves him.
Chapters 4–5: Jim finally gets work for a few dollars a
day at the docks. He finds the work difficult because he is
forced to use his left hand. Meanwhile, his wife Mae waits
in line with the children to get free food.
Jim takes a second job and sees less of his family. During
the cold winter, Mae hears that their gas and electricity
will be cut off because they haven’t paid their bills. Jim and
his friend from the docks, Mike, help a poor family who
are about to be locked out of their home. Mike tells Jim
the people need to organize and fight back. Mae takes the
children to live at her relatives’ homes in New York City,
which makes Jim angry. He swallows his pride and asks his
old boxing friends for money to pay the bills so that the
children can come home.
Chapters 6–7: Jim’s right hand finally heals. Joe visits
him and offers him one more fight in the boxing ring. The
fight is against a promising young boxer, and Mae is very
worried. But the prize is two hundred and fifty dollars.
Despite having sold his boxing shoes and with no recent
training, Jims takes the fight. No one expects a has-been
boxer like Jim to fight well. But his work at the docks has
strengthened Jim’s left hand and improved his confidence.
To everyone’s surprise, he wins the fight.
Chapters 8–9: Mae is happy that Jim won, and relieved
when he tells her it was just one fight. But although it is
against his wife’s wishes, he decides to return to the boxing
ring. Jim begins training again and Joe gets him another
fight. He wins and goes on to win more fights.