Meet Jake La Motta: thief, rapist, killer. Raised in the Bronx slums, he fought on the streets, got sent to reform school, and served time in prison. Trusting no one, slugging everyone, he beat his wife, his best friends, even the mobsters who kept the title just out of reach. But the same forces that made him a criminalfear, rage, jealousy, self-hate, guiltcombined with his drive and intelligence to make him a winner in the ring. At age twenty-seven, after eight years of fighting, he became Middleweight Champion of the World, a hero to thousands. Then, at the peak of success, he fell apart and began a swift, harrowing descent into nightmare. Raging Bull, the Bronx Bull's brutally candid memoir, tells it allfights, jails, sex, moneysurpassing, in hard-hitting prose, even the movie that immortalized it.
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About the Author
Jake La Motta fought 106 pro bouts, winning 83, 30 by KO. He subsequently owned a night-club in Miami and had character roles in several films and TV programs. He lives in New York City.Joseph Carter is the author of a number of books and magazines and worked on the staffs of "Newsweek" and the" New York Herald Tribune."Peter Savage, an actor, producer, and director, is Jake La Motta's boyhood friend.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The problem with this book is that it will always be compared unfavourably to the wonderful film of the same name. Make no mistake though this is a truely magnificent book.
The story is told with genuine warmth, humour and honesty but at the end of reading it I was left with a nagging sense of discomfort. I realised that this was down to the fact that despite the humour Jake La Motta is not the sort of man you could like but you have to acknowledge that his story is gripping.
Raised in abject poverty he resorted to violence, theft, rape and mugging. Channelling his rage he eventually became midle weight champion of the world but even this wasn't straight forward. The book also details La Motta's rivalry with, possibly the best boxer of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson and details their epic fights.
La Motta was probably one of the finest fighters of all time and as a fighter richly deserves all the plaudits, as a person he left a lot to be desired. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Derek Stiles
Format:Paperback
LaMotta knew what it was like to have nothing, to live in a run down neighbourhood in a cold water
flat. It tore the heart out of him to see his mother physically abused by his father and be on the end of his fathers vicious tounge. When La Motta grew up he had the same evil temper as his father and some evil traits stemming from his background. He raped his best friends girl friend Viola, he mugged a bookie with a lead pipe thinking he had killed him, he threw a big fight for the mob to get a title bout against Marcel Cerdan. His redeeming points are he beat Cerdan for the title and became middleweight champion. He came face to face with the bookie he thought he had murdered and was releived to know he was not a murderer,he had a troubled conscience about what he done to Viola. He was a real raging bull
from New Yorks Bronx loosing his way more than once, and climbing back out of the pit and redeeming him self with some goods works with his children and former wives and his best friend Peter Savage. A good read with Nick Torches giving a new introduction to start you of on a good read.
flat. It tore the heart out of him to see his mother physically abused by his father and be on the end of his fathers vicious tounge. When La Motta grew up he had the same evil temper as his father and some evil traits stemming from his background. He raped his best friends girl friend Viola, he mugged a bookie with a lead pipe thinking he had killed him, he threw a big fight for the mob to get a title bout against Marcel Cerdan. His redeeming points are he beat Cerdan for the title and became middleweight champion. He came face to face with the bookie he thought he had murdered and was releived to know he was not a murderer,he had a troubled conscience about what he done to Viola. He was a real raging bull
from New Yorks Bronx loosing his way more than once, and climbing back out of the pit and redeeming him self with some goods works with his children and former wives and his best friend Peter Savage. A good read with Nick Torches giving a new introduction to start you of on a good read.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By G Griffiths
Format:Paperback
Jake La Motta (along with Joseph Carter) writes his autobiography, detailing his violent life, from his childood of gambling, fighting, stealing, and murder, to his life in the ring, his struggle to become champ, his run-ins with the mafia, and to his eventual retirement, where he faces his inner demons.
What is so surprising about the novel is how it is written.... the atttention to detail, the use of language and words. This does not feel like an auobiography written by a punch-drunk boxer, but a story told with great skill and warmth. There is a fond rememberance of his childhood, but La Motta doesn't disguise the fact he was an evil, violent person, and in some cases, yes, he does try to explai why he did such actions, but I got the feeling he has just accepted what he had done was bad. Of course, La Motta's story has been transformed to the big screen by such talents as Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro (quite possibly their best fim), but their adaptation, if truth be told, is not an accurate loo at La Motta's life. They have only used La Motta's autobiography to tell a tale - and admittedly a great one. Events have been altered, some made up, some non-existent, but it's all for purpose. Fans of boxing and fans of the movie should definately read this, if only to make comparison's to Scorsese's masterpiece. Also, for an interesting read, pick up 'Raging Bull II: Continuing the story of Jake La Motta', an interesting read that carries on where the original left off, and goes into the making of the movie from La Motta's point of view.Either way, a fabulous read, often shocking, violent, and cruel, but also very funny, humerous in many parts.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
difficult read
personally I found this very difficult to read, and struggled to get into it. wouldn't recommend it, although my partner also read it- but enjoyed it! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Donna_Marie
5.0 out of 5 stars
savage
a very honest and often brutal account of how life was and what a struggle he had against everyone including his own self esteem
Published 10 months ago by martin mc
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very different to the film
Reading the book is a very different experience to watching the film - similar themes but told very differently. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2009 by Asmodeous
5.0 out of 5 stars
Raging Bull.
I enjoyed this book as much if not more than the film.La Motta was a pretty bad man and even though he threw a fight to get the World Title shot he craved,he wasn't intimidated by... Read more
Published on 25 Jan 2009 by Yorkie
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unusually,not as good as the film
If you have seen the film with Robert de Niro then the book maybe an anti climax as it does not match up to director Martin Scorcese's masterful treatment of this story. Read more
Published on 20 Jun 2001
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great life story about how not to live.
This book is a wonderful story of the harsh and sometimes sad life that Jake La Motta lead. It is surprising that such a strong fighter could me such a weak man. Read more
Published on 11 Aug 1999
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