Overview

The Queen of the Ring is the story of Mildred Burke, the longest reigning champion of female wrestling. In this in-depth account, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jeff Leen pulls back the curtain on a forgotten era when a petite midwesterner used her beauty and brawn to dominate America's most masculine sport. At only five feet two, Mildred Burke was an unlikely candidate for the ring. A waitress barely scraping by on Depression-era tips, she saw her way out when she attended her first wrestling match. When women were still struggling for equality with men, Burke regularly fought and beat male wrestlers. Rippling with muscle and dripping with diamonds, she walked the fine line between pin-up beauty and hardened brawler. An unforgettable slice of Americana, The Queen of the Ring captures the golden age of wrestling, when one gritty, glamorous woman rose through the ranks to take her place in athletic history.

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9780802118820

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Reviews

<br> In a class by itself. A serious history of one of this country's goofiest pastimes...one senses that [Leen has] left no stone unturned in researching Burke's story. -- The Washington Post <br><br> An all-American story of a woman who rises above her downtrodden circumstances to make something of herself. --Barry Gewen, The New York Times <br><br> You won't be disappointed...Leen has [Burke's] story pinned to the mat. -- USA Today <br><br> Leen can deliver gripping scenes...a rewarding read, an untold tale that completely deserves the telling. -- St. Petersburg Times <br><br> Jeff Leen has made a fabulous contribution to the sports-history canon. The Queen of the Ring is a marvelous evocation of an era, and a riveting portrait of a one-of-a-kind American moll. -- Sally Jenkins, author of The Real All-Americans <br><br><br>

Author Information

Jeffrey Leen is the assistant managing editor for the Washington Post's investigations unit, where his work has helped win six Pulitzer Prizes. Also the author of KINGS OF COCAINE, the first book-length investigation of Columbia's Medellin cartel, he lives in Maryland.

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