Book Review: American Son by Oscar De La Hoya
Posted by Tommy Hackett on December 4th, 2008
It’s another polished performance for the “Golden Boy.”
Like a bout that goes to a narrowly-contested judges’ decision, De La Hoya does just enough to win the reader over in American Son. The champion’s prose, aided (no doubt greatly) by Steve Springer, moves quickly and cleanly — from his humble East LA origins, to his Olympic glory, to a wildly successful professional career which has generated more than $600 million in PPV revenue alone – along with many of his personal triumphs and failures along the road.
As in Atlas, Teddy Atlas’s excellent autobiography released two years ago, one of the first things we encounter about De La Hoya is how hugely his life was shaped by one of his parents – but perhaps surprisingly to those unfamiliar with him, not by his father or grandfather, both boxers themselves. The champ’s mother Cecilia died when the champ was just 17, prior to his Olympic or professional success, but her shadow is cast everywhere in American Son.
American Son nicely weaves its way through De La Hoya’s life, but seems to choose cautiously where to cast its readers’ attention. De La Hoya’s vast history of trainers, with all their conflicting styles, is described in particularly good detail. MMA fans will enjoy a brief appearance from a tipsy and eccentric Al Stankie, whose star has begun to rise again as Rodrigo Nogeuira’s boxing coach. De La Hoya’s financial lives, from the now sour relationship with Bob Arum to the still strong one with Richard Schaefer, are better described than his failed love lives. One of his three children out of wedlock barely merits mention in American Son and her mother is actually never named. Oscar writes that the children would have never happened had his mother lived. His wife seems, like his mother, a foundation on which his new life is built.
De La Hoya doesn’t focus deeply on any of his in-ring challenges, but does offer a surprise or two, as when it’s revealed that he actually told Felix Sturm that he earned the victory after their 2006 bout (the judges disagreed and awarded De La Hoya the decision). American Son is at its best as De La Hoya describes his struggle with gambling – Oscar describes losing one million dollars in one day at baccarat at Caesar’s Palace. Later, he quit cold turkey. As he recalls, “I’d look around the suite of the Las Vegas hotel where I was staying, and think: my money helped build this.”
As we approach another De La Hoya mega-fight this weekend, in that house that Oscar built, it’s a good time to reflect on this unusual American hero and learn his take on these successes. American Son tries to casts itself as a motivational book, and while I didn’t exactly find it inspirational – I’d leave that kind of talk for Atlas and Floyd Patterson’s Victory Over Myself — it’s certainly a compelling read.
December 4th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
This is the review I’ve been waiting for!
December 4th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Gotcha! Hopefully yours comes soon.