The nonfiction account of history’s most famous boxing brothers–Leon and Michael Spinks–was recently released by Lyons Press. Written by John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro, One Punch from the Promised Land: Leon Spinks, Michael Spinks, and the Myth of the Heavyweight Title centers around the divergent journeys of Leon and Michael as they grew up in the St. Louis ghetto, each became heavyweight champions, and then had to deal with fickle fame. The book features a celebrity cast of boxing legends, including Muhammad Ali (who Leon Spinks defeated), Mike Tyson (who Michael Spinks fought), Larry Holmes, Gerry Cooney, Dwight Qawi, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, and many more.
Writer John Florio has had quite the publishing season. He also had a fiction crime novel, Sugar Pop Moon, released from Seventh Street Books in July. The novel tells the story of Jersey Leo, an albino of mixed race nicknamed “Snowball,” who bartends at a speakeasy in Prohibition-era Hell’s Kitchen. Jersey gets embroiled in a great of deal danger after inadvertently purchasing counterfeit moonshine for his boss. (Somehow a prior stint as a music composer helped Florio write Sugar Pop Moon.) A sequel is already in the works.
One Punch from the Promised Land trailer from Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency here: http://www.jvnla.com/our_blog.html
