Why We Fight

By Josh Rosenblatt,

Book cover of Why We Fight: One Man's Search for Meaning Inside the Ring

Book description

Shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing

A physical and philosophical mediation on why we are drawn to fight each other for sport, what happens to our bodies and brains when we do, and what it all means

Anyone with guts or madness in him can get hit…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked Why We Fight as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

“Many mixed martial artists claim they experience something like bliss at the moment they lose consciousness from a choke.” That’s a real quote from the book, which tells a personal journey of a 33-year-old man trying to to understand what it’s like to hit and get hit, and why some weirdos like me love it so much.

Count that as self-discovery if you’re fighter or an observational expedition if you can’t understand how someone can be one. Either way, keep that quote away from my wife, before she starts to rethink the decision to get our son into martial arts…

Want books like Why We Fight?

Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 51 books like Why We Fight.

Browse books like Why We Fight

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in martial arts, Lord Byron, and Japan?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about martial arts, Lord Byron, and Japan.

Martial Arts Explore 30 books about martial arts
Lord Byron Explore 16 books about Lord Byron
Japan Explore 477 books about Japan