
The Squared Circle
Life, Death, and Professional Wrestling
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.00 for first 30 days
Buy for $17.16
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
R.C. Bray
-
By:
-
David Shoemaker
Grantland and Deadspin correspondent presents a breakthrough examination of the professional wrestling, its history, its fans, and its wider cultural impact that does for the sport what Chuck Klosterman did for heavy metal.
The Squared Circle grows out of David Shoemaker’s writing for Deadspin, where he started the column “Dead Wrestler of the Week” (which boasts over 1 million page views) - a feature on the many wrestling superstars who died too young because of the abuse they subject their bodies to - and his writing for Grantland, where he covers the pro wrestling world, and its place in the pop culture mainstream. Shoemaker’s sportswriting has since struck a nerve with generations of wrestling fans who - like him - grew up worshipping a sport often derided as “fake” in the wider culture. To them, these professional wrestling superstars are not just heroes but an emotional outlet and the lens through which they learned to see the world.
Starting in the early 1900s and exploring the path of pro wrestling in America through the present day, The Squared Circle is the first book to acknowledge both the sport’s broader significance and wrestling fans’ keen intellect and sense of irony. Divided into eras, each section offers a snapshot of the wrestling world, profiles some of the period’s preeminent wrestlers, and the sport’s influence on our broader culture. Through the brawling, bombast, and bloodletting, Shoemaker argues that pro wrestling can teach us about the nature of performance, audience, and, yes, art.
©2013 David Shoemaker (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...




















People who viewed this also viewed...


















Hard to listen to
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
great book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Pretty good
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Would you consider the audio edition of The Squared Circle to be better than the print version?
I really liked this book, but the piss poor editing of the audio can really take you out of it. additionally, the narrator is clearly a good older than the author, which makes some of the autobiographical details in the book sound extra strange, but that's just being knit picky. Truly awful sound quality though. This thing is audiobook adjace.Maj book, Repug recording.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Outside of these technical problems I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any fan of Pro Wrestling or anyone interested in it’s history.
Technical Difficulties?
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a great book
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Love this gem of a wrestling book!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
First, Bix doesn’t seem to know his audience. Did he expect non-wrestling fans to be reading this? Some of the extra explanation of basic wrestling concepts could’ve been captured in an appendix.
Second, I think some of the later chapters are just his essays from Deadspin. Because of this, they don’t acknowledge the previous chapters and so concepts, events, and players get explained multiple times. It takes away from the book and makes it feel amateurish.
Could’ve used an editor
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Incredibly written and documented
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you could sum up The Squared Circle in three words, what would they be?
Compelling, Glory, Gone too soon!Who was your favorite character and why?
The story tells about the glory of professional wrestling mainly from the 1970's thru late 2010. So many Great wrestlers we have watched and have lost before their time.What does R. C. Bray bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
R.C. Bray is my favorite narrator and he makes every narrated book come to life! Bravo on another great performance.Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Makes me feel sad for all the great wrestlers that have died in their 30's, 40's & 50's which seem way to young for me with Phenomenal Physiques in their younger days. It is obvious that drug use steroids & other along with all the falls of wrestling has taken a toll on these men.Any additional comments?
Great Book for the wrestling fan. Must read!The Golden Age of Wrestling to now
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.