Do or Die

"Patiently, painfully and with a highly discerning heart, Martine Barrat has filled our eyes with a world of young warriors eager to earn the honors of their hostile sport. Mostly big money, a passion to eat regularly and a longing for fame make up the foundation of their testament, and somewhere beyond the bruises and gashes lie their earthy destinations. Some of the younger ones appear to have just left their cradles. A wistful, beauteous demeanor betrays the hardness that is already building in their hearts. Yet others have already picked up the swagger of the barrios and ghettos that spawned them. Even at ten their fingers know the feel of protective tape and the smothering heat of the gloves. Their tender ears are already attuned to the raspy urging of the corner man: 'Go for his gut. Double him up, a quick one and two to the head, then bang the gut again. Keep moving in - moving in.

"And the older ones - yet really not so old - who, having failed to reach the shelter of success, move about restlessly, unraveled by uncertainty, standing by the arena door-looking for the river of gold that fails to arrive. And finally there is Kid Chocolate, whose thoughts go back, far back, into the most splendid and most fierce of his diminished nights.

"Here, with powerful pictures and strong words, Martine Barrat captures the spirit of young fighters who, with the other guy's blood on their gloves, return joyously to their concerns."