The Chief by Robert Lipsyte

When it comes to characters in The Chief there is no shortage of them. You have big mouthed Martin Witherspoon who usually takes care of Sonny's talking end of things (which alot of the time ends up benefiting Sonny in certain ways). You have the cigar smoking and handicapped Alfred Brooks who is Sonny's manager and knows what is best for him when it comes to boxing. And then you have Jake, the other indian that is part of the team who helps Sonny come to terms on being native and how he has to think, act, but most importantly commit to being a "Running Brave." These are the main characters in the book but there are others scattered in that help add to the mood as well. But when identifying with one personally, I would have to go with Sonny himself. I picked Sonny bacause he is witty and always on top of his game, and also indian, which helps. Just like myself, Sonny is athletic but kind of doesnt have the right mental side of it. Sonny knows what he has and he knows that he can go a long way but after a few bumps in the road he seriously starts to doubt himself and the goal he has in front of him. But once he stops to think about being a moscondaga indian and his roots as a Running Brave, he realizes that he has to pursue what he set out to accomplish in the first place, and that is to be the world champion.