The Chief by Robert Lipsyte

In this book there are two main conflicts, both of which involve Sonny Bear. The one that affects Sonny the most is the reservation he lives on which is located right outside of New York City. Although Sonny is not racist he still knows what is going to happen once new casinos start going up on his homeland. He knows that the "white man" is going to come over and turn it into their own casino and cause nothing but trouble for the natives that already live there. However some of the natives are money hungry and will do whatever it takes to make a quick buck just to get by. This part of the story has the biggest effect on Sonny because this is his life that is being messed with, not just a boxing match....On the other hand the other part of Sonny's problem is his boxing career itself. Early on in the book Sonny is booked to fight a no namer and there is a clause in his contract to have his name on a sign in big bold letters. However once Sonny arrives for the fight with Martin Withererspoon, he soon discovers that his name is much smaller than "Iron Pete Vieras" and Sonny is quickly not interested. In the beginning Sonny seems to always be on the outs for various reasons. He is battling an injured hand, and his record is not the best either. Although Sonny clearly shows that he is better than his record indicates, he still has a battle with his decisions that are ahead of him. He knows that the fame and the money are in Las Vegas where the big boys are and Sonny knows he can take them. Its just a matter of wanting it mentally and also a few of his peers to persuade him to do the right thing. These conflicts make the story interesting because they leave you wondering what is going to happen next and therefore lets the reader become more interested in reading.