Rope Burns — F.X. Toole

In this hard-hitting collection of powerful and moving tales, F.X. Toole breathes life into vivid, compelling characters who radiate the fierce intensity of the worlds they inhabit:

• An aging cut man with an incorrigible sweet tooth

• Fearless Maggie Fitzgerald and her quest to become a champion boxer

• Señora Cabrera who makes low-fat refried beans to keep a local fighter in top form