A virtual reading session of Neil J. Smith’s book, On the Ropes, was conducted on July 7th, 2022, from 7-8:30 pm by the Event Brite. Copies of his book were sold amongst the event attendees. On the Ropes is a story of the 60’s era of the US, witnessed firsthand by the author as a successful US boxer. It draws a realistic picture and transcends you to that time through its detailed characters. Percival Jones is the main character, a black boxer. The story tackles racism. How any African American would have to prove his worth every passing second to feel adequate as a complete human, equal to all the others in this world. This story puts you in his shoes and shows you a devious, superficial world. Solely making it through a harsh world as being inferred as an inferior being is a tedious task. Racism, cultural rifts, idols of false stereotyping, and numerous other issues are tackled head-on by Mr. Smith. An infant’s murder, capturing and killing of panthers, and a mother’s homicide are only a few of the instances narrated in this book. Neil J. Smith was the 5th of 10 children and was born in the Bahamas. He’d been raised from 7 years onwards in NY. He was ill-educated due to limited resources and became a boxer at 12. He won numerous awards as an athlete for the next 12 years. Then he learned Creative Writing, Poetry, and Literature from William Packard at NYU.