At only five foot two, Mildred Burke was an unlikely candidate for the ring. A waitress barely scraping by on Depression-era tips, she wanted more, and she saw her chance when she witnessed her first wrestling match. Even against all odds, she knew that she could become a female wrestler. What followed was a gritty, glittering testament to the golden age of wrestling, when beauty and brawn captivated the world. “In a class by itself. A serious history of one of this country’s goofiest pastimes...one senses that [Leen has] left no stone unturned in researching Burke’s story.”— The Washington Post “An all-American story of a woman who rises above her downtrodden circumstances to make something of herself.”—Barry Gewen, The New York Times “You won’t be disappointed…Leen has [Burke’s] story pinned to the mat.”— USA Today “Leen can deliver gripping scenes…a rewarding read, an untold tale that completely deserves the telling.” — St. Petersburg Times “Jeff Leen has made a fabulous contribution to the sports-history canon. The Queen of the Ring is a marvelous evocation of an era, and a riveting portrait of a one-of-a-kind American moll.”— Sally Jenkins, author of The Real All-Americans Jeffrey Leen is the assistant managing editor for the Washington Post’s investigations unit, where his work has helped win six Pulitzer Prizes. Also the author of KINGS OF COCAINE , the first book-length investigation of Columbia’s Medellin cartel, he lives in Maryland.