Book Description

Vikki La Motta wrote her brutally honest life story 18 years ago but was so shocked by the finished manuscript she insisted it be withheld until after her death (she died in February, 2005). She describes a life lived among such celebrities as boxing champion Jake LaMotta, Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra, Sam Giancana, Robert De Niro and Hugh Hefner. It was a life marked by violence, sex and betrayal, but ultimately her story is one of personal triumph and fulfillment.

From the Inside Flap

The story of Vikki La Motta's life reads like a highlight reel from a television mini-series. Born into poverty. Raped at age fourteen. Pregnant and married at sixteen. Subjected to brutal beatings by her husband, world middleweight champion Jake LaMotta. Vikki La Motta left Jake, worked as a chorus girl to support three young children, was pursued by Frank Sinatra, and became romantically involved with mob boss Sam Giancana. At one time or another, she crossed paths with the likes of Babe Ruth, Jimmy Durante, Johnny Carson, and Robert DiNiro. At age 51, she posed nude for Playboy. The issue sold more copies to women than any issue of Playboy ever. Now Vikki’s story, written with acclaimed author Thomas Hauser, can be told. Knockout is a straight-from-the-heart account of a life filled with sex and violence that ultimately became a survivor’s journey to redemption.

Reviews

"Most sports fans and/or movie buffs have seen the Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese classic Raging Bull based on the life of former boxing champion Jake LaMotta. What you may not know, however, is the story of the fascinating life of LaMotta’s first wife Vikki. In an explosive autobiography published posthumously, Knockout! The Sexy, Violent, Extraordinary Life of Vikki LaMotta her story is revealed." (Rob MacNeil, Sportsnet.ca)

"In Knockout, LaMotta counters that Raging Bull did not portray her, or Jake, accurately. She said some parts of the book give Jake too much glorification and that some parts – believe it or not – make him look worse. Raging Bull was coauthored by Joseph Carter and Pete Savage, but as she put it, 'Jake supplied the raw data; Pete embellished it; Joseph Carter did most of the work.' She blames Savage for most of the book’s inaccuracies. In Raging Bull, Savage is a major part of Jake and Vikki’s lives. According to Vikki, she met Savage one time during her marriage with Jake." (Aaron Tallent, The Sweet Science)

"This brief look at Knockout! can’t do the book justice, so take my word that this remarkable life is well worth the read. And, since I haven’t seen it, need to head out and rent Raging Bull to see what all the fuss was about!" (Rob MacNeil, Sportsnet.ca)