Jimmy Urbanski loved wrestling.

As a kid growing up in Archer Heights in the 1970s Jimmy knew the names of all of the great wrestlers, Dick the Bruiser, Bobo Brazil, and The Crusher to name a few.

He watched the matches on Bob Luce’s show on Channel 44. He dreamed about, one day, being in the squared circle with a championship belt around his waist. 

When he became a teenager – he discovered the world of Lucha Libre in a small gym on Archer Road. There Jimmy and his friends studied the traditional Lucha Libre moves in hopes of one day getting to work in the wrestling ring. 

But tragedy struck when Jimmy learned that a medical condition was going to keep him out of the ring and keep him from following his one dream. 

Grande Ambition is the story of a young boy from Chicago’s Archer Heights confronted adversity, found a way to overcome, move past and find a new path.

Published as ebook and paperback Fall 2024.