Muhammad Ali (1) (1942–2016)

This book is more than boxing. Ali’s life was enormous and his book taught me so much.

The author must have known that sport historians would keep track of his score and achievements. Thus, instead of a factual journalistic retell of his matches, the book takes you behind the scenes and in his head: The immense preparation that goes into a match; All the pressure and threats he was living through; His encounter with an emasculated victim of the KKK whose story gave him strength and motivation; His out-of-the-ring strategies to destabilize an opponent.

The chapter that describes the process of refusing the draft, narrated with precision and suspense, leaves you biting your nails.

The only weakness I found are a few chapters in the middle dedicated to people Ali wanted to commemorate. These slow the pace down. Fair enough though.

It helps to complement the reading with a documentary to get the chronology in order and put some faces on the people.

Finally, it’s not a weakness, but just to know what to expect: the book does not cover his post boxing life. I guess The Greatest wanted to leave some work for the biographers.… (més)

Muhammad Ali has been one of my favorite athletes since I was a kid, drawn to his brash personality as much as his prowess in the ring. So, when I was asked to write a series of videos that honored his work at the Ali Center in Louisville, KY, I knew the research would be fun. I started - and pretty much finished - here.

This autobiography truly lets you into the soul of the man. It's not a detailed look at each stage of his life. Instead, he speaks more philosophically, sharing honest insight as to why he risked his career to protest the Vietnam War, why converting to Islam was the single most important decision of his life, and how Parkinson's has taken its toll.

Mostly, he writes from an inspirational perspective, which would be a tad annoying coming from a third-tier athlete, but when the greatest athlete of the 20th century speaks about 'what it takes' and how we all have 'the soul of a butterfly', you really want to believe him.

Mainly, I left this book feeling like I was Ali's friend - and that doesn't happen when you read most autobiographies.

… (més)

Nonfiction biography / e-audiobook borrowed through Overdrive (NOT audible--I refuse to use that service because of its abusive business practices--boo, Amazon--You stink!)

the Audie-award winning narration by [a:Dion Graham|286382|Dion Graham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1568422362p2/286382.jpg] is excellent, and the story is action packed (lots of people yelling--perhaps not ideal for bedtime reading if you are trying to wind down at the end of the day). He spends way more chapters on his 4 years of exile from professional boxing than I expected and for someone who doesn't follow boxing all the fights blend together after while, but the chapter in which he meets Judge Aaron is powerful and makes it worth reading.… (més)

This autobiography/memoir was written in the 70s while Ali was still fighting. I found his life told from his point of view fascinating. Reading about his struggles as an African American male made me think of how far we had come and how other things have yet to change. There were times the style of writing, specifically flashbacks within flashbacks, were a bit confusing regarding where you were in the timeline of his life. I liked how he included transcripts of conversations with Frazier and his first wife to give the reader their perspectives (although the conversation with Frazier was mostly the two of them boasting about their ability to beat the other). It was interesting to get inside his head during his fights and his decisions regarding his stand against white power and the Vietnam War. I am very interested in reading one of the books he wrote later in life because I know some of his positions changed a little over time and I would like some insight on what caused those changes.… (més)