Overview
“I am the greatest! I am the king!”
Bold and boisterous—Muhammad Ali was one of the most electrifying, inspiring, and confrontational athletes of his generation. At the height of his career, Ali was as despised as he was adored. Loud and aggressive as well as confident and dedicated, he was the quintessential showman, the undeniable champion of his sport, and one of the most recognizable faces in the world. He was challenged at every turn: faced with racial discrimination in his everyday life, mocked by the sports media as his career began, ridiculed for adopting a new religion, and stripped by the U.S. government of his very livelihood for refusing to go to war.
Muhammad Ali faced the obstacles in his life the way he faced his opponents in the ring, brashly and with all the force at his command. In his private life, he was also deeply spiritual, committed to standing up against social injustice, and steadfast in his beliefs.
Ali's shadows have faded with time, leaving behind an international icon and a role model for generations—a champion both inside the ring and out
Featuring stunning illustrations and covering his entire life from childhood through his professional career to his current battle with Parkinson's Syndrome, Jim Haskins and Eric Velasquez have created a moving tribute that introduces this electrifying and impressive figure to a new generation.
A biography of Muhammad Ali, from his childhood in Louisville, Kentucky, his legendary boxing career, and his conversion to Islam and opposition to the war in Vietnam, to his appearance at the 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewAuthor Jim Haskins and illustrator Eric Velasquez have put together an excellent picture-book biography honoring the man who strove to knock down racial and religious barriers while kayoing some of the greatest fighters of his time.
Champion takes readers through Muhammad Ali's entire life. Written in a clear and engaging manner, the book shows how the young Cassius Clay decided to take up boxing after his bike was stolen in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Following the boxer's career from his gold-medal victory at the 1960 Summer Olympics to his surprise appearance at the '96 Games, Haskins provides a complete portrait filled with all the important events: the first world-championship fight with Sonny Liston in 1964, Ali's conversion from Christianity to Islam, his refusal to join the army during the Vietnam War, and his famous "Rumble in the Jungle" with George Foreman. The book also ends nicely with a chronology of Ali's life, along with a selected bibliography for adults and young readers.
Although this book is aimed at upper-elementary and middle-grade readers, it's suitable for anyone who wants to learn more about tolerance and understand the ability of a single person to make a difference in society. Velasquez's oil illustrations -- particularly the close-ups -- capture Ali's emotional expressions wonderfully, enhancing a vibrant tribute to this important figure. (Matt Warner)
Publishers Weekly
Haskins (The Story of Stevie Wonder) and Velasquez (Grandma's Records) pay tribute to Muhammad Ali in this rather adoring yet noteworthy biography, which brings to light the boxing great's many types of triumphs. The author knows how to interest kids, tracing the fighter's career to his 12th birthday, when the theft of his new bicycle made him want to find the thief and beat him up; as Haskins tells it, a policeman advised him "that he had better learn how to fight first" and offered the boy boxing lessons at his gym. The hero is not invulnerable: then known as Cassius Clay, he was so afraid of flying that he bought his own parachute and wore it during the flight to the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Haskins recaps familiar highlights of Ali's life and career, including his decision to join the Nation of Islam (and his later embrace of world Islam); the loss of his title as world heavyweight champion when he refused, on religious grounds, to fight in the Vietnam War; his remarkable 1974 win over George Foreman to regain the crown; his experience with Parkinson's; and his surprise appearance as the final torch-bearer at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. A liberal sprinkling of Ali's famous rhymes provides additional insight into his personality. Velasquez does justice to the subject with his imaginatively conceived oil paintings; sometimes these approach a photographic crispness, sometimes they suggest Ali's inner victories and struggles. Informative and inspiring. Ages 6-10. (May) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.Children's Literature
It's been said that during his prime, Ali was the most recognized person in the entire world. This beautifully written book will keep the boxer's legend alive for a new generation. It tells both the bitter and the sweet parts of Ali's life¾his segregated upbringing, the Olympic gold medal, the championships, the draft-evasion conviction that robbed him of his career for four years, and, sadly, the fact that the sport he loves has caused permanent brain damage and Parkinson's disease. Haskins supports the story with small, wonderful details, such as the fact that when Ali returned from the Olympics, his father had painted the front steps red, white and blue, and that when he first traveled by plane, he was so afraid that he brought along a parachute from the army surplus store. Velaszquez' oil illustrations are superb, depicting the ferocity of the boxer, the faith of the Muslim and the gentleness of the father holding his last child. The artist's final illustration, of the diminished Ali shakily holding the Olympic torch in Atlanta, captures the strength and dignity beneath the frozen Parkinson's mask. "Ali was as much a symbol himself as was the torch," the text on that page reads. "He was a symbol of strength and skill, of courage and pride." 2002, Walker & Company,— Donna Freedman