Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World
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Overview
Many regard Muhammad Ali simply as “The Greatest” heavyweight of all time. Others admire his battles against racial injustice and religious intolerance. A few just call him “Dad.” They are all here in this book—fifty men and women of note coming together to celebrate the man Sports Illustrated crowned “Sportsman of the Century”: Angelo Dundee, Ali’s trainer; Billy Crystal, actor; Sir Henry Cooper, former British and European heavyweight champion; Bert Sugar, journalist and boxing historian; Hana Ali, Muhammad Ali’s daughter; Ferdie Pacheco, Ali’s fight doctor; and more. This book will be treasured by anyone who has ever been inspired by “The Greatest.”Synopsis
Many regard Muhammad Ali simply as “The Greatest” heavyweight of all time. Others admire his battles against racial injustice and religious intolerance. A few just call him “Dad.” They are all here in this book—fifty men and women of note coming together to celebrate the man Sports Illustrated crowned “Sportsman of the Century”: Angelo Dundee, Ali’s trainer; Billy Crystal, actor; Sir Henry Cooper, former British and European heavyweight champion; Bert Sugar, journalist and boxing historian; Hana Ali, Muhammad Ali’s daughter; Ferdie Pacheco, Ali’s fight doctor; and more. This book will be treasured by anyone who has ever been inspired by “The Greatest.”
Publishers Weekly
In prose of wildly varying quality, 52 essays address the paradox of how a man who beat other men senseless for a living and served as the spokesman for a religion that taught that white people are devils became the among the most beloved figures on the planet. The broad outlines of Ali's career are known to almost everyone, from the shocking knockout of Sonny Liston to the conversion to Islam and the theft of Ali's title after he refused to be drafted into the Vietnam War. Ali's words-"No Vietcong ever called me nigger"-remain a memorable statement from the era, and his comeback with the three Frazier fights and the "Rumble in the Jungle" provided a triumphant coda that Hollywood couldn't have scripted. Essays from such luminaries as Maya Angelou, Gil Scott Heron and Dustin Hoffman contain the platitudinous, the touching, the surprising and the bizarre. However, there are some excellent pieces here, including one by Stanley Crouch, who refers to the Nation of Islam as "cultural/political LSD... an emotional hallucinogen." Yet what impresses about this book is the sheer variety of contributors (BB King, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Bert Sugar), providing yet another testament to the enduring importance of the heavyweight boxer. (July)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationEditorials
Publishers Weekly
In prose of wildly varying quality, 52 essays address the paradox of how a man who beat other men senseless for a living and served as the spokesman for a religion that taught that white people are devils became the among the most beloved figures on the planet. The broad outlines of Ali's career are known to almost everyone, from the shocking knockout of Sonny Liston to the conversion to Islam and the theft of Ali's title after he refused to be drafted into the Vietnam War. Ali's words-"No Vietcong ever called me nigger"-remain a memorable statement from the era, and his comeback with the three Frazier fights and the "Rumble in the Jungle" provided a triumphant coda that Hollywood couldn't have scripted. Essays from such luminaries as Maya Angelou, Gil Scott Heron and Dustin Hoffman contain the platitudinous, the touching, the surprising and the bizarre. However, there are some excellent pieces here, including one by Stanley Crouch, who refers to the Nation of Islam as "cultural/political LSD... an emotional hallucinogen." Yet what impresses about this book is the sheer variety of contributors (BB King, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Bert Sugar), providing yet another testament to the enduring importance of the heavyweight boxer. (July)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information