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Summary: The story of three boxers
Review: I can't believe it, a book that gets you cheering for Patterson over Liston, then Clay over Liston, then feeling bad for Liston as he meets Ali, and finally nervously cheering for Ali as he demolishes Patterson--only to eventually feel guilty for not having supported Patterson. This book really leads you through the early sixties from a unique stance. In short, this is a brilliant wonderful book that is well researched and superbly written.
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Summary: Thanks from the young crowd!!
Review: The cover caught my eye! I got the book for my father who, for as long as I can remember has been an Ali fan. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. There is so much more to the man than just the talking. Although I'm too young to have seen the beginining. By reading this book I felt like I was there.
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Summary: Great understanding of the times and THE MAN
Review: At a time when the phrase, "You the man" seems to be applied to every "wannabe" during every sporting event on TV, this book tells the tale about the person who really is THE MAN! The mystique that is Ali comes to life as a truly special person . . a man who, though basically illiterate (he was initially given an 87 IQ (sub-intelligent) by his draft board), who never learned to read, and who has lived a large part of his adult life without being able to express himself. I found it fascinating to learn about his exposure to religion and his endorsement of a philosophy that was interpreted incorrectly by most of the newspaper reporters who covered his rise to the Championship during the 60's. This book, which follows Ali for a short period of his career . . . the 1st Liston bout up to the Patterson fight . . . casts a giant floodlight and illuminates many of the shadows that have confused many of us about this legend. I now know why . . . (I really never was able to understand my instincts before this read) I have come to regard this guy as "the Greatest" ! David Remnick should receive another Pulitzer Prize for this one.
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Summary: A must-read
Review: The best book I have ever read about Muhammad Ali, especially due the in-depth analysis of the conversion of Cassius Clay to the Islamic Faith, as well as the detailed coverage of the two men who held the Heavyweight Championship crown prior to Clay/Ali, Floyd Patterson and Sonny Liston. Anyone who is interested in the history of Ali will cherish reading this book.
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Summary: The author brilliantly shows why Ali was King of the World
Review: Remnick employs an exceptional writing style in describing the ascendency of Clay/Ali against the backdrop of the Patterson-Liston matches. His treatments of the preparations for the Ali-Liston fights are tantalizing. I would have enjoyed some discussion of Ali's post-prison matches, viz., Frazier and Foreman but that shortcoming does not change the fact that this was my favorite book of 1998
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Summary: Muhammad - Boxing Against Society
Review: In one on the Eyes on the Prize videos, the focus is on Muhammad Ali and his effect on American culture. Well, this book addresses those issues and more. The most phenomenal fact about Ali is that he vastly shaped himself. When boxing promoters largely developed the public personas of their fighters, Ali decided who he would be and didn't care about how he would be viewed. He cared more about his principles. If Liston and Patterson had done the same, they would probably have been happier men.Whether you hate Ali or love him, read this book to better understand him.
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Summary: Remnick's outstanding in placing the reader alongside Ali.
Review: David Remnick does a masterful job in placing the reader alongside Ali - from Ali's days as a youth in Jim Crow Louisville, to his success in the Olympics, to his "shocking the world" with his annihilation of an unbeatable Sonny Liston, to his controversial spritual growth obtained via the Nation of Islam. The beginning scene is exceptional with Remnick at Ali's farm in Michigan and is only continued throughout the book and finally when Ali walks Remnick to his car to leave Ali's home. The reader's respect and amazement over Ali's life (and this is only from youth to denouncing the draft)will further be stregnthened. Remnick does a great job of supplying the reader with "Ali-isms", quotes and memories from the Champ. Those who feel sadness of Ali's current state will be a bit relieved that Ali himself is most at peace with himself and condition. Through Remnick's work we are all reminded that Ali was and is, for all eternity, truly The Greatest.
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Summary: Excellent psychological portrait of a great boxer.
Review: By focusing on the Ali-Liston battles, "King of the World" paints vivid and unforgettable portraits of not only Ali, but Liston and Patterson. This is a fun read, and the most memorable book on Boxing since Thomas Hauser's book on the same topic.
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Summary: The greatest!
Review: Is there anything left to say about Muhammad Ali? Absolutely, when the writer possesses the skills of David Remnick. The author does a marvelous job of presenting the former heavyweight champion as a complex individual during a most turbulent period in our history - the 1960's. Through his use of clear, readable language, Remnick focuses on, and simplifies, some complex social and psychological issues. The prologue and the epilogue, featuring the author's visit with the modern-day Ali, provide an effective structure, allowing the reader to better understand the man who, now more than ever, remains "King of the World." Somehow by the end of the book, we have a feeling for Ali the man and the reasons he has indeed transcended the world of sports. This is more than a book about a great boxer, or even a remarkable human being. Ultimately, Remnick has provided us with a book about the second half of the twentieth century in America. Great reading!
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Summary: He Still "Floats Like A Butterfly, Stings Like A Bee"
Review: David Remnick is superb. This is the "Real Book" David should win the Pulitzer Prizer for, not "that other one", he did win one for writing. As Ali's Deer Lake, Pa. Training Camp photographer during the '70's, I can tell you of this kind, gentle man, who was oh so awesome within the ring. Ali is a "one-man masterpiece", "a true work of functional artisitic prowess". David Remnick, on paper in prose, captures all of this. Ali is my friend, my mentor, my role model, and yes, I AM a bit biased, but there have been other works on Ali and this is the "best of the best". May Allah be with you, David, and with you, "Champ". - Maury Schiowitz
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