MUHAMMAD ALI: HIS LIFE AND TIMES

Rating:
Summary: Vital stuff for sports fans and non-fans alike.
Review: Aside from being one helluva boxer, Muhammad Ali was a vibrant, intuitive, funny, giving, and confilcted man. But his universal fame and his powerful fists (in addition to his constantly flapping mouth) often obscured his innate humanity, a quality that is made strikingly evident in Thomas Hauser's "Muhammad Ali: His Life And Times". Hauser's interview-driven paean to possibly the greatest sportsman of the Twentieth Century celebrates Ali's impact both in and out of the boxing ring, while at the same time revealing the heretofore unknown depths of The Champ's complex personality. Even if you know Ali's history backwards and forwards, there's still much to learn from this breathtakingly honest volume. For example, I had no idea that early in his career, soon after he declared himself a member of the intensely pro-black Nation Of Islam, Ali would make his way into poor white neighborhoods to play with the children of the men that his religious sect referred to as "white devils". I was also surprised to learn that the Ali of today--though not the least bit regretful of his decision to align himself with Elijah Muhammad in the early 1960's--no longer holds the Nation Of Islam's founder in particularly high regard. The fact that the champ himself cooperated in the construction of this book (i.e., the unflinching honesty during his own interviews, in addition to the insistance that all of his co-hortrs who were quoted be totally truthful themselves) makes "His Life And Times" that much more vital. An essential portrait a true American original.

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest
Review: Excellent Ali biography. With very little narrative by the author, it is mostly a collection of interviews by those in Ali's life from the beginning to the end of his career-- his parents, his trainers, his friends, his enemies, his opponents, his aquaintances.

Rating:
Summary: Good book about Ali's accomplishments, but . . .
Review: For those who want to know about the real Ali, I recommend "The Tao Of Muhammad Ali" by Davis Miller, which offers far more about the person rather than dates and figures. I enjoyed "Muhammad Ali: His Life And Times", it had a lot of things in it I didn't know, but if you want to read just one great book about Ali, then make it "The Tao Of Muhammad Ali".

Rating:
Summary: Good book about Ali's accomplishments, but . . .
Review: For those who want to know about the real Ali, I recommend "The Tao Of Muhammad Ali" by Davis Miller, which offers far more about the person rather than dates and figures. I enjoyed "Muhammad Ali: His Life And Times", it had a lot of things in it I didn't know, but if you want to read just one great book about Ali, then make it "The Tao Of Muhammad Ali".

Rating:
Summary: a great book about the greatest
Review: from the first time i got the book and read it i was so happy.this man was a genius in the ring and a human force outside of it.this book showcases all the many sides of the greatest.very compelling and full of insight.it showcases the myths&mystic of the man.one of the greatest bios that i've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Great biography of a true original
Review: Muhammad Ali has always played a large part in my life. He showed me that being black did not make me inferior at a time when almost everything and everyone said the opposite. This book gave me a fresh perspective on his achievements and his beliefs, thanks to contributions from sources as diverse as Joe Frazier and Cheryl Tiegs. The stories are wide-ranging and informative. Some were laugh out loud funny (very embarrassing when you're on a train). Some were depressing (stories surrounding Ali's entourage and the Holmes fight almost made me cry). There are even some from people who don't like Ali or see him as someone worthy of praise. All of them gave me a deeper, more rounded insight into a man that I viewed with awe and reverence. I started the book seeing Ali as some kind of distant super hero and ended it seeing him as a warm, caring human being with the same flaws and insecurities as anyone else. Along the way I laughed a lot and learned even more. The book is funny, engaging, and inspirational...just like the man himself.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring champion; awe-inspiring human being
Review: MUHAMMAD ALI: HIS LIFE AND TIMES, through accounts of noteworthy admirers and close-associates, chronicles the life and times of a living legend. Long-time pugilistic journalist and award-winining author Thomas Hauser has painstakingly compiled a wealth of information to support what seems to be his thesis: that no matter how amazing Muhammad Ali was in the ring, his worth as a boxing champion is far exceeded by his worth as a citizen of this world. In 500 pages of text, we are able to follow Ali in his growth from a brash, boisterous heavyweight contender to a highly devoted man of God who brings happiness wherever he tarries. For fight fans, all of the classic bouts from Liston I to Manilla are covered; anecdotes to be especially savored are those leading up to the first Liston fight, where Ali was arguably out of his mind in the extent to which he went in taunting his opponent, as well as the unadvised beating Ali suffered at the hands of Larry Holmes in the twilight of his career. Most interesting were the sections of the book that dealt with Ali's relationship with Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam at the beginning of his first reign as heavyweightchampion and his conscientiously objecting to fighting in Vietnam. It is obvious that Hauser is captivated by his subject and looks upon Ali with great reverence. At times this can lead to the feeling that the author went to great lengths selecting interviews which sanitize and exagerate the legacy of Ali. Still, so many different people can't be distorting the truth; it is undeniable that Ali has a heart of gold and it brought a smile to my face everytime I read about him performing magic tricks for children, or meeting with fans, no matter what, to show his appreciation for their humanity. It is tragic and anger-provoking that Ali was taken advantage of by so many people that he loved and provided for, but it is a blessing that his spirit exists in this bio for future generations to learn of.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring champion; awe-inspiring human being
Review: MUHAMMAD ALI: HIS LIFE AND TIMES, through accounts of noteworthy admirers and close-associates, chronicles the life and times of a living legend. Long-time pugilistic journalist and award-winining author Thomas Hauser has painstakingly compiled a wealth of information to support what seems to be his thesis: that no matter how amazing Muhammad Ali was in the ring, his worth as a boxing champion is far exceeded by his worth as a citizen of this world. In 500 pages of text, we are able to follow Ali in his growth from a brash, boisterous heavyweight contender to a highly devoted man of God who brings happiness wherever he tarries. For fight fans, all of the classic bouts from Liston I to Manilla are covered; anecdotes to be especially savored are those leading up to the first Liston fight, where Ali was arguably out of his mind in the extent to which he went in taunting his opponent, as well as the unadvised beating Ali suffered at the hands of Larry Holmes in the twilight of his career. Most interesting were the sections of the book that dealt with Ali's relationship with Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam at the beginning of his first reign as heavyweightchampion and his conscientiously objecting to fighting in Vietnam. It is obvious that Hauser is captivated by his subject and looks upon Ali with great reverence. At times this can lead to the feeling that the author went to great lengths selecting interviews which sanitize and exagerate the legacy of Ali. Still, so many different people can't be distorting the truth; it is undeniable that Ali has a heart of gold and it brought a smile to my face everytime I read about him performing magic tricks for children, or meeting with fans, no matter what, to show his appreciation for their humanity. It is tragic and anger-provoking that Ali was taken advantage of by so many people that he loved and provided for, but it is a blessing that his spirit exists in this bio for future generations to learn of.

Rating:
Summary: an in-depth look at an american icon
Review: This book is essential for fans of Ali's and for anyone who is intrigued by him. The best part of the book is that it is mainly a collection of paragraphs written about him by his fans, family, friends, enemies, and himself. Because of this format, we get an honest account of events surrounding him. For example, Sonny Liston's corner-men give commentary on their fights, as well as those from Ali and his corner-men. The book is well researched and covers every aspect of his career, personality, and motives. An overall great book.

Rating:
Summary: The best book on Ali ever written
Review: This book is not only for Ali fans. It's an authoritative source for 20th century sports historians. And best of all, it's written with the cooperation of Muhammad Ali himself!