Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times

How this book is written is a delight. It is of the witness and testimony of many people about Muhammad Ali throughout his life till he was around 48 when this book was published. Thomas Hauser is one of Muhammad Ali closer acquaintances but it doesn’t bleed through the books as 99% of everything written is voiced from his closest friends, reporters of his time, admirers and foes. Each voice had their own unique perspective on his extraordinary life. It doesn’t sugarcoat the life of Muhammad Ali and tells the truth from page to page with some occasional bias. In the beginning of the book, I idolized Muhammad Ali and had a narrow perspective of who he was. Afterwards, I only admired who he was truly as person in accordance to his faith, courage, integrity, and love for people. This book makes you truly want to be a better person day in and out. Please read this book if you genuinely interested in Muhammad Ali life, you won’t regret the 500 pages of reading as in the end, you wished only that there was a couple of more.

Hauser tried hard to write a balanced view of Cassius Clay, but his admiration - even hero worship - was evident. I had no idea that after Cassius Clay - who evidently never legally changed his name - refused to be inducted in the military, Elijah Muhammad had Ali excommunicated from the Black Muslim church for saying in a 1969 television interview that he would come back and fight if the money were right and a match could be arranged. The myth is that Ali refused induction into the military because of his principled stance on behalf of his relgion. Yet, his own religion excommunicated him while Ali fought his case in the courts. Indeed, the press encouraged and baited Ali to say on the telephone (as Ali was being teased and tormented by Black Muslims that a southern redneck sergeant would get him killed in Viet Nam) that he did not have anything against them Viet Cong. The press ran with that headline, and Ali, whose instincts were those of a carnival entertainer, stumbled upon a fresh, new way to grab headlines. Overall, by listening to this book, I came to realize that the Ali myth, unassailable to most people and encouraged by the press (and even this book), is a false narrative. Cassius Clay was a man of limited intelligence, without even enough education to read, who was a gifted athlete. Cassius Clay, though he was an entertainer, was also an egotistical seeker of truth and God. Conversely, he glibly spun hurtful, false narratives about his opponents, must notably Joe Frazier. Clay portrayed Frazier in the first fight as an Uncle Tom who sold his soul to the white man and that he (Clay) was fighting for "his people." By the Thrilla in Manila, however, Clay's narrative to the press was that Frazier was a big, black, stupid gorilla, adopting all the most perverse and hateful racist archetypes. Significantly, the press lionized Clay/Ali throughout the 1970's and never called his vicious self-promotions and ad hominem attacks against others into question. The Foreman fight in Zaire serves as a perfect metaphor for the draft controversy: by the second round, Clay/Ali realized Foreman significantly overmatched and outclassed him and retreated to the ropes simply to survive. Foreman, rather than making Clay/Ali come to him in the center of the ring, was so enraged by Clay/Ali's boasting that he blasted away, exhausting himself, for several rounds without achieving the decisive knockout blow. Clay/Ali cleverly adapted, saw an opportunity, and knocked an arm weary Foreman out in the eighth. Similarly, in the draft controversy, Clay/Ali initially just wanted to keep his title, keep fighting and make money and avoid Viet Nam and military service; but the press seized upon the "I aint got nothin' against no Viet Cong" remark and made him into an anti-war hero. Clay/Ali adapted his strategy to the new opportunity and became a "fighter" for human rights and black rights. Was this stance heroic and represent a sacrifice? No. Clay/Ali made more money on the college speaking circuit, speaking out against the war than he ever would have made as an enlisted man in the army. Thanks to Hauser's book, (and reading between the lines), the Ali myth was reduced to a more realistic portrait of a charismatic character who used his athletic gifts to further his ambitions to be a famous individual, who adopted a racist religion, later abandoning it when Elijah Muhammed died for more conventional Islam. Clay/Ali used whatever means necessary to promote himself and make himself adored by all those to whom he crossed paths, to include the world public, in his life. Sadly, this book came to a close when Ali was in his late forties, so the reader does not know "the rest of the story" concerning the remaining thirty plus years of his life.

To the millions of retirees Mohamed Ali (Cassias Clay) belongs to the 60"s and 70"s of the past century. That was when he used to dominate the boxing world and when his fights used to be anxiously awaited by admirers around the entire world.Those were the days when he terrorised his opponents and intimidated them with threats and demeaning poems. He was not just tough; he was merciless! In fact, he literally drove some of his toughest challengers to tears!But to say this is to omit the other half of a great story. Mohamed Ali these days is a totally different man. The times when he humiliated his challengers with his swift knockouts inflicting heavy damage are gone, but not necessarily missed. Paradoxically, Mohamed himself was neither hateful nor vindictive as demonstrated by his generous and kind acts towards all people, specially as he grew older. To him boxing was a technical and strategic challenge and not a way to hurt his foes. That is why he almost never said a bad word about his opponent after a fight but instead he evaluated his performance on a strictly technical basis.To understand Mohamed Ali we need to realise that his life consisted of two distinct phases. The first phase was purely devoted to his athletic performance in which he was considered the greatest heavy-weight boxer in the world . Those were the years of glory for which he became known from Asia to America. Interestingly, however, the second phase was dominated by spiritual devotion. That is when Mohamed converted to Islam and became emotionally and intellectually a devout Muslim. This once-devastating boxer now kneels down and prays to God (Allah) five times every day. He hates no body and wants to help every body. He now regrets some of the cruel things he had done to his foes. He wants to fight hunger and bring peace to society. Thousands seek his autograph every month and with every autograph he passes a leaflet preaching Islam. He married four times and stipulated that every wife should practice Islamic traditions.Although Mohamed Ali has now slowed down and apparently has a light form of parkinsonism he is at peace with himself. He believes it is Allah's will, and Allah does things for a purpose.Credit should be given to the author for his unique handling of this biography. He tells the Mohamed Ali story through all the people who knew him - his family, his friends, his agents and even his foes. They all come forth to tell their point of view in an interesting and candid manner. With this style one could hardly accuse the author of bias.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned a lot about not only Muhammad Ali but life itself.

Fantastic reading, describing the life of the legend Muhammad Ali through the eyes of the the ones who have known him the best, friends, lawyer, wives, children , promoters, publicists, and opponent on the rings, and with an author who has literally lived and followed Ali for years for achieving this book. Muhammad Ali himself brings his own highlights on his actions , and his life, with the view of a wiser, older, peaceful man (May he rest in peace).The author Highlight what made ALI a legend, " the most loved human being of the last last 50 years " , but demystify the legend by reminding us the human condition in its whole.Ali the Boxer, Ali the samaritan, Ali the contested, Ali the Pacifitst, Ali the fighter, Ali the winner, Ali the looser, Ali the Kid, Ali the naive, Ali the religious, Ali the poet, Ali the father, Ali the wrong, Ali the right which makes him Ali the man but forever Ali the Greatest !Sometimes some redundant informations and testimonies, the book could have been 50 pages smaller, but still a fantastic read.Laugh and tears.Inspiring as ever. ALI !

Book was as described

Beautiful life of a beautiful man, beautifully written. The writing is sensitive and powerful and speaks to the heart. Muhammad Ali was inspirational. This book will keep that memory alive for future generations who will continue to need that inspiration - perhaps even more as the forces of racism, fascism and oligarchy have once again been given a new lease of life. The examples of Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King JR., Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela are all needed to reassure us that it is possible for the single man or woman to stand up against the forces of power and wealth and defeat their effort to enslave humanity.

Muhammad Ali ist ein Kandidat für den Titel bekanntester Mensch der Welt. Selbst heute, dreißig Jahre nach seinem Karriereende als Boxer, kennt man ihn selbst in den entlegensten Winkeln der Welt. Diese Berühmtheit erlangte er nicht nur aufgrund seiner überragenden Fähigkeiten als Boxer. Vielmehr ist sie Ausdruck der Bedeutung, die Muhammad Ali auf die amerikanische Gesellschaft in den sechziger Jahren des vergangenen Jahrhunderts hatte.Thomas Hauser ist studierter Jurist und Schriftsteller. In seinem literarischen Werk beschäftigt er sich auch mit juristischen Themen, ist aber auch Romanautor und seit den späten Achtzigerjahren auch Boxexperte. In den Achtzigern begann er dann auch mit der Arbeit an seiner Biografie über Muhammad Ali, die er in Kooperation mit Ali selbst verfasste. Dabei ist es sowohl Hauser als auch Ali wichtig zu betonen, dass Ali ihn zwar unterstützte, indem er ihm Interviews gab und den Zugriff auf sonst nicht erreichbare Quellen, wie z.B. Arzt- und Krankenhausberichte ermöglichte, jedoch zu keinem Zeitpunkt direkten Einfluss auf den Inhalt des Buches nahm.Insgesamt versucht Hauser dem Leser den Menschen Muhammad Ali im Ganzen näher zu bringen. So ist seine Boxkarriere zwar ein ganz wesentlicher Bestandteil des Buches, doch auch sein Leben außerhalb des Rings wird ausführlich erzählt. Interessanterweise hat Hauser für sein Buch das Interview-Prinzip gewählt. Er fasst also nicht alle Gespräche, die er während der Recherche für das Buch führte zu einem langen Fließtext zusammen, sondern druckt die einzelnen Interview-Passagen eins zu eins ab, und fügt selbst meist lediglich Übergänge zwischen die Interviewauszüge ein. Diese Idee erscheint zunächst etwas merkwürdig, und es besteht die Befürchtung, dass die Lesbarkeit des Buches darunter leidet, dem ist aber keinesfalls so - das Buch lässt sich ausgezeichnet lesen. Interessant bei dieser Art der Darstellung ist, dass Hauser gegensätzliche Aussagen von verschiedenen Akteuren direkt nacheinander präsentieren kann, und der Leser sich so selbst eine Meinung bilden kann. Zu Wort kommen neben Muhammad Ali selbst, so ziemlich alle Wegbegleiter, die er über die Jahre traf: Ehefrauen, Kinder, Familienangehörige, Gegner im Boxring, Gegner im Gerichtssaal, Freunde, Feinde, Bürgerrechtler, Anwälte, Gegenanwälte, Richter, Ärzte, Politiker... Niemand wird ausgelassen. Und so ergibt sich ein sehr rundes Bild der Person Muhammad Ali, mit allen Facetten und immer aus mehreren Blickwinkeln. So kann sich der Leser letzten Endes sein eigenes Bild dieser Person machen.Insgesamt ist Thomas Hause hier eine ausgezeichnete Biografie von Muhammad Ali gelungen. Seine sportliche Karriere wird wunderbar nachgezeichnet, und der Mensch Muhammad Ali wird dem Leser ganz besonders näher gebracht. Auf diese Weise gelingt es Thomas Hauser auch zu erklären, warum Muhammad Ali zu solch einer außergewöhnlichen Berühmtheit werden konnte.