Post by polish6 on Aug 20, 2017 12:23:51 GMT
This is what Amazon says about the book, King Of The World, by David Remnick,
David Remnick concentrates on Ali's early career, when he was still fighting as Cassius Clay. The book begins in September 1962 with the fight between Floyd Patterson and Sonny Liston, providing a remarkable sociological backdrop to Ali's entrance on the boxing scene. Remnick then describes Clay's 1964 fight with Liston, which even his own people thought Clay couldn't win, and takes us through to 1967 when Ali refused the military draft to Vietnam. This is much more than a sports book. It is a study of the rise of the black voice in the American consciousness and a look at how the media creates its heroes - Cassius Clay began as a 'light-hitting loudmouth' before becoming gradually canonized by the American press and public as Muhammad Ali.
King of the World takes us back to the days when his life was a series of battles, inside the ring and out. A master storyteller at the height of his powers, David Remnick has written a book worthy of America's most dynamic modern hero.
If I could describe this book in one word, it would be ‘unexpected’. I looked at the cover of the book, and saw the beautiful, handsome face of Muhammad Ali. This gave me the impression that this book would be a ‘join-the-dots’ biography. It would tell me about the birth, the great life and finally the death of the boxer. Instead, it was very different. By focusing the attention onto the 1960’s, the writer was able to give the reader valueable insights into the character of Muhammad Ali. Added to this, it described tha varying influences on the life of Muhammad Ali, things that affected his character, like the civil rights movement. I have to say what interested me a lot was the way that, as a Black Muslim, Ali treated women.
I would recommend this book highly. For the boxing fan, there is a lot here, particularly about the Clay (as he was then)-Liston fights. Little snippets about the press really hit home. But this is much, much more than a simple sports book. It is written like a biography, and would recommend that even non-boxing fans would like it. I found it ‘unexpected’, for good reasons.
David Remnick concentrates on Ali's early career, when he was still fighting as Cassius Clay. The book begins in September 1962 with the fight between Floyd Patterson and Sonny Liston, providing a remarkable sociological backdrop to Ali's entrance on the boxing scene. Remnick then describes Clay's 1964 fight with Liston, which even his own people thought Clay couldn't win, and takes us through to 1967 when Ali refused the military draft to Vietnam. This is much more than a sports book. It is a study of the rise of the black voice in the American consciousness and a look at how the media creates its heroes - Cassius Clay began as a 'light-hitting loudmouth' before becoming gradually canonized by the American press and public as Muhammad Ali.
King of the World takes us back to the days when his life was a series of battles, inside the ring and out. A master storyteller at the height of his powers, David Remnick has written a book worthy of America's most dynamic modern hero.
If I could describe this book in one word, it would be ‘unexpected’. I looked at the cover of the book, and saw the beautiful, handsome face of Muhammad Ali. This gave me the impression that this book would be a ‘join-the-dots’ biography. It would tell me about the birth, the great life and finally the death of the boxer. Instead, it was very different. By focusing the attention onto the 1960’s, the writer was able to give the reader valueable insights into the character of Muhammad Ali. Added to this, it described tha varying influences on the life of Muhammad Ali, things that affected his character, like the civil rights movement. I have to say what interested me a lot was the way that, as a Black Muslim, Ali treated women.
I would recommend this book highly. For the boxing fan, there is a lot here, particularly about the Clay (as he was then)-Liston fights. Little snippets about the press really hit home. But this is much, much more than a simple sports book. It is written like a biography, and would recommend that even non-boxing fans would like it. I found it ‘unexpected’, for good reasons.