The Complete Muhammad Ali
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- $38.99
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- $38.99
Publisher Description
Including material and photographs not included in most of the 100 other books about the champion, Ishmael Reed's The Complete Muhammad Ali is more than just a biography—it is a fascinating portrait of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. An honest, balanced portrayal of Ali, the book includes voices that have been omitted from other books. It charts Ali's evolution from Black Nationalism to a universalism, but does not discount the Nation of Islam and Black Nationalism's important influence on his intellectual development. Filipino American author Emil Guillermo speaks about how "The Thrilla' In Manila" brought the Philippines into the 20th century. Fans of Muhammad Ali, boxing fans, and those interested in modern African American history and the Nation of Islam will be fascinated by this biography by an accomplished American author.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Despite its title, this book is neither a biography nor complete. Instead, it's Ali as seen through the eyes of diverse people, many of whom have not been included in other books on Ali. Reed, a novelist, playwright, poet and academic, writes that he treats Ali "not only as a boxer but as a phenomenon, a human mirror for the sixties, as a cautionary tale for the seventies." But as Reed, who too often turns the spotlight on himself, showcases his knowledge of African-American culture, the book goes on unorganized, maddening tangents about the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X and the Black Panthers, only sometimes relating back to Ali, and even then it might be about Ali's shady business associations or politics, not his boxing. There's little pattern to the subjects interviewed over more than a decade Ali's second wife, jazz musicians, a mysterious "Informant X;" by the end, the reader feels buried in scattered detail. If readers are looking for boxing, the book is a big swing and a miss, but if they are seeking enlightenment about Ali in the fabric of history, then it's at least a body blow but one better suited for academia than for fans.
