What do you think?
Rate this book
The Tao of Bruce Lee: A Martial Arts Memoir
In this companion volume to his critically acclaimed first book, The Tao of Muhammad Ali , Davis Miller turns his attention to a second iconic figure of the twentieth century--and another of Miller's own seminal film star and martial arts legend Bruce Lee.
Just weeks after completing Enter the Dragon, his first vehicle for a worldwide audience, Bruce Lee--the self-proclaimed world's fittest man--died mysteriously at the age of thirty-two. The film has since grossed over $500 million, making it one of the most profitable in the history of cinema, and Lee has acquired almost mythic status.
Lee was a flawed, complex, yet singular talent. He revolutionized the martial arts and forever changed action moviemaking. But what has his legacy truly meant to the fans he left behind? To author Davis Miller, Lee was a profound mentor and a transformative inspiration. As a troubled young man in rural North Carolina, Miller was on a road to nowhere when he first saw Enter the Dragon, an encounter that would lead him on a physical, emotional, and spiritual journey and would change his life.
As in The Tao of Muhammad Ali , Miller brilliantly combines biography--the fullest, most unflinching and revelatory to date--with his own coming-of-age story. The result is a unique and compelling book.
Just weeks after completing Enter the Dragon, his first vehicle for a worldwide audience, Bruce Lee--the self-proclaimed world's fittest man--died mysteriously at the age of thirty-two. The film has since grossed over $500 million, making it one of the most profitable in the history of cinema, and Lee has acquired almost mythic status.
Lee was a flawed, complex, yet singular talent. He revolutionized the martial arts and forever changed action moviemaking. But what has his legacy truly meant to the fans he left behind? To author Davis Miller, Lee was a profound mentor and a transformative inspiration. As a troubled young man in rural North Carolina, Miller was on a road to nowhere when he first saw Enter the Dragon, an encounter that would lead him on a physical, emotional, and spiritual journey and would change his life.
As in The Tao of Muhammad Ali , Miller brilliantly combines biography--the fullest, most unflinching and revelatory to date--with his own coming-of-age story. The result is a unique and compelling book.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
About the author
Davis Miller
5 books37 followersDavis Miller is notable for a series of works that combine reportage and autobiography. His books include The Tao of Muhammad Ali and The Tao of Bruce Lee: a martial arts memoir, both of which have been critically acclaimed number-one bestsellers in the United Kingdom and Japan, as well as The Zen of Muhammad Ali: and other obsessions, a collection of personal essays, memoir and short fiction that was published exclusively in the U.K., where it was a number-eight bestseller.
His most recent book is Approaching Ali: A Reclamation in Three Acts, which was published on 1 March 2016 in the United States and the United Kingdom, and on 3 September 2016 as En Busca de Muhammad Ali in Spain.
Miller's story 'My Dinner with Ali' was judged one of the twenty best magazine stories of the 20th Century.
He is also co-librettist of the acclaimed chamber opera, "Approaching Ali," which was commissioned by the Washington National Opera and received its world premiere in 2013 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
His most recent book is Approaching Ali: A Reclamation in Three Acts, which was published on 1 March 2016 in the United States and the United Kingdom, and on 3 September 2016 as En Busca de Muhammad Ali in Spain.
Miller's story 'My Dinner with Ali' was judged one of the twenty best magazine stories of the 20th Century.
He is also co-librettist of the acclaimed chamber opera, "Approaching Ali," which was commissioned by the Washington National Opera and received its world premiere in 2013 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
November 11, 2021
Just found goodreads for the first time. Happy that readers like my book TAO OF MUHAMMAD ALI. I'm presently working on a follow-up titled APPROACHING ALI. Please don't hesitate to leave comments. I'll be honored to reply.
A few magazine and newspaper reviews of TAO OF ALI:
Glenn Stout, Editor, The Best American Sports Writing:
The Tao of Muhammad Ali resonates with wisdom. This is the single best sports story I've ever read. The book is a classic, part of the standard against which I'll measure all other sports writing.
Andrew Martin, Independent (book of the year):
Ranks among the best of contemporary American writing.
Tim Kawakami, Los Angeles Times:
Nobody has ever written so purely about Ali before. Maybe no one has ever written so purely about anyone.
FHM:
An instant classic.
Joyce Carol Oates:
What brilliant stories these are! Davis Miller writes profoundly, beautifully and importantly.
Matthew DeAbitua, Esquire:
Miller's astounding book, more in the tradition of writers such as Tobias Wolff, Richard Ford and Tim O'Brien than that of mere biographies, is a seminal interpretation of fame, how it affects both those who have it and those who live in its shadow.
Daily Telegraph:
Miller is Ali's spiritual Boswell. A compelling, strange and beautiful book.
Michael Mulhall, Times Literary Supplement:
Filled with the clarity of ordinary human experience. Miller's best writing occurs when he recalls periods of his life when Ali was not part of it, for example the buzz of early journalistic successes or the sudden illness that took his father's life. After all, the real Zen lesson to be learned from a man like Ali, Miller argues, has nothing to do with lionizing the mighty infallible heroes whom we aspire to be. It is, instead, about living with the potent fallibility of ourselves.
Tom Shroder, from the Miami Herald's Pulitzer Prize nomination:
When this manuscript arrived at our offices, we were floored by its extraordinary insight, unprecedented intimacy, and unexpected conclusions. Miller has elevated lowly celebrity journalism to the level of timeless literature. It is an honor to nominate his story for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing.
Simon Holt, Glasgow (Scotland) Herald:
It is rare that a book, especially a sporting book, can move a grown man to tears. In his quite wonderful story, The Tao of Muhammad Ali, Davis Miller finds inspiration and not distress in Ali's condition. You may rightly deduce that this is not your usual sporting book. The subject matter is altogether broader: it is the only sports book I've ever read which seems important.
John Colquhoun, Scotland on Sunday:
My New Year's resolution: Do not leave mobile telephones on public transport. Do not purchase compact discs on the strength of one single. Do work hard to write a book that I can pretend is half as good as The Tao of Muhammad Ali by Davis Miller.
Maxim:
(four-star review) Inspired by Ali, Miller began practicing martial arts, drove himself to become a writer and finally met, sparred and befriended his idol. Miller's tale is inspiring, beautifully written and keenly insightful about himself, Ali and the nature of hero worship.
Sharon Barnes, indublin magazine, Dublin, Ireland (book of the fortnight):
The classification on the cover is 'Biography/Sport.' I think the author might demur at this. In its painfully honest self-scrutiny, the story is also accomplished autobiography; and the moving portrait of Davis's father gives us at least one other hero. There is occasionally a Messianic tone to the writing, but this is nicely counterbalanced by the sheer sense of fun displayed by the Champ, and his willing playmate.
Playfulness becomes a serious issue here as life throws knock-out punches at all contenders and the late 20th century, here charted in all its fast-forward mayhem, is analysed for its lasting values. The sort of thinking which has other journalists regarding Ali as a mere has-been has galvanised an indignant Davis into proving that some heroes are greater than the sum of their parts; and in identifying the need -- at once human and transcendent -- to admire and emulate, (Davis) fights a corner for all of us.
Newcastle Upon Tyne (England) Journal:
(Ali's) charisma and achievements have inspired some of the finest writing by the likes of Norman Mailer and Hunter Thompson. The Tao of Muhammad Ali . . . easily earns Miller a place alongside these benchmark writers. This is more love story than conventional biography. It is impossible to imagine either a more intimate, revealing portrait of Ali or a better example of sports writing.
The Crack (England):
Written in pithy prose, this journey to enlightenment via friendship with Muhammad Ali is a moving reflection on the joy and pain of modern life, and what it costs to survive. Davis Miller's The Tao of Muhammad Ali humanizes a modern hero and discovers how life can be stranger than fiction. A (contemporary) Herman Hesse anyone?
Cork (Ireland) Examiner:
With its honest self-analysis, and the sublimity of Davis' relationship with his own father, there is more than one hero in this story, just as the theme of fathers and sons underpins the whole.
Davis takes interesting risks with the fullness of the portrait he paints. We see Ali free, for precious moments, of debilitating tremors, playfully throwing punches, performing magic tricks, playing practical jokes. Children are often present when this transformation occurs: As Ali says, "They're angels in exile. Children are so close to God, they haven't had time to separate from him."
Davis' own young son Isaac swears he has seen Ali fly. Who are we to doubt an angel in exile?
Art Taylor, The Spectator:
The beauty of this daringly different book arises from the interconnectedness between Ali and the young man who chose to follow in the way of Ali. The heart of the book can be found in its lyricism, its spiritual sense of seeking and striving, its uncommon approach to the everyday questions of existence and its defiant originality. The Tao of Muhammad Ali is, in the best senses of the word, organic: It grows at a steady pace beyond the bounds of easy description, beyond classification, reaching for its own greatness.
H.A. Branham, Tampa Tribune:
The author tells us more about Ali than perhaps anyone ever has. Or ever will. In the process, Davis Miller also tells us much about himself. A funny thing happens while following Miller on his (journey): Miller's alignment with Ali makes you envious, but leaves you awed. And, at some point, Miller takes on a bit of an aura, as well. The book starts with one hero. It ends with two. Davis Miller? My man.
(London) Times:
Beautifully recalled, tenderly told meetings with Ali. Not Ali in his strutting pomp, but as the seraphic person he became in illness. Not a pitiable character, in Miller's view: but a saintly one.
Halifax (England) Evening Courier:
The best book on the subject -- and whole forests have died to publish material on Ali. A beautiful, inspiring, and fantastically readable book.
Mel Christle, Dublin (Ireland) Evening Herald:
In beautifully written prose, Miller charts his life's progress, from childhood to his present day, through a series of epiphanies with Ali, his all time hero. This is one of the most intelligent publications of recent years. Neither a biography or an autobiography, it is an account of the intersection of two lives, one globally celebrated, the other more humble. I've distributed about half a dozen copies (of the book) so far and received as many back as gifts. Spread the word.
A few magazine and newspaper reviews of TAO OF ALI:
Glenn Stout, Editor, The Best American Sports Writing:
The Tao of Muhammad Ali resonates with wisdom. This is the single best sports story I've ever read. The book is a classic, part of the standard against which I'll measure all other sports writing.
Andrew Martin, Independent (book of the year):
Ranks among the best of contemporary American writing.
Tim Kawakami, Los Angeles Times:
Nobody has ever written so purely about Ali before. Maybe no one has ever written so purely about anyone.
FHM:
An instant classic.
Joyce Carol Oates:
What brilliant stories these are! Davis Miller writes profoundly, beautifully and importantly.
Matthew DeAbitua, Esquire:
Miller's astounding book, more in the tradition of writers such as Tobias Wolff, Richard Ford and Tim O'Brien than that of mere biographies, is a seminal interpretation of fame, how it affects both those who have it and those who live in its shadow.
Daily Telegraph:
Miller is Ali's spiritual Boswell. A compelling, strange and beautiful book.
Michael Mulhall, Times Literary Supplement:
Filled with the clarity of ordinary human experience. Miller's best writing occurs when he recalls periods of his life when Ali was not part of it, for example the buzz of early journalistic successes or the sudden illness that took his father's life. After all, the real Zen lesson to be learned from a man like Ali, Miller argues, has nothing to do with lionizing the mighty infallible heroes whom we aspire to be. It is, instead, about living with the potent fallibility of ourselves.
Tom Shroder, from the Miami Herald's Pulitzer Prize nomination:
When this manuscript arrived at our offices, we were floored by its extraordinary insight, unprecedented intimacy, and unexpected conclusions. Miller has elevated lowly celebrity journalism to the level of timeless literature. It is an honor to nominate his story for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing.
Simon Holt, Glasgow (Scotland) Herald:
It is rare that a book, especially a sporting book, can move a grown man to tears. In his quite wonderful story, The Tao of Muhammad Ali, Davis Miller finds inspiration and not distress in Ali's condition. You may rightly deduce that this is not your usual sporting book. The subject matter is altogether broader: it is the only sports book I've ever read which seems important.
John Colquhoun, Scotland on Sunday:
My New Year's resolution: Do not leave mobile telephones on public transport. Do not purchase compact discs on the strength of one single. Do work hard to write a book that I can pretend is half as good as The Tao of Muhammad Ali by Davis Miller.
Maxim:
(four-star review) Inspired by Ali, Miller began practicing martial arts, drove himself to become a writer and finally met, sparred and befriended his idol. Miller's tale is inspiring, beautifully written and keenly insightful about himself, Ali and the nature of hero worship.
Sharon Barnes, indublin magazine, Dublin, Ireland (book of the fortnight):
The classification on the cover is 'Biography/Sport.' I think the author might demur at this. In its painfully honest self-scrutiny, the story is also accomplished autobiography; and the moving portrait of Davis's father gives us at least one other hero. There is occasionally a Messianic tone to the writing, but this is nicely counterbalanced by the sheer sense of fun displayed by the Champ, and his willing playmate.
Playfulness becomes a serious issue here as life throws knock-out punches at all contenders and the late 20th century, here charted in all its fast-forward mayhem, is analysed for its lasting values. The sort of thinking which has other journalists regarding Ali as a mere has-been has galvanised an indignant Davis into proving that some heroes are greater than the sum of their parts; and in identifying the need -- at once human and transcendent -- to admire and emulate, (Davis) fights a corner for all of us.
Newcastle Upon Tyne (England) Journal:
(Ali's) charisma and achievements have inspired some of the finest writing by the likes of Norman Mailer and Hunter Thompson. The Tao of Muhammad Ali . . . easily earns Miller a place alongside these benchmark writers. This is more love story than conventional biography. It is impossible to imagine either a more intimate, revealing portrait of Ali or a better example of sports writing.
The Crack (England):
Written in pithy prose, this journey to enlightenment via friendship with Muhammad Ali is a moving reflection on the joy and pain of modern life, and what it costs to survive. Davis Miller's The Tao of Muhammad Ali humanizes a modern hero and discovers how life can be stranger than fiction. A (contemporary) Herman Hesse anyone?
Cork (Ireland) Examiner:
With its honest self-analysis, and the sublimity of Davis' relationship with his own father, there is more than one hero in this story, just as the theme of fathers and sons underpins the whole.
Davis takes interesting risks with the fullness of the portrait he paints. We see Ali free, for precious moments, of debilitating tremors, playfully throwing punches, performing magic tricks, playing practical jokes. Children are often present when this transformation occurs: As Ali says, "They're angels in exile. Children are so close to God, they haven't had time to separate from him."
Davis' own young son Isaac swears he has seen Ali fly. Who are we to doubt an angel in exile?
Art Taylor, The Spectator:
The beauty of this daringly different book arises from the interconnectedness between Ali and the young man who chose to follow in the way of Ali. The heart of the book can be found in its lyricism, its spiritual sense of seeking and striving, its uncommon approach to the everyday questions of existence and its defiant originality. The Tao of Muhammad Ali is, in the best senses of the word, organic: It grows at a steady pace beyond the bounds of easy description, beyond classification, reaching for its own greatness.
H.A. Branham, Tampa Tribune:
The author tells us more about Ali than perhaps anyone ever has. Or ever will. In the process, Davis Miller also tells us much about himself. A funny thing happens while following Miller on his (journey): Miller's alignment with Ali makes you envious, but leaves you awed. And, at some point, Miller takes on a bit of an aura, as well. The book starts with one hero. It ends with two. Davis Miller? My man.
(London) Times:
Beautifully recalled, tenderly told meetings with Ali. Not Ali in his strutting pomp, but as the seraphic person he became in illness. Not a pitiable character, in Miller's view: but a saintly one.
Halifax (England) Evening Courier:
The best book on the subject -- and whole forests have died to publish material on Ali. A beautiful, inspiring, and fantastically readable book.
Mel Christle, Dublin (Ireland) Evening Herald:
In beautifully written prose, Miller charts his life's progress, from childhood to his present day, through a series of epiphanies with Ali, his all time hero. This is one of the most intelligent publications of recent years. Neither a biography or an autobiography, it is an account of the intersection of two lives, one globally celebrated, the other more humble. I've distributed about half a dozen copies (of the book) so far and received as many back as gifts. Spread the word.
January 21, 2024
The following are newspaper and magazine reviews of my book, which was named Sports Book of the Year by the editors of the American Library Association's influential "Booklist" magazine.
Ted Leventhal, Booklist (starred review):
This fantastic second book by Miller runs deeper than an account of the author growing up as a "karate kid" in the 1970s. It is equally a study of the nature and role of the hero in popular culture, a poignant and unusual coming-of-age story, and an informative biography of Bruce Lee.
The Times (London):
A martial arts Nick Hornby, Miller bulks up with a punishing regimen and reads everything he can by or about Lee, discovering a personal philosophy that allows him to grow as an adult and feel secure in himself. Miller is illuminating about the ability to transform oneself no matter what the circumstances.
San Francisco Chronicle (editors' recommendation of the week):
Bruce Lee freed Miller to transform himself from someone his high school classmates called "Fetus," and shut inside lockers for fun, into a sinewy, 140-pound kickboxer.
In the section solely about Lee, Miller usefully debunks numerous myths about the martial artist's life, and especially about his strange death with his mistress. (At the end of the book,) one gets the impression that, in future stories, Miller has lots more to say about his idols, who are always with him.
Richard Martyn, Toronto Star:
Quite inspirational . . . With the publication of his second book, Miller continues to invent a powerful new form of writing.
Tony Parsons, author Man and Boy, (London) Daily Mail:
I loved Davis Miller's The Tao of Bruce Lee, a book about hero worship.
Library Journal:
During his adolescent years, the diminutive, troubled Miller was probably the only guy on the planet who could have had the hurt put on him by the 98-pound weakling of Charles Atlas ads. Then came Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee. Miller devoted his life to the martial arts and in the process discovered that he did, indeed, have a life. After telling his own story, Miller attends to Lee's saga, gently debunking many myths.
Waikato (New Zealand) Times:
Part autobiography, part biography, part confession, part revelation. Miller details in compelling and tender fashion how his discovery of Lee, initially through the film "Enter the Dragon," transformed him from a reclusive, hesitant 90-pound college student to a confident, successful adult. In doing so, Miller brilliantly shows why Lee and the mystique that still surrounds him became the prime factor in why there are now twenty million martial arts students in the U.S. alone. Yet, it's the first half of the book, the stories about Miller's own life, that makes this homage so noteworthy.
Ron Shelton, director and writer, Cobb, Blaze, Bull Durham:
Davis Miller is singlehandedly, brilliantly, and beautifully reinventing memoir, biography, and coming-of-age books.
Ed Bumgardner, Winston-Salem Journal:
The book -- part autobiography, part biography, part philosophical guidepost -- is an an often poignant, always potent narrative, a spiritual purging and rebirth. Miller has created the place where New Journalism comfortably collides with classic reporting and timeless storytelling.
From one perspective, the resulting tale extends, and brings into sharper focus, Miller's Everyman quest for identity and his odyssey toward enlightenment.
Times Literary Supplement:
A combination of memoir, essay and magazine feature. Miller's approach combines affection and iconoclasm. He is good on Lee's cross-cultural borrowings and the very American process of self-creation. Surprisingly engaging.
Sunday Telegraph (Sydney, Australia):
Miller writes with elegance, insight and beauty.
Terry Peters, Vancouver (Canada) North Shore News:
Miller tells of his own transformation from withdrawn weakling into martial art enthusiast. His story of growth with its own pitfalls makes for great reading. As we see the powerful effect of a contemporary icon on an obsessed fan, Miller's tale intertwines with Lee's -- one offering insight into the other. (One result) is a very fresh look at a man who will forever be the benchmark for martial actors.
Joe Tougas, Mankato (Minnesota) Free Press:
Unlike writers who make the readers do the work, Miller's nonfiction has a style that pulls the reader into the story in a way that seems automatic or to use his description, natural. He achieves this through the use of first-person narrative and without the use of literary snobbery.
Lee Smith, Slate magazine:
. . . a really interesting, beautifully written book with amazingly random but cool distinctions like: Lee was a Confucian in a Taoist's clothing.
Creative Loafing:
. . . a genre-bending writer whose eloquent, semi-comic tales about, well, life are written with himself at the center of the story. Sort of an inner travelogue.
Raleigh (North Carolina) Spectator:
Infused with humor, pathos and distinctive insight.
Greensboro (North Carolina) News and Record:
A wonderfully refreshing change from the ordinary biography-from-a-distance format. Miller is quite candid about his experiences, warts and all.
Lynn Felder, Winston-Salem Journal:
. . . a vivid evocation of place and (a) refusal to adhere to ordinary reality. Important writing.
Ted Leventhal, Booklist (starred review):
This fantastic second book by Miller runs deeper than an account of the author growing up as a "karate kid" in the 1970s. It is equally a study of the nature and role of the hero in popular culture, a poignant and unusual coming-of-age story, and an informative biography of Bruce Lee.
The Times (London):
A martial arts Nick Hornby, Miller bulks up with a punishing regimen and reads everything he can by or about Lee, discovering a personal philosophy that allows him to grow as an adult and feel secure in himself. Miller is illuminating about the ability to transform oneself no matter what the circumstances.
San Francisco Chronicle (editors' recommendation of the week):
Bruce Lee freed Miller to transform himself from someone his high school classmates called "Fetus," and shut inside lockers for fun, into a sinewy, 140-pound kickboxer.
In the section solely about Lee, Miller usefully debunks numerous myths about the martial artist's life, and especially about his strange death with his mistress. (At the end of the book,) one gets the impression that, in future stories, Miller has lots more to say about his idols, who are always with him.
Richard Martyn, Toronto Star:
Quite inspirational . . . With the publication of his second book, Miller continues to invent a powerful new form of writing.
Tony Parsons, author Man and Boy, (London) Daily Mail:
I loved Davis Miller's The Tao of Bruce Lee, a book about hero worship.
Library Journal:
During his adolescent years, the diminutive, troubled Miller was probably the only guy on the planet who could have had the hurt put on him by the 98-pound weakling of Charles Atlas ads. Then came Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee. Miller devoted his life to the martial arts and in the process discovered that he did, indeed, have a life. After telling his own story, Miller attends to Lee's saga, gently debunking many myths.
Waikato (New Zealand) Times:
Part autobiography, part biography, part confession, part revelation. Miller details in compelling and tender fashion how his discovery of Lee, initially through the film "Enter the Dragon," transformed him from a reclusive, hesitant 90-pound college student to a confident, successful adult. In doing so, Miller brilliantly shows why Lee and the mystique that still surrounds him became the prime factor in why there are now twenty million martial arts students in the U.S. alone. Yet, it's the first half of the book, the stories about Miller's own life, that makes this homage so noteworthy.
Ron Shelton, director and writer, Cobb, Blaze, Bull Durham:
Davis Miller is singlehandedly, brilliantly, and beautifully reinventing memoir, biography, and coming-of-age books.
Ed Bumgardner, Winston-Salem Journal:
The book -- part autobiography, part biography, part philosophical guidepost -- is an an often poignant, always potent narrative, a spiritual purging and rebirth. Miller has created the place where New Journalism comfortably collides with classic reporting and timeless storytelling.
From one perspective, the resulting tale extends, and brings into sharper focus, Miller's Everyman quest for identity and his odyssey toward enlightenment.
Times Literary Supplement:
A combination of memoir, essay and magazine feature. Miller's approach combines affection and iconoclasm. He is good on Lee's cross-cultural borrowings and the very American process of self-creation. Surprisingly engaging.
Sunday Telegraph (Sydney, Australia):
Miller writes with elegance, insight and beauty.
Terry Peters, Vancouver (Canada) North Shore News:
Miller tells of his own transformation from withdrawn weakling into martial art enthusiast. His story of growth with its own pitfalls makes for great reading. As we see the powerful effect of a contemporary icon on an obsessed fan, Miller's tale intertwines with Lee's -- one offering insight into the other. (One result) is a very fresh look at a man who will forever be the benchmark for martial actors.
Joe Tougas, Mankato (Minnesota) Free Press:
Unlike writers who make the readers do the work, Miller's nonfiction has a style that pulls the reader into the story in a way that seems automatic or to use his description, natural. He achieves this through the use of first-person narrative and without the use of literary snobbery.
Lee Smith, Slate magazine:
. . . a really interesting, beautifully written book with amazingly random but cool distinctions like: Lee was a Confucian in a Taoist's clothing.
Creative Loafing:
. . . a genre-bending writer whose eloquent, semi-comic tales about, well, life are written with himself at the center of the story. Sort of an inner travelogue.
Raleigh (North Carolina) Spectator:
Infused with humor, pathos and distinctive insight.
Greensboro (North Carolina) News and Record:
A wonderfully refreshing change from the ordinary biography-from-a-distance format. Miller is quite candid about his experiences, warts and all.
Lynn Felder, Winston-Salem Journal:
. . . a vivid evocation of place and (a) refusal to adhere to ordinary reality. Important writing.
August 8, 2014
I just found out from another book called Zodiac Baby Names that Bruce Lee was a Saggitarius. Now I wonder what sign Davis Miller was born in? He is a really very good writer. I enjoyed the details he squeezed into his memoir section of the book. An honest look at Bruce Lee's skill and life and death...
February 22, 2014
One of the best books I've ever read, this is as good as any novel. Such powerful and beautiful writing not only about Ali but about bullying and growing up with only one parent and overcoming numerous obstacles. This is one I'll keep and read again.
February 1, 2008
I LOVED this book. What a fascinating, generous, dynamic person. I had no idea how amazing his life was, beyond his boxing career!
January 21, 2016
Brilliant. Timeless feeling. Heartening. Inspiring. Sad. Beautiful.
March 6, 2016
“Each of Mr. Miller's Muhammad Ali tales is lyrical, important, and rigorously humanizing. There is music and truth in each sentence he writes. I can think of no higher praise for a writer or his work.” (Maya Angelou)
"(Miller) recounts his 27-year bond with the champ, catching Ali's graceful decline and his influence. Thoughtful, emotive." (Sports Illustrated)
“In clear, observant prose, Miller details how the most outspoken and graceful heavyweight of all time now struggles to knot a tie or make himself understood. Yet in the wreck of ‘the black Superman,’ Miller discovers and celebrates a spiritual Ali, a bodhisattva molded by the unlikely path of boxing and the Nation of Islam…. [Miller’s] engagement and journalistic integrity provide a unique perspective on a man he portrays as a hero for the world.” (Publishers Weekly)
“In Approaching Ali: A Reclamation in Three Acts (Liveright), Miller weaves vignettes drawn from his time with the Champ―updates of published work combined with new recollections―to tell a deeply personal story of Ali’s post-career life. From Ali’s take on historic fights to his struggles with Parkinson’s to unguarded moments, as when the boxer performs magic tricks for kids on a South Carolina beach, Miller celebrates the one-two combo of charisma and power that made Ali both his lifelong muse and the most famous athlete on the planet.” (C.J. Lotz - Garden & Gun)
“Not like anything else that I have read. What a strange encounter between this extraordinary man and his gifted troubadour. One has the feeling of absolute and radiant verisimilitude, which is exactly what one requires.” (Donald Hall, former poet laureate of the United States)
“From Norman Mailer to George Plimpton to Hunter S. Thompson to Tom Wolfe, Muhammad Ali has inspired some of the best work by America’s best writers. But no one has written about him as well as Davis Miller. Approaching Ali is a book for the ages, a book to be treasured.” (Matthew Polly, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller American Shaolin)
“I don't know of a better or more human biography of an iconic American than Davis Miller's magnificent portrait of Muhammad Ali. Approaching Ali is the best book about friendship I've read in years. Every sentence in the book is, in one way or another, revelatory, profound, sublime, graceful, naked, true, tender, and uncompromising. Davis is a genuinely great writer.” (Howard Frank Mosher)
“There have been many books about Muhammad Ali, and there will be more, but . . . nobody is more qualified to write about Ali’s post-boxing life than Miller.” (Bill Littlefield - Only a Game, NPR)
"Davis Miller’s obsession with Muhammad Ali has spanned from his childhood to the present day, and his book Approaching Ali: A Reclamation in Three Acts represents the culmination of that relationship. (Miller's book presents) “the all-time most intimate and quietly startling portrait of Ali’s day-by-day life, as well as the only deeply detailed look at his enormously rich years after boxing.” Ali, now 74 and courageously battling Parkinson’s disease, remains one of the great figures of 20th-century sports, and this profile finds the boxer’s playful good nature and magnanimous personal spirit intact." (Martin Brady, BookPage)
"(Miller) recounts his 27-year bond with the champ, catching Ali's graceful decline and his influence. Thoughtful, emotive." (Sports Illustrated)
“In clear, observant prose, Miller details how the most outspoken and graceful heavyweight of all time now struggles to knot a tie or make himself understood. Yet in the wreck of ‘the black Superman,’ Miller discovers and celebrates a spiritual Ali, a bodhisattva molded by the unlikely path of boxing and the Nation of Islam…. [Miller’s] engagement and journalistic integrity provide a unique perspective on a man he portrays as a hero for the world.” (Publishers Weekly)
“In Approaching Ali: A Reclamation in Three Acts (Liveright), Miller weaves vignettes drawn from his time with the Champ―updates of published work combined with new recollections―to tell a deeply personal story of Ali’s post-career life. From Ali’s take on historic fights to his struggles with Parkinson’s to unguarded moments, as when the boxer performs magic tricks for kids on a South Carolina beach, Miller celebrates the one-two combo of charisma and power that made Ali both his lifelong muse and the most famous athlete on the planet.” (C.J. Lotz - Garden & Gun)
“Not like anything else that I have read. What a strange encounter between this extraordinary man and his gifted troubadour. One has the feeling of absolute and radiant verisimilitude, which is exactly what one requires.” (Donald Hall, former poet laureate of the United States)
“From Norman Mailer to George Plimpton to Hunter S. Thompson to Tom Wolfe, Muhammad Ali has inspired some of the best work by America’s best writers. But no one has written about him as well as Davis Miller. Approaching Ali is a book for the ages, a book to be treasured.” (Matthew Polly, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller American Shaolin)
“I don't know of a better or more human biography of an iconic American than Davis Miller's magnificent portrait of Muhammad Ali. Approaching Ali is the best book about friendship I've read in years. Every sentence in the book is, in one way or another, revelatory, profound, sublime, graceful, naked, true, tender, and uncompromising. Davis is a genuinely great writer.” (Howard Frank Mosher)
“There have been many books about Muhammad Ali, and there will be more, but . . . nobody is more qualified to write about Ali’s post-boxing life than Miller.” (Bill Littlefield - Only a Game, NPR)
"Davis Miller’s obsession with Muhammad Ali has spanned from his childhood to the present day, and his book Approaching Ali: A Reclamation in Three Acts represents the culmination of that relationship. (Miller's book presents) “the all-time most intimate and quietly startling portrait of Ali’s day-by-day life, as well as the only deeply detailed look at his enormously rich years after boxing.” Ali, now 74 and courageously battling Parkinson’s disease, remains one of the great figures of 20th-century sports, and this profile finds the boxer’s playful good nature and magnanimous personal spirit intact." (Martin Brady, BookPage)
March 17, 2014
I love this book, and I'm not sure that the best audience for it is Bruce Lee fans. Half of the book features the only real biography that's been written. Or at least the only one written by a real writer. The first half of the book is about the author's fascinating struggles growing up as a runt whose mother died unexpectedly and how Muhammad Ali and later Bruce Lee rescued him from his misery, eventually helping him find his own rich life. More than anything else, I guess, the book is about how each person's life influences so many others.
This is not a Bruce Lee fanboy love letter. It's very easy to read, in fact it's wonderful to read and it reads like a good novel, but it makes the reader ask tough questions of himself and about media heroes. After you finish it, Tao of Bruce Lee is a book that will stay with you. I found myself starting it again to read it more slowly and carefully.
Strongly recommended!
This is not a Bruce Lee fanboy love letter. It's very easy to read, in fact it's wonderful to read and it reads like a good novel, but it makes the reader ask tough questions of himself and about media heroes. After you finish it, Tao of Bruce Lee is a book that will stay with you. I found myself starting it again to read it more slowly and carefully.
Strongly recommended!
July 1, 2009
I have always been intrigued by Muhammad Ali. The man who had great flair in the boxing ring and loved to proclaim himself as "The Greatest" spoke more with his strong convictions, kind actions and loving soul than any words could express. I enjoyed every minute of this book.
October 19, 2007
The best, most even-handed portrait of the last martial artist/actor, bar none. On top of that, it's a fascinating chronicle of how Lee inspired Miller to become involved in martial arts, which in turn got him into writing. Miller's is a unique, sympathetic writing voice.
While Bruce Lee fans and martial artists will probably get the most from Miller's memoir, I believe any fan of good biography will appreciate this insightful, often surprising book. Great stuff.
While Bruce Lee fans and martial artists will probably get the most from Miller's memoir, I believe any fan of good biography will appreciate this insightful, often surprising book. Great stuff.
June 23, 2008
This was an homage to "The Greatest" and one of my idols. I learned that Davis Miller has at least equal and maybe greater adoration and reverence for Ali than I. I wasn't sure that was possible.
April 19, 2014
Davis Miller argues that, of all the living icons that have emerged in the 20th century, Bruce Lee is perhaps the closest to be revered as a god. This is not just down to his extraordinary worldwide appeal, his legacy on film or in the martial arts, but also the mythology that has built up around him. As Miller points out, few facts have been written about the Little Dragon. It’s quite extraordinary for a modern well-known individual to have their complete life fictionalized from start to finish by the majority of the media. In this respect, he has become close to a god-like figure. His life story is often portrayed as miraculous and his death is shrouded in mystery. Davis argues that Lee’s impact on the world was more immense than most people realize. He changed the way we look at action films and the way martial arts are used in them. Outside of this, his legacy is vast, and its influence similar to the way a religion takes hold in the minds of the followers its founder leaves behind.
There are those who say he was anything but great. The martial arts historian and writer, Robert W. Smith, dismisses Lee as a fake. This is not surprising. For all those who revere an icon to godly status there will be those whose view is the polar opposite. One man’s god is another’s devil. As numerous documentary makers, biographers and martial arts writers have discovered, it is not difficult to find positive support for the cult of Bruce Lee. However, Miller, who singles the man out as one of his two major influences in life, is not content with hearing what those who mythologize him have to say. He doesn’t go to Lee’s harshest critics, but rather those who seem to be more grounded in the idea of the “human” Lee – people like “Judo” Gene LeBelle and karate champion Joe Lewis. The truth is Bruce Lee was most certainly a driven man with many original ideas and massive ambitions. Although revered in his home country, Lee chased the American dream. His first three movies may seem to be chauvinistic towards Chinese culture, but off-screen Lee wanted to be accepted as an American more than anything else. Evidence more than suggests he wasn’t faithful to his wife or spent a great deal of time with his children in pursuit of his dreams. Miller also argues that Lee cared little for teaching martial arts, but was more interested in developing himself through training with his students. He taught to earn money and his decision to teach westerners was probably more based on business than a desire to make Asian martial arts transcend the culture barrier.
More fuel is added to the fire regarding Lee’s prowess as a fighter, as Miller draws upon contemporary accounts and uses training footage of the man to form a cold analysis. He might have given hope to the small people of this world, but Miller suggests his hero was probably more of a bully with all the psychological hang-ups associated with this behaviour than a defender of the weak
According to Miller Lee shut down his schools and forbade anyone from teaching jeet kune do, the name he gave his approach, because he felt no one but he understood what he was trying to do. One has only to read one the last notes in Lee’s posthumously published book “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do” to see that the great man feared his approach might become a style. He actively says that if anything like this starts to happen then the name should be dismissed. Despite there being some wonderful Jeet Kune exponents out there, it is not difficult to see how many have completely missed the point of the Lee’s postmodern martial arts message. We now have schools divided up into those who follow the jeet kune do according to which area and period Lee taught, many mimicking the stance he used and exactly how he held his hands.
Lee certainly put across new ideas in the martial arts world, many of which are not fully appreciated even now. He pioneered the use of a lot of training equipment. He married the concept of the athlete with the martial artist. This statement is certainly true of the Chinese martial arts, where the sight of shapeless men performing chi sau or “sticky hands” with cigarettes hanging out of the side of their mouths is still not an uncommon in Hong Kong. Lee is responsible for helping to blend western and eastern combative ideas and Joe Lewis, an early pioneer of American kickboxing, credits Lee for improving his performance in competition. Purists will argue quite rightly that the Englishman E. Barton-Wright had already done this over half a century before with his short-lived bartitsu system, but the difference between them is the same across the martial arts world: timing and marketing. Lee popularized what others had been doing under the public eye and then some.
Lee’s philosophy is also brought into question. Miller perhaps didn’t realize it when he was writing this book in the 1990s, but his research and conclusions suggest that Lee was ahead of his time in blending the self-help movement with the martial arts. This has become a very prominent feature of 21st century marital arts. Many of Lee’s sayings have more to do with the likes of Napoleon Hill than Taoism (Daoism). Being an experienced writer as well as a martial artist, Miller clearly isn’t awed by Lee’s supposed profound adages and is less impressed with some of his reading material. Having said this, he acknowledges that Lee studied philosophy at university, had a huge collection of varied books and gives him the benefit of the doubt regarding the sound bites. He believes them to be as much a conscious part of his marketing gimmick as the onscreen style of fighting he developed.
Despite being promoted as a companion volume to Davis Miller’s first reflective and introspective study on a childhood icon, “The Tao of Muhammad Ali”, “The Tao of Bruce Lee” can easily be read as a stand alone book. This is a major strength in the work. Davis can bring you in at any chapter to provide a fresh insight or idea. He is a dedicated storyteller and not a dry historian or “paint by the numbers” biographer. The reader who comes to the work in hope that they will be getting a full researched biography of Bruce Lee might be put off by the first two parts of the book, which focus on Miller’s early life growing up and the dream-like influence Lee exerted over his development. We see the life of a typical child targeted for bullying. With troubles at home and obvious physical disadvantages that led him to being called “foetus” by his enemies at school, Miller was not only a target for abuse, but ripe to be seduced by the mystique of the martial arts. He is no less critical of himself as he is of Lee, although I don’t see this as a negative thing. It’s an honest reflection on being human, which is the central message of the book. Humans can do extraordinary things and achieve amazing feats, and some are clearly more gifted and driven then others, but here and there reality has to be there to check the balance.
These two parts of the book provide an interesting insight into the ideas that Lee helped put over and hope he provided for the small boys who were bullied at school. It also provides an example of the wake-up call many martial arts students experienced when they realized a lot of what they were being taught was based on tall tales and was totally ineffective as a means for real combat. It’s a sobering lesson for nostalgic martial artists who try to put over the argument that ineffective martial arts were born purely out of the mainstream that followed Lee’s popularity. However, this is also the book’s weakness. This isn’t to say these two parts aren’t of interest, but they seem somewhat disproportionate and self-indulgent when you consider the book’s topic.
Miller is a very good writer, one of the most entertaining and insightful I have read, but many might be put off by the way he shifts his focus. His literary style involves regularly going off into some lucid purple passages that serve to explain his state of mind at the time he is describing. Other iconic figures also crop up in the book too and some might feel there is undue attention onto them. For example, he reflects on his time spent with “Sugar” Ray Leonard and how his familiarity with the gifted boxer gave him an inflated sense of his own abilities. It’s an interesting observation and introspection on the human condition, but it is better addressed in a chapter called “Wanting to Whup Sugar Ray” in Miller’s collected work, “The Zen of Muhammad Ali”.
Despite these problems, “The Tao of Bruce Lee” is perhaps one of the most important reflective martial arts books written in a long time. It could be longer and have more emphasis on Bruce Lee and I would like to see some footnotes to source material, but there is enough for someone interested in pursuing the facts to follow up on. This isn’t a reference book or intended to be a typical scholarly study on the life of Bruce Lee, more an honest cultural and personal reflection. Miller does a great job in explaining the genuine cultural importance of Bruce Lee as opposed to the pseudo-philosophy that is attributed to him. He also does well to show the difference between Lee the movie star and Lee the martial artist and, most importantly, the difference between Lee the god and Lee the human.
There are those who say he was anything but great. The martial arts historian and writer, Robert W. Smith, dismisses Lee as a fake. This is not surprising. For all those who revere an icon to godly status there will be those whose view is the polar opposite. One man’s god is another’s devil. As numerous documentary makers, biographers and martial arts writers have discovered, it is not difficult to find positive support for the cult of Bruce Lee. However, Miller, who singles the man out as one of his two major influences in life, is not content with hearing what those who mythologize him have to say. He doesn’t go to Lee’s harshest critics, but rather those who seem to be more grounded in the idea of the “human” Lee – people like “Judo” Gene LeBelle and karate champion Joe Lewis. The truth is Bruce Lee was most certainly a driven man with many original ideas and massive ambitions. Although revered in his home country, Lee chased the American dream. His first three movies may seem to be chauvinistic towards Chinese culture, but off-screen Lee wanted to be accepted as an American more than anything else. Evidence more than suggests he wasn’t faithful to his wife or spent a great deal of time with his children in pursuit of his dreams. Miller also argues that Lee cared little for teaching martial arts, but was more interested in developing himself through training with his students. He taught to earn money and his decision to teach westerners was probably more based on business than a desire to make Asian martial arts transcend the culture barrier.
More fuel is added to the fire regarding Lee’s prowess as a fighter, as Miller draws upon contemporary accounts and uses training footage of the man to form a cold analysis. He might have given hope to the small people of this world, but Miller suggests his hero was probably more of a bully with all the psychological hang-ups associated with this behaviour than a defender of the weak
According to Miller Lee shut down his schools and forbade anyone from teaching jeet kune do, the name he gave his approach, because he felt no one but he understood what he was trying to do. One has only to read one the last notes in Lee’s posthumously published book “The Tao of Jeet Kune Do” to see that the great man feared his approach might become a style. He actively says that if anything like this starts to happen then the name should be dismissed. Despite there being some wonderful Jeet Kune exponents out there, it is not difficult to see how many have completely missed the point of the Lee’s postmodern martial arts message. We now have schools divided up into those who follow the jeet kune do according to which area and period Lee taught, many mimicking the stance he used and exactly how he held his hands.
Lee certainly put across new ideas in the martial arts world, many of which are not fully appreciated even now. He pioneered the use of a lot of training equipment. He married the concept of the athlete with the martial artist. This statement is certainly true of the Chinese martial arts, where the sight of shapeless men performing chi sau or “sticky hands” with cigarettes hanging out of the side of their mouths is still not an uncommon in Hong Kong. Lee is responsible for helping to blend western and eastern combative ideas and Joe Lewis, an early pioneer of American kickboxing, credits Lee for improving his performance in competition. Purists will argue quite rightly that the Englishman E. Barton-Wright had already done this over half a century before with his short-lived bartitsu system, but the difference between them is the same across the martial arts world: timing and marketing. Lee popularized what others had been doing under the public eye and then some.
Lee’s philosophy is also brought into question. Miller perhaps didn’t realize it when he was writing this book in the 1990s, but his research and conclusions suggest that Lee was ahead of his time in blending the self-help movement with the martial arts. This has become a very prominent feature of 21st century marital arts. Many of Lee’s sayings have more to do with the likes of Napoleon Hill than Taoism (Daoism). Being an experienced writer as well as a martial artist, Miller clearly isn’t awed by Lee’s supposed profound adages and is less impressed with some of his reading material. Having said this, he acknowledges that Lee studied philosophy at university, had a huge collection of varied books and gives him the benefit of the doubt regarding the sound bites. He believes them to be as much a conscious part of his marketing gimmick as the onscreen style of fighting he developed.
Despite being promoted as a companion volume to Davis Miller’s first reflective and introspective study on a childhood icon, “The Tao of Muhammad Ali”, “The Tao of Bruce Lee” can easily be read as a stand alone book. This is a major strength in the work. Davis can bring you in at any chapter to provide a fresh insight or idea. He is a dedicated storyteller and not a dry historian or “paint by the numbers” biographer. The reader who comes to the work in hope that they will be getting a full researched biography of Bruce Lee might be put off by the first two parts of the book, which focus on Miller’s early life growing up and the dream-like influence Lee exerted over his development. We see the life of a typical child targeted for bullying. With troubles at home and obvious physical disadvantages that led him to being called “foetus” by his enemies at school, Miller was not only a target for abuse, but ripe to be seduced by the mystique of the martial arts. He is no less critical of himself as he is of Lee, although I don’t see this as a negative thing. It’s an honest reflection on being human, which is the central message of the book. Humans can do extraordinary things and achieve amazing feats, and some are clearly more gifted and driven then others, but here and there reality has to be there to check the balance.
These two parts of the book provide an interesting insight into the ideas that Lee helped put over and hope he provided for the small boys who were bullied at school. It also provides an example of the wake-up call many martial arts students experienced when they realized a lot of what they were being taught was based on tall tales and was totally ineffective as a means for real combat. It’s a sobering lesson for nostalgic martial artists who try to put over the argument that ineffective martial arts were born purely out of the mainstream that followed Lee’s popularity. However, this is also the book’s weakness. This isn’t to say these two parts aren’t of interest, but they seem somewhat disproportionate and self-indulgent when you consider the book’s topic.
Miller is a very good writer, one of the most entertaining and insightful I have read, but many might be put off by the way he shifts his focus. His literary style involves regularly going off into some lucid purple passages that serve to explain his state of mind at the time he is describing. Other iconic figures also crop up in the book too and some might feel there is undue attention onto them. For example, he reflects on his time spent with “Sugar” Ray Leonard and how his familiarity with the gifted boxer gave him an inflated sense of his own abilities. It’s an interesting observation and introspection on the human condition, but it is better addressed in a chapter called “Wanting to Whup Sugar Ray” in Miller’s collected work, “The Zen of Muhammad Ali”.
Despite these problems, “The Tao of Bruce Lee” is perhaps one of the most important reflective martial arts books written in a long time. It could be longer and have more emphasis on Bruce Lee and I would like to see some footnotes to source material, but there is enough for someone interested in pursuing the facts to follow up on. This isn’t a reference book or intended to be a typical scholarly study on the life of Bruce Lee, more an honest cultural and personal reflection. Miller does a great job in explaining the genuine cultural importance of Bruce Lee as opposed to the pseudo-philosophy that is attributed to him. He also does well to show the difference between Lee the movie star and Lee the martial artist and, most importantly, the difference between Lee the god and Lee the human.
May 23, 2014
The book is a biography of the life of author Davis Miller and not of Muhammad Ali as one might first think. It follows his life from high school to the near present day and details his growing fascination with "The Greatest" from his childhood. The book centres mainly around the author's life changing events and how Ali influenced them or pulled him through them. It ends with Miller meeting Ali, which prompted him to write his award winning story "My Dinner With Ali", and how he came to be good friends with the champ. The book offers a great deal of insight into how Ali lives his life nowadays and how he has changed since his disability took a strong hold of him. Most of all it shows us that Ali is as strong as ever and needs pity from no-one. There are passages in this book that will make you cry, others that will make you laugh and some that will have you itching to know what happens next. For those who want to know about the real Ali I recommend this over biographies such as Muhammad Ali: His Life And Times, by Thomas hauser or King of the World by David Remnick. Should you choose to read this title and would like to read more about the man himself rather than his achievements, then I would recommend I'm A Little Special, A Muhammad Ali Reader, Edited by Gerald Early and The Best American Sportswriting Of The Century. Miller's article "My Dinner With Ali" is in both. This too features more insight rather than dates and figures. If you want to read just one thing on Ali then make it "the Tao Of Muhammad Ali".
March 5, 2016
I got a signed copy two days ago at the new exhibition 'I Am the Greatest: Muhammad Ali at The O2', which Davis Miller and Muhammad Ali's wife Lonnie signed for me. Mr Miller was a lovely man to speak with. David Haye, Jeremy Corbyn, and Lonnie Ali herself all bought copies while I was there. So far, I've read the first story, 'My Dinner with Ali', which is brilliant. I'm just starting on the chapter titled 'Mouse Meets Muhammad Ali', which is equally as good in a different way. (It's about the adolescent Davis Miller in the 1970's, and the ways Ali inspires him. It's written in the first person and in the tone and voice of a bullied teenage boy.)
The exhibition was fun. Davis Miller gave several of us a guided tour, telling stories about various artefacts and about his friendship with Ali. A great experience, a lovely man, and these two first stories I've read (which comprise seventy pages of the book) are nothing short of brilliant.
The exhibition was fun. Davis Miller gave several of us a guided tour, telling stories about various artefacts and about his friendship with Ali. A great experience, a lovely man, and these two first stories I've read (which comprise seventy pages of the book) are nothing short of brilliant.
March 14, 2014
Best book ever about Muhammad Ali. And even if you don't like Ali you'll love this. What it reminds me of more than anything else is The Great Gatsby with Davis Miller as Nick Carraway and Ali as Gatsby. Beautiful and important writing that isn't like any other book I've read. Also very inspiring.
I bought the book last summer at the Kennedy Center from Davis Miller who signed it. He was there because of an opera titled Approaching Ali that's based on the book. I would never have known about the book if I hadn't gone to the opera.
Highly recommended book.
I bought the book last summer at the Kennedy Center from Davis Miller who signed it. He was there because of an opera titled Approaching Ali that's based on the book. I would never have known about the book if I hadn't gone to the opera.
Highly recommended book.
December 12, 2007
Half of the book is actually a biography on Bruce Lee. The other half is more of a biography of the author. Though initially turned off by reading a biography of someone I didn't know, I warmed to him and eventually cheered him on.
The book moved on, we look as Bruce Lee the legend to Bruce Lee the man. This book made me pause and think with some well-placed quotes and poems without lathering it on too thick.
March 1, 2016
Every sentence is beautiful. I bought the book at Waterstones yesterday, started the first chapter, 'My Dinner with Ali', which reads like a dream that Muhammad Ali and Davis Miller live inside, finished it in bed and then dreamt my own version of it. This morning, I read the chapter again, and then could not put the book down. Finished it in one day, mesmerised. I've never read a more beautiful book. Never.
April 19, 2014
It’s hard not to start this review with some trite clichéd truism like “Muhammad Ali is undeniably the most famous and celebrated sports personality of the last century”. I don’t know why the man’s name hasn’t just become a part of the English language to define a living legend. Ali’s life story seems to be a model for a mythological hero in any country’s culture – the hero is a figure of masculine dominance; he’s fighter, but he is also a spiritual leader, a political leader, a man who stood up for what he believed in and sacrificed everything. He was controversial when he was at the height of his boxing career, but today it is obvious that he has won over the majority and his strengths have been remembered by history. Today, most of his critics are rarely heard from and generally seem to consist of what appears to be hard right wing sympathizers.[i] Forgiven are Ali’s racist separatist views, influenced by the radical religious cult, the Nation of Islam. Forgiven is Ali’s hypocritical womanizing whilst he preached about the virtue of his religion. Forgiven is the way Ali ridiculed certain opponents past the point of showmanship, unfairly painting fellow African Americans, like Joe Frazier and George Foreman, as “Uncle Toms”. Forgiven are the controversies over certain bouts, such as Ali’s first match with Englishman, Henry Cooper. Remembered and celebrated is just about everything else. And like the story of many heroes of ancient mythology, it seems to have a great deal of pathos towards its finale. This was clearly not Davis Miller’s intention when he wrote undoubtedly his best work, “The Tao of Muhammad Ali”.
This is not a biography of Muhammad Ali. Unlike the companion book, “The Tao of Bruce Lee”, there is no separate section that looks at the great man’s life story and career. We don’t hear much about the story of a 12 year old Ali being directed to a boxing gym by a kindly police officer when he says he wants to beat up the kid who stole his bike or the build-up to his various fights or his spiritual evolution or his political stance against the war in Vietnam. There is little regarding his dramatic comebacks and his eventual decline in boxing or even his famous quotes. Miller says that he has little interest in regurgitating information that can be found in most boxing history books and biographies on Ali. He does reference key moments in the Ali’s life, but only as a tool to juxtapose them with his own life and explain how it influenced and inspired him. As is the trademark of Miller’s style, the book is very much a story about his own life and is a self-described “non-fiction novel”, freely admitting, as with the Bruce Lee book, that parts of the story are fictionalized to aid flow. This point may be confusing to some readers and certainly those who are used to the regular easy-going straightforward autobiography or biography, but I think it will win over the majority.
Miller doesn’t dwell on his childhood bullying episodes, which seem more intrinsically linked to the Bruce Lee line of influence and his decision to take up martial arts, but the book is more about how Ali gave him a sense of identity. He describes the terrible impact his mother’s death had on him and later his loving father’s, as well as his struggles with his marriage and his career choices, first as a professional martial artist then as a video rental clerk and finally as a writer.
Miller’s first physical introduction occurred when the two fought in a short exhibition bout in the 1970s – kickboxer versus boxer. After the author’s dreams of becoming the world’s greatest martial artist had subsided and he had settled into married life with a steady job in a chain of video stores, he chanced upon Ali again. This time the great man had his Winnebago parked at his mother’s house and Miller took the opportunity, and so the friendship began. Throughout his time with Ali, Miller seems to be under no illusion that the world’s most famous living human being is well-practiced in making his fans feel special and that he probably didn’t remember the author early on in their relationship. This provides an interesting juxtaposition to the teenage Miller who idolizes Ali and created his own personal connection with the myth of the man.
Having only really known Ali years after his last professional match, Miller’s writing focuses on the time where many might feel the legend of the great fighter ends: Ali’s years in “retirement”. The inverted commas are in there for good reason, as it would appear that the man was busier than ever after his fighting career finished. This is the part that many consider to be the tragedy of the story. In “The Tao of Muhammad Ali” a key part of the story is Miller’s struggle to get his article “My Dinner with Muhammad Ali” published due to editors of newspapers and magazines considering the post-fighting Ali to be “too painful” a subject. Miller disagrees and feels that he has been misrepresented.
The public perception of Ali in the 1980s and to the present day is that he is a frail shadow of his former self, a pitiful figure of a man who is a slave to his mental illness (Parkinson’s Syndrome, often incorrectly reported as Parkinson’s Disease) and a recluse. Although Ali generally shuns the media and is understandably very suspicious of anyone who wishes to produce work on him, he has been an incredibly active individual and meets hundreds of new people on a regular basis. Miller describes the time and patience Ali has with everyone he signs memorabilia for and his relentless dedication to the causes he believes in. He retains his razor sharp wit and during the time Miller describes, he has a surprising amount of energy. Contrary to popular belief he was still training during the ‘80s and Miller even describes how he successfully sparred with some young boxers in front a large audience, shocking everyone in attendance. If this isn’t enough, Miller’s book recounts the enormous amount of world-travelling Ali did, including the negotiation of the release of hostages from Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War.
Whenever Ali was televised he presented a carefully constructed persona of an incredibly cocky man and a man who regularly defied the odds. He destroyed his opponents inside and outside the ring. He was as big a master of psychological warfare and self-publicity as he was a physical fighter. However, aside from the massive entourage of users and abusers that helped suck his finances and over-extend his boxing career, there are many people he knew who cannot but feel affection for the man. Few bought Ali’s harsh putting down of non-black friends during a Michael Parkinson interview, as being no more than associates. Miller describes Ali as a man who sincerely cared for other people and perhaps regretted the effect he had on his opponents. It’s a well-documented fact that George Foreman’s career was effectively put on hold for two decades after Ali handed him his first defeat in the most celebrated upsets/comebacks in the history of the sport. Foreman is briefly interviewed in this book after Miller sits in on one of his sermons. He would later make an amazing comeback of his own. Just about all of Ali’s opponents forgave the man for his showbusiness persona and pre-fight trash talk, some became friends. However, it would appear that Joe Frazier, the fighter most closely associated with Ali due to their three titanic fights and much-publicized feud, has never forgiven his boxing nemesis. This very real feud is well-documented in Mark Kram’s excellent “The Ghosts of Manila”. Miller describes it as a one-sided affair in his observations of Ali at a 20th anniversary dinner held to celebrate the two fighters’ first encounter, “The Fight of the Century”. This was the only bout Frazier won. Frazier is polite to Ali, but pretty much provides a cold shoulder when his old opponent tries to embrace him. It’s a sad episode and seems to show that Ali is genuinely concerned for the way he hurt Frazier.
Miller’s eccentric writing style and his desire to present Ali as a human as well as a myth makes his work stand out. He says that he tried literally emulate the fighter (along with the Bruce Lee) during his evolution as a martial artist and a professional kickboxer, and years later did this again through his writing. With tongue not as firmly in cheek as listeners might have thought he proclaimed that he was going to be the greatest biographer of Ali in history. This might not be best biography ever written on Muhammad Ali, but it is perhaps the best book featuring the great fighter I have read.
This is not a biography of Muhammad Ali. Unlike the companion book, “The Tao of Bruce Lee”, there is no separate section that looks at the great man’s life story and career. We don’t hear much about the story of a 12 year old Ali being directed to a boxing gym by a kindly police officer when he says he wants to beat up the kid who stole his bike or the build-up to his various fights or his spiritual evolution or his political stance against the war in Vietnam. There is little regarding his dramatic comebacks and his eventual decline in boxing or even his famous quotes. Miller says that he has little interest in regurgitating information that can be found in most boxing history books and biographies on Ali. He does reference key moments in the Ali’s life, but only as a tool to juxtapose them with his own life and explain how it influenced and inspired him. As is the trademark of Miller’s style, the book is very much a story about his own life and is a self-described “non-fiction novel”, freely admitting, as with the Bruce Lee book, that parts of the story are fictionalized to aid flow. This point may be confusing to some readers and certainly those who are used to the regular easy-going straightforward autobiography or biography, but I think it will win over the majority.
Miller doesn’t dwell on his childhood bullying episodes, which seem more intrinsically linked to the Bruce Lee line of influence and his decision to take up martial arts, but the book is more about how Ali gave him a sense of identity. He describes the terrible impact his mother’s death had on him and later his loving father’s, as well as his struggles with his marriage and his career choices, first as a professional martial artist then as a video rental clerk and finally as a writer.
Miller’s first physical introduction occurred when the two fought in a short exhibition bout in the 1970s – kickboxer versus boxer. After the author’s dreams of becoming the world’s greatest martial artist had subsided and he had settled into married life with a steady job in a chain of video stores, he chanced upon Ali again. This time the great man had his Winnebago parked at his mother’s house and Miller took the opportunity, and so the friendship began. Throughout his time with Ali, Miller seems to be under no illusion that the world’s most famous living human being is well-practiced in making his fans feel special and that he probably didn’t remember the author early on in their relationship. This provides an interesting juxtaposition to the teenage Miller who idolizes Ali and created his own personal connection with the myth of the man.
Having only really known Ali years after his last professional match, Miller’s writing focuses on the time where many might feel the legend of the great fighter ends: Ali’s years in “retirement”. The inverted commas are in there for good reason, as it would appear that the man was busier than ever after his fighting career finished. This is the part that many consider to be the tragedy of the story. In “The Tao of Muhammad Ali” a key part of the story is Miller’s struggle to get his article “My Dinner with Muhammad Ali” published due to editors of newspapers and magazines considering the post-fighting Ali to be “too painful” a subject. Miller disagrees and feels that he has been misrepresented.
The public perception of Ali in the 1980s and to the present day is that he is a frail shadow of his former self, a pitiful figure of a man who is a slave to his mental illness (Parkinson’s Syndrome, often incorrectly reported as Parkinson’s Disease) and a recluse. Although Ali generally shuns the media and is understandably very suspicious of anyone who wishes to produce work on him, he has been an incredibly active individual and meets hundreds of new people on a regular basis. Miller describes the time and patience Ali has with everyone he signs memorabilia for and his relentless dedication to the causes he believes in. He retains his razor sharp wit and during the time Miller describes, he has a surprising amount of energy. Contrary to popular belief he was still training during the ‘80s and Miller even describes how he successfully sparred with some young boxers in front a large audience, shocking everyone in attendance. If this isn’t enough, Miller’s book recounts the enormous amount of world-travelling Ali did, including the negotiation of the release of hostages from Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War.
Whenever Ali was televised he presented a carefully constructed persona of an incredibly cocky man and a man who regularly defied the odds. He destroyed his opponents inside and outside the ring. He was as big a master of psychological warfare and self-publicity as he was a physical fighter. However, aside from the massive entourage of users and abusers that helped suck his finances and over-extend his boxing career, there are many people he knew who cannot but feel affection for the man. Few bought Ali’s harsh putting down of non-black friends during a Michael Parkinson interview, as being no more than associates. Miller describes Ali as a man who sincerely cared for other people and perhaps regretted the effect he had on his opponents. It’s a well-documented fact that George Foreman’s career was effectively put on hold for two decades after Ali handed him his first defeat in the most celebrated upsets/comebacks in the history of the sport. Foreman is briefly interviewed in this book after Miller sits in on one of his sermons. He would later make an amazing comeback of his own. Just about all of Ali’s opponents forgave the man for his showbusiness persona and pre-fight trash talk, some became friends. However, it would appear that Joe Frazier, the fighter most closely associated with Ali due to their three titanic fights and much-publicized feud, has never forgiven his boxing nemesis. This very real feud is well-documented in Mark Kram’s excellent “The Ghosts of Manila”. Miller describes it as a one-sided affair in his observations of Ali at a 20th anniversary dinner held to celebrate the two fighters’ first encounter, “The Fight of the Century”. This was the only bout Frazier won. Frazier is polite to Ali, but pretty much provides a cold shoulder when his old opponent tries to embrace him. It’s a sad episode and seems to show that Ali is genuinely concerned for the way he hurt Frazier.
Miller’s eccentric writing style and his desire to present Ali as a human as well as a myth makes his work stand out. He says that he tried literally emulate the fighter (along with the Bruce Lee) during his evolution as a martial artist and a professional kickboxer, and years later did this again through his writing. With tongue not as firmly in cheek as listeners might have thought he proclaimed that he was going to be the greatest biographer of Ali in history. This might not be best biography ever written on Muhammad Ali, but it is perhaps the best book featuring the great fighter I have read.
March 4, 2016
I came to the table a little late as per the works of Davis Miller, but I have become a great "fan". Here, in this latest offering, he writes lyrically and thoughtfully about his muse of many years, Muhammad Ali. It is not really a book about Ali the fighter, but Ali the man, and his adjustment, and in a way, triumph, over the Parkinson's disease which has silenced him literally, but not totally. This is a profound study of one man's redemption(Ali), and another man's inspiration by ALL of the segments of Ali's career in the public eye. Rarely does a sports figure of Ali's near-surreal stature let his personal struggle with such an illness be public, and Miller does justice to that, describing his relationship with Ali through the years, first as an aspiring young, slight, kick-boxer who, in 1975, actually sparred with Ali, and then in in 1988, as the manager of a video store in Louisville, met him at his house serendipitously, and began a decades-long relationship with him. The book is somewhat non-linear, but also Proustian in it's description of Ali's daily life, his still great love of children, and his humble acceptance of his fate-which is actually a spiritual quest to transcend his fractious youth. . and still show others a way forward past adversity. Miller is the real deal; a man who has known him for years, and his seen the physical decline along with the redemptive aspect of his illness. He writes not as a hero worshiper, but as someone who sees the very, very human side of a figure who was not just larger than life, but an icon. Now Ali can be shown in his fullness as someone who has survived, and in his own quiet(literally) way thrived, in a state of grace that strangely has transformed him for the better.
May 23, 2014
I have always been a huge Bruce Lee fan, I have read the books and watched the churned out documentaries, these combined have created the "myth of Bruce Lee", most of which I beleived. Davis Miller manages to deconstruct some of these myths without destoying the legend. It has been long overdue that someone should portray Lee as he was and give an honest evaluation of the man. The book is extremely well written and easy to read, I finished it in a couple of hours. The story centers around Millers adolescence and the lead up to his discovery of Lee and how this began to change his life. It is a very powerful story of a man's desire to change and better himself, to follow his idols, idols that just dont exist anymore. This book also compliments his first work "Tao of Muhammad Ali" perfectly and presents 2 sides to the same story. It is possible to read and fully enjoy just one, but I recommend both, as the Ali book now means a lot more to me since reading the Lee book. You will not get a more honest account of Bruce Lee.
April 26, 2011
It was nice to see someone become more then they see them as.
December 29, 2016
Esta historia termina un 3 de junio de 2016. Se acaba, como ocurren las cosas en la vida real, sin un punto final en un momento concreto, muy poco a poco. Termina y en nuestras televisiones, periódicos y redes sociales retumba un único eco. El nombre de Muhammad Ali resuena en cada rincón. No en vano es considerado como uno de los personajes más influyentes en la historia del siglo XX. Su palmarés así lo evidencia. Tres veces campeón mundial de los pesos pesados y oro olímpico de los pesos semipesados, Ali derrochaba carisma y seguridad en sí mismo. Convertido al islam, fue capaz de liberar a quince estadounidenses prisioneros en Irak y su negativa a participar en la guerra de Vietnam le llevó a sacrificar, como represalia, varios años de su carrera deportiva en su mejor momento como boxeador. Era el hombre en el ring y el niño fuera de él, con un gran sentido del humor y trucos de magia debajo de la manga.
Pero además era otras muchas cosas y por eso su historia no acaba precisamente aquí ni en ninguna otra parte sino que se extiende a lo largo de muchas otras páginas. “He vivido la vida de cien hombres” cuenta el crítico deportivo, Davis Miller, en En busca de Muhammad Ali que el campeón le comentó alguna vez. De hecho, cuando, en marzo de 1988, el periodista le conoce por segunda vez, el boxeador es ya un enfermo de párkinson retirado, al que no le gusta conceder entrevistas, que vive a ratos en una caravana y que siempre trata de complacer a todos sus fans.
Este es el Ali, al menos, del que nos habla Miller en su novela, también el que personalmente más me interesa. Un hombre extremadamente generoso, cercano y familiar, consciente de la influencia que ejerce en los demás y volcado en los otros. En busca de Muhammad Ali, traducido al español por Miguel Ros González, habla, además, de los últimos años del deportista, el ocaso de una leyenda que vivió con absoluta dignidad el declive de su salud, aquejado por su enfermedad durante la mitad de su vida. Ali golpeó tan fuerte como los golpes que recibió a lo largo de su existencia. Bien es cierto que no noqueó todos los obstáculos, escribe Miller. “Solo los suficientes para que lo recordemos por haberlo hecho”.
De un modo íntimo y privado, el escritor se acerca a través de su prosa y de sus encuentros a lo largo de estos años a la figura del ídolo de su infancia, aquel que, en sus propias palabras, le salvó la vida. Una historia de superación, la del propio autor, pero también, de ahí ese subtítulo que cuelga en la portada, de amistad. Así, el periodista bosqueja la imagen de un Ali que le abrió las puertas de su hogar cuando apenas se trataba este de un desconocido para él. A partir de ese momento, la trayectoria de estos encuentros, que suceden de forma paralela a la vida del escritor, va forjando una relación que, posiblemente, signifique mucho más para el propio Miller que para el boxeador.
Producto de aquellos ocasionales momentos, obtenemos este retrato íntimo, esta perspectiva distinta que, aunque recuerda algunas de las proezas de Ali y de su vida, de sus grandes logros o conquistas, como aquella que contó Norman Mailer en El combate, se centra además en el paso del tiempo, en el lado más humano de uno de los iconos más celebres de la historia contemporánea y en cómo el más grande del boxeo influyó a su vez en su propia vida. La sensación que queda entonces es que nosotros también hemos tenido el placer de compartir, en la intimidad de su casa o de sus paseos, uno de esos momentos cercanos con el campeón. Y si esta era la intención de Davis Miller, tal y como nos confiesa en su prólogo, su objetivo está más que cumplido.
Pero además era otras muchas cosas y por eso su historia no acaba precisamente aquí ni en ninguna otra parte sino que se extiende a lo largo de muchas otras páginas. “He vivido la vida de cien hombres” cuenta el crítico deportivo, Davis Miller, en En busca de Muhammad Ali que el campeón le comentó alguna vez. De hecho, cuando, en marzo de 1988, el periodista le conoce por segunda vez, el boxeador es ya un enfermo de párkinson retirado, al que no le gusta conceder entrevistas, que vive a ratos en una caravana y que siempre trata de complacer a todos sus fans.
Este es el Ali, al menos, del que nos habla Miller en su novela, también el que personalmente más me interesa. Un hombre extremadamente generoso, cercano y familiar, consciente de la influencia que ejerce en los demás y volcado en los otros. En busca de Muhammad Ali, traducido al español por Miguel Ros González, habla, además, de los últimos años del deportista, el ocaso de una leyenda que vivió con absoluta dignidad el declive de su salud, aquejado por su enfermedad durante la mitad de su vida. Ali golpeó tan fuerte como los golpes que recibió a lo largo de su existencia. Bien es cierto que no noqueó todos los obstáculos, escribe Miller. “Solo los suficientes para que lo recordemos por haberlo hecho”.
De un modo íntimo y privado, el escritor se acerca a través de su prosa y de sus encuentros a lo largo de estos años a la figura del ídolo de su infancia, aquel que, en sus propias palabras, le salvó la vida. Una historia de superación, la del propio autor, pero también, de ahí ese subtítulo que cuelga en la portada, de amistad. Así, el periodista bosqueja la imagen de un Ali que le abrió las puertas de su hogar cuando apenas se trataba este de un desconocido para él. A partir de ese momento, la trayectoria de estos encuentros, que suceden de forma paralela a la vida del escritor, va forjando una relación que, posiblemente, signifique mucho más para el propio Miller que para el boxeador.
Producto de aquellos ocasionales momentos, obtenemos este retrato íntimo, esta perspectiva distinta que, aunque recuerda algunas de las proezas de Ali y de su vida, de sus grandes logros o conquistas, como aquella que contó Norman Mailer en El combate, se centra además en el paso del tiempo, en el lado más humano de uno de los iconos más celebres de la historia contemporánea y en cómo el más grande del boxeo influyó a su vez en su propia vida. La sensación que queda entonces es que nosotros también hemos tenido el placer de compartir, en la intimidad de su casa o de sus paseos, uno de esos momentos cercanos con el campeón. Y si esta era la intención de Davis Miller, tal y como nos confiesa en su prólogo, su objetivo está más que cumplido.
March 5, 2012
The journey of an inspired teen, growing up to become a bit disillusioned to one of his heroes.
This book is an easy read that follows the authors transformation from a bullied youth nicknamed "Fetus" to a young training maniac majorly inspired by both Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali.
The first two-thirds of the book try and put you in the mind of the author and convey how much of an impact Bruce had on his life. Towards the final third of the book, the author starts to jump around a bit, speeding you through a good fifteen to twenty years of his life, till he gets to a point where he is given an opportunity to write a biography on Bruce.
When he starts to do his research, he uncovers many things about Bruce Lee the man, that seem to make him disillusioned about one of his childhood heroes.
The myths and legends of Bruce make it had to find accurate information about him at times. It's nice to see some other evidence and views of Bruce. They do help dispelled some of tales about him and give a more sobering perspective on him.
However, this is written in a very loose fashion and would not hold up as a bonafide biography in any way as there is little to no sourcing. The author also, annoyingly, has several one or two page chapters.
So the final third kinda feels rushed and can fall flat to some of the build up you get in the first two thirds of the book.
The redemption of this book lies in much of the information given in those rushed and ill-sourced chapters. Much of what is related to the reader can be verified if the time is taken.
As big and marketable as Bruce has become, it's hard these days to get information that shows you glimpses of the real man, before and during the hype surrounding his life.
This book is an easy read that follows the authors transformation from a bullied youth nicknamed "Fetus" to a young training maniac majorly inspired by both Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali.
The first two-thirds of the book try and put you in the mind of the author and convey how much of an impact Bruce had on his life. Towards the final third of the book, the author starts to jump around a bit, speeding you through a good fifteen to twenty years of his life, till he gets to a point where he is given an opportunity to write a biography on Bruce.
When he starts to do his research, he uncovers many things about Bruce Lee the man, that seem to make him disillusioned about one of his childhood heroes.
The myths and legends of Bruce make it had to find accurate information about him at times. It's nice to see some other evidence and views of Bruce. They do help dispelled some of tales about him and give a more sobering perspective on him.
However, this is written in a very loose fashion and would not hold up as a bonafide biography in any way as there is little to no sourcing. The author also, annoyingly, has several one or two page chapters.
So the final third kinda feels rushed and can fall flat to some of the build up you get in the first two thirds of the book.
The redemption of this book lies in much of the information given in those rushed and ill-sourced chapters. Much of what is related to the reader can be verified if the time is taken.
As big and marketable as Bruce has become, it's hard these days to get information that shows you glimpses of the real man, before and during the hype surrounding his life.
June 19, 2013
I actually picked this book up--had to order via an Amazon reseller in the UK, as it doesn't seem to be available here!--for one reason. I wanted to read The Tao of Bruce Lee, by this same author, and within the first few pages, he had already mentioned his history with Muhammad Ali a couple of times. Being a bit OCD about reading stuff in order--although in this case, I assumed that the Bruce Lee volume would be free standing (and it probably is!)--I set aside Bruce Lee and determined that I'd have to read the Ali one first. I'm not sorry that I did. I really have little interest in boxing, but this book isn't about boxing. It's about the author and his relationship with his idol, the most famous boxer ever, and how that transformed his life. It's not a bio. It's not a philosophy (although there's plenty of that). It's a memoir, but it very clearly conveys the author's admiration of Ali in such a way that the reader feels it, too. This was one very unique and interesting human being, and through the author's eyes, equal parts superman, myth, and mystic. (My only quibble was that the narrative flow was choppy at times. For example, suddenly, the author is a husband and father; he later goes back to tell the story, but at the time, it's jarring. He also doesn't mention Ali's Parkinson's till quite a bit into the tale, although it's clear that the man is impaired. I guess he assumed we all know, and I did, but I wasn't sure of the timeline, so that was distracting.)
August 20, 2014
This book is fantastic - you must read it! I cant believe it took me so long to discover it but it is a book I will cherish and I look forward to re-reading it again and again. This is not one only for the boxing fans, this book is as real as it gets. A wonderful life story that will affect you long after you put it down (if you can). Not a book to lend to friends as you will never get it back - tell them to buy their own copy.
March 16, 2022
Centrado en la figura del Alí retirado, este libro conmueve por las mejores razones. Entre anécdotas, divagación y ensayo, Miller nos acerca a un Muhammad Alí de carne y hueso; tan de carne y hueso que muestra su humanidad en plenitud. Un precioso homenaje al Más Grande de Todos los Tiempos y, también, un excelente libro.
July 16, 2013
peaked high and then kinda dragged. i wonder if Davis Miller ever realized (and I'm sure he did) that despite doing it for the noble cause of feeding his family, he was just another in the line of people "using" Ali.
March 24, 2013
Easy to appreciate as an Ali fan.
March 8, 2015
"[..] a compelling story of hero-worship, of fathers and sons, of strength through wisdom."
That pretty much sums it up.
That pretty much sums it up.
January 20, 2015
My all-time favorite book. Unique and beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews