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En busca de Muhammad Ali: historia de una amistad
Este libro no es una biografía de Muhammad Ali. Tampoco es, en realidad, un libro sobre boxeo. Es otra cosa: más bella, más universal, algo que, como editores, nos ha fascinado. ¿Pero de qué hablamos entonces? Hablamos de que Muhammad Ali fue uno de los grandes héroes de nuestro tiempo y una inspiración para millones de personas, tanto en el ámbito del deporte como en el de la política, la lucha por los derechos civiles o la espiritualidad. A algunos, incluso, Ali les salvó literalmente la vida. Es lo que hizo con Davis Miller, autor de este libro (pero de momento no les contaremos esa historia, no haremos el spoiler). Miller es luchador aficionado, escritor y uno de los grandes críticos deportivos de las últimas décadas. Y cuando por fin se decidió a buscar a Ali para darle las gracias, se encontró con un boxeador retirado, enfermo de párkinson y supuestamente millonario, pero que vivía largas temporadas en una caravana aparcada en el jardín de la modesta casa de su madre. Aquel día comenzó entre ambos una amistad extraña, duradera, poderosa. Así, a través de Miller descubrimos a un verdadero mito que, sin embargo, vive por y para los demás, que regala su fortuna a los indigentes y los trofeos a sus fans, que camina kilómetros cada día para sentarse en un McDonald’s y ofrecer su ayuda a cualquier desconocido, o que esconde de manera inexplicable su enfermedad neurodegenerativa para jugar a boxear con cientos de niños. Pero que tiene también aspectos oscuros y contradictorios…
Sobre Muhammad Ali han escrito grandes autores: Norman Mailer, Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Wolfe… Pero ninguno lo ha hecho con tanta intensidad e intimidad como Davis Miller. Nadie hasta ahora había hecho un retrato tan cercano y sorprendente de la vida del Campeón más allá del boxeo. A medio camino exacto entre la mejor literatura y el mejor periodismo, Miller nos propone una serena y bellísima reflexión sobre el paso inexorable del tiempo y la corruptibilidad de todas las cosas, al tiempo que nos relata la historia secreta y fascinante de una leyenda.
Sobre Muhammad Ali han escrito grandes autores: Norman Mailer, Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Wolfe… Pero ninguno lo ha hecho con tanta intensidad e intimidad como Davis Miller. Nadie hasta ahora había hecho un retrato tan cercano y sorprendente de la vida del Campeón más allá del boxeo. A medio camino exacto entre la mejor literatura y el mejor periodismo, Miller nos propone una serena y bellísima reflexión sobre el paso inexorable del tiempo y la corruptibilidad de todas las cosas, al tiempo que nos relata la historia secreta y fascinante de una leyenda.
296 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2015
7 people are currently reading
391 people want to read
About the author
Davis Miller
7 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.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
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 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 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.
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.
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 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.
December 17, 2022
A highly unlikely friendship between a talented writer and one of the most famous humans of the last 60-some years. Unlikely because Ali did not have to help create a friendship with yet another writer, fan and unknown person, but he did. And the author found a way to avoid fawning over The Greatest, which must’ve been the secret sauce of the relationship. I am sending this large-print copy to an elderly friend, who is not a sports fan so much as she is a personality fan. And Ali was a Personality.
July 17, 2016
If you know nothing about Muhammad Ali, and want to read just one biography on him, don't make it this one. This is not a book about Ali, the boxer, but rather a book about Ali's friendship with the author.
Davis Miller, the author, is unashamedly and unapologetically a fan, and a friend of Muhammad Ali. He is also a very good writer. You're going to get exactly what you should expect from that combination, a very well-written fan boy account of a Great Man who happened to be a boxer.
I highly recommend this book. But don't go into it expecting a standard biography. Instead, it's a loving look at WHY Ali was The Greatest.
Davis Miller, the author, is unashamedly and unapologetically a fan, and a friend of Muhammad Ali. He is also a very good writer. You're going to get exactly what you should expect from that combination, a very well-written fan boy account of a Great Man who happened to be a boxer.
I highly recommend this book. But don't go into it expecting a standard biography. Instead, it's a loving look at WHY Ali was The Greatest.
March 2, 2016
You need to avoid this book. I bought it as a hardcover in the UK after reading a positive review in the Financial Times. I Read it in one evening and despite the short page count it felt padded out. I did not have a problem with Miller putting himself at the centre of things - as these are his personal connections to Ali - but it really was underwhelming.
July 16, 2017
uno dei libri più profondi che abbia mai letto. mi ha aperto ad un nuovo stile di vita, di pensiero. ali è la persona migliore che abbia mai conosciuto ( anche se solo attraverso questo libro). da leggere assolutamente!!
May 20, 2021
Davis has written a beautiful book here. I too am a huge fan of Ali because of his gracefulness in the ring and for what he stood for publicly. I was enthralled by Davis’ descriptions of the champ. At times, I felt like he was still alive. In a way he is; we’re all Ali and Ali and all of us.
April 19, 2022
A beautifully written book. Ali is not talked about anymore, but i didnt realize his impact on society and who he was as a person. All I knew about him was float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. A very complex person, but wise beyond his years
June 24, 2017
A brilliant book and a definite must-read!
December 18, 2019
Contains great stories about the author and Muhammad Ali’s friendship. I always knew of Ali as a legend. Now I know him as a man, a legendary man. And I might even say friend, too.
January 13, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I think it encapsulates the larger than life as well as the human side of Muhammad Ali through the friendship of Davy and Ali. It feels like a treasure to have been able to hear this personal account.
“It stuns me how well she’s wearing her burden, refusing, like Ali himself, to bow to the weight of the world. Indeed, as she and I talk over the next fifteen minutes, I recognize that, over the years, this very strong woman has been made wise by her love for, and life with, Muhammad. In Japan, people speak of musho no ai, which translates roughly as “love that expects no compensation.” To the Japanese people, musho no ai is the highest possible love. It’s understandstatement to say that the wife and caregiver of our planet’s first fully international personality has mansions of selfless love for her husband. “Come with me,” she now says, taking me by the hand. “Muhammad will want to see you.”
“It stuns me how well she’s wearing her burden, refusing, like Ali himself, to bow to the weight of the world. Indeed, as she and I talk over the next fifteen minutes, I recognize that, over the years, this very strong woman has been made wise by her love for, and life with, Muhammad. In Japan, people speak of musho no ai, which translates roughly as “love that expects no compensation.” To the Japanese people, musho no ai is the highest possible love. It’s understandstatement to say that the wife and caregiver of our planet’s first fully international personality has mansions of selfless love for her husband. “Come with me,” she now says, taking me by the hand. “Muhammad will want to see you.”
February 27, 2022
Heartfelt and beautiful. Tender. Ali was someone to love even f you didn't like boxing. This book is as lovable as Ali himself.
February 27, 2016
In “Approaching Ali”, author Davis Miller talks about the impact that Muhammad Ali had on upon his life – both being in the presence of the man himself, as well as the image and impact that the larger-than-life individual left upon the world at large and the author in particular.
The book was quite well written, and I confess to enjoying most of it (although the sections in which Ali himself is absent never did catch my interest – especially the dream and fantasy sequences). However, one thing hovered over the pages and affected my enjoyment. Mr. Miller professes to be both a fan and a friend of Muhammad Ali. Ali took to him and allowed him access into his life and that of his family. Yet, here we are, reading a book about these very moments. Then, about 3/4 of the way through the book, after a story of Ali's talking to working class people waiting for a bus and providing them each with a little financial relief ends with Ali's admonition “Davy … Now don't you write none of this.”
In the end, I felt like the author was just one more person exploiting Ali, taking private moments and documenting them without permission for profit. And I felt a little dirty for having read and enjoyed it.
RATING: 3 1/2 stars, rounded up to 4 stars where 1/2 stars are not permitted.
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of this book in a random draw. A prompt and honest (and hopefully favorable) review was probably desired, but no such commitment was sought nor given.
The book was quite well written, and I confess to enjoying most of it (although the sections in which Ali himself is absent never did catch my interest – especially the dream and fantasy sequences). However, one thing hovered over the pages and affected my enjoyment. Mr. Miller professes to be both a fan and a friend of Muhammad Ali. Ali took to him and allowed him access into his life and that of his family. Yet, here we are, reading a book about these very moments. Then, about 3/4 of the way through the book, after a story of Ali's talking to working class people waiting for a bus and providing them each with a little financial relief ends with Ali's admonition “Davy … Now don't you write none of this.”
In the end, I felt like the author was just one more person exploiting Ali, taking private moments and documenting them without permission for profit. And I felt a little dirty for having read and enjoyed it.
RATING: 3 1/2 stars, rounded up to 4 stars where 1/2 stars are not permitted.
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of this book in a random draw. A prompt and honest (and hopefully favorable) review was probably desired, but no such commitment was sought nor given.
June 27, 2016
Approaching Ali A Reclamation In Three Acts, by Davis Miller, is my one hundred and fifty-third book that I have received and read from Goodreads. I found this book to be very interesting. It tells the story of how the author Davis Miller and Muhammad Ali met and became friends. One of the things that I didn't know was how Muhammad Ali gave away money and possessions. The second thing was the people he trusted and thought were friends exploited him. The third was his love for children.
There are alot of interesting things about Muhammad Ali, but the three that I enjoyed reading most are number one was the amount of people around the world young and old that new Muhammad Ali and followed him every where he went. Number two was when in 1996, in Atlanta Game Opening Ceremony, Muhammad Ali Lightning the Olympic Torch the goose bumps it gave me. And a third how Muhammad Ali was a great ambassador for Parkinson's Disease, how the man fought it to his passing.
I feel this book is for everyone to read, no matter who you are you will be able to take away something. I would also like to thank goodreads and the author Davis Miller for picking me to read this book.
There are alot of interesting things about Muhammad Ali, but the three that I enjoyed reading most are number one was the amount of people around the world young and old that new Muhammad Ali and followed him every where he went. Number two was when in 1996, in Atlanta Game Opening Ceremony, Muhammad Ali Lightning the Olympic Torch the goose bumps it gave me. And a third how Muhammad Ali was a great ambassador for Parkinson's Disease, how the man fought it to his passing.
I feel this book is for everyone to read, no matter who you are you will be able to take away something. I would also like to thank goodreads and the author Davis Miller for picking me to read this book.
January 26, 2016
This book by Miller is a very warm portrait of Muhammad Ali. It does not major on the boxing or bouts that he had, but is mainly the story of two men who became friends. In many places there are just snilppets or short stories that Miller has written which bridge the time he is talking about with others. My only wish is that the story could have been told in a consistent manner from start to finish, but it obviously cannot necessarily be told that way. I very much appreciate getting to know the real Ali, his personality, his dealings with people, rather than just a summary of the boxers fights. Received this copy from the Goodreads Giveaways and am certainly happy that I got the opportunity to read this book.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" "To Whom It May Concern" and "Tell Me About the United Methodist Church"
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" "To Whom It May Concern" and "Tell Me About the United Methodist Church"
April 13, 2019
A collection of remembrances from 'walk-in-the-front-door' and sit down to dinner with us level friend with Ali. Miller's first exposure to the world hero are mixed with of the tired and diseased ex-champion. It is a testament to Ali's playfulness and willingness to let others be the butt of his pranks.
November 2, 2017
Very enjoyable. Not a sports book at all. This is a tender and philosophical picture of a friendship.
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December 5, 2020Miller challenges the well known statement that “fame lasts for 15 minutes.” Reading the book today is an experience of challenging that theme—and reading it today makes it a double challenge. The 2015 book shows us that fame can survive (at least for a couple of decades) in boxing and well beyond the world of boxing.
Muhammad Ali the professional boxer who won heavy championships and spoke out loudly about the Vietnam War, politicians, and the importance of black people.
In the late 1960’s/early 1970’s, we often hear “You everyone can be famous, but only for 15 minutes.” Davis Miller, a sportswriter who covers professional fighting, challenges the statement. He quickly tells a about the great fights that Ali gained and then goes to the show his success as a father and a voice that challenged much of the values that of our culture .
There’s a few pages that tell us about his family, his interests, and his statements about
American culture. The book goes in different ways chapter to chapter, much like Ali fought.
Muhammad Ali the professional boxer who won heavy championships and spoke out loudly about the Vietnam War, politicians, and the importance of black people.
In the late 1960’s/early 1970’s, we often hear “You everyone can be famous, but only for 15 minutes.” Davis Miller, a sportswriter who covers professional fighting, challenges the statement. He quickly tells a about the great fights that Ali gained and then goes to the show his success as a father and a voice that challenged much of the values that of our culture .
There’s a few pages that tell us about his family, his interests, and his statements about
American culture. The book goes in different ways chapter to chapter, much like Ali fought.
December 28, 2024
I found this moving. It made me understand that (and why) Ali was the Greatest but that he was also an embodiment of God. Just like all of us, but a bit more in tune. The author showed how he turned ego to compassion and friendship with us all. And the Greatest is Love.
February 7, 2017
I received this book for free as part of a first reads promotion
October 20, 2021
2 1/2 stars. If you never got the chance to read The Tao of Muhammad Ali I would recommend reading this. It tells the story of an interesting friendship between two men, one of whom just happened to be the most famous man to walk the face of the Earth since time began (Ali, Elvis, Jesus, Jordan). Apparently there is a movie coming soon about this friendship. I look forward to seeing it.
July 23, 2016
I got this book through a giveaway.
I thought it was going to be more about Muhammad Ali, but it focused more on the authors life and his interactions with Muhammad Ali. Which is fine, just not what I was expecting.
Pretty interesting look into Ali's life after boxing. Seemed a little contradictory, he wrote about how a bunch of people use Ali, then he himself had ali sign tons of stuff in the first couple of interactions with him, and wrote about him for money a lot.
But anyway, great book to see the life of Ali most didn't get to see. Not a huge fan of his writing, but the material was good.
I thought it was going to be more about Muhammad Ali, but it focused more on the authors life and his interactions with Muhammad Ali. Which is fine, just not what I was expecting.
Pretty interesting look into Ali's life after boxing. Seemed a little contradictory, he wrote about how a bunch of people use Ali, then he himself had ali sign tons of stuff in the first couple of interactions with him, and wrote about him for money a lot.
But anyway, great book to see the life of Ali most didn't get to see. Not a huge fan of his writing, but the material was good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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