"Maybe if there were a few cheers from the other side of the fence, and a little more tolerance, too, people would realize Cassius Clay is not as bad as he seems, and maybe then he would also return the favor once in a while and keep his mouth shut."
--Floyd Patterson (with Gay Talese), "In Defense of Cassius Clay," August 1966

"Boxing is a dialogue between bodies. Ignorant men, usually black, and usually next to illiterate, address one another in a set of "conversational" exchanges... It is just that they converse with their physiques." -Norman Mailer, "Ego," March 1971

This is an excellent book, not only for those interested in perhaps the greatest boxer of all time, but for people interested in the separate and combined effects of race, the 1960's, and the subjectivity of writing. For example, it appears that Patterson and Mailer held contradicting opinions about Ali's talking, and, much this book's fun is how Ali served as a projective test for the attitudes and values of others--Mailer in particular is a hoot.

Ali's larger-than-life persona draws such literary heavyweights as Amiri Baraka, the humorist and essayist A.J. Liebling, Mailer, Joyce Carol Oates, George Plimpton, Irwin Shaw, Gay Telese, Garry Wills, and Tom Wolfe. Ali is a symbol, yes, but an individual too, and the better essays show him as a multifaceted, intelligent, and controversial person. Three interviews ("Black Scholar," uncredited, June, 1970; "Playboy," uncredited, November 1975; "Sport," Joe Torres, December 1981) let the champ speak for himself.

The book is full of great writing (except for Hunter S. Thompson's annoying self-aggrandizing piece and Wills' non-illuminating intellectualism), and offer snapshots of Ali from 1962 through his post-Atlanta Olympics acclaim in the late 1990's. A blend of facts and iconography, the book is a fascinating look at Ali both inside and outside the ring. (Some pieces were edited for this book, but there is a bibliography on source material. With 16 pages of photos, no index, and an introductory essay by the editor.) Very highly recommended!

Muhammad Ali is truly one of a Kind Person inside&outside The Ring.nobody like Him since.The Man took Sports to a whole different level.He took America&The World to a whole different view.this Book brings all that&more into view.a 3 Hour Movie can't do Him any true Justice.He captured so much that is still being felt to this day.a Must Read.

If you want to begin to try and really understand what Ali is all about, if you want to feel that you have met him and talked with him, this book is for you! It is a great read, and the many writers who contribute each have their own take on this most complex of all heavyweight champs. I loved this book from the first page to the last. You cannot find a better way to get to know Ali. I have read other books about him, and this one stands in a class by itself.

Before I found the Baha'i Faith, I had lived and explored may avenues of worship, Christian, Jewish, Yogic, and more. This book of divinely revealed prayers was among my first introductions to Baha'i, and in it I found a completeness, a unity of spiritual thought that brought together the inner essence of all faiths. Divided into esily searched sections (healing, unity, spiritual qualities, assistance) these gems of prose, each as powerful as the Lord's Prayer of Christendom, help the reader to approach the Divine Oneness of God in uplifting, inspiring, Holy Words. Recommended for anyone seeking a way to express love for our Creator.

Baha'is use prayers such as these daily in their journey through this world. Here, prayers are divided up by themes such as aid and assitance, dealing with tests and difficulties, marriage and family life, spiritual guidance, healing, praise and grattitude, and many more. These prayers set a specific tone of elegance and delicate thoughtfulness to daily prayer for anyone who longs for spiritual guidance and awareness in daily life.

More than a source of inspiration! In addition to the beautiful imagery it uses, the prayers inside this book *do* work!

I wish more people would translate his works. Thank you.

It is a book about morals. It has sayings in it which will make you think twice. It is a handybook. It will assist you towards finding your 'self'. Although better and more knowledgable books are out there, yet the sayings in this book make you aware. The thoughts in this book are inspired. A must have...

I was pretty closed to Islam. But after reading this it really makes sense.

Muhammad Ali, The World's Champion, is about the professional boxer who accomplished many goals in his boxing career. He started boxing at a young age and by the time he was done with high school he went professional. Muhammad won three world championships and he was the greatest boxer of his time. I think the author, John Tessitore, did a good job on this book because he covered everything from when Ali was a child to his retirement.

This was enjoyable and easy to read. It started with his childhood, then moved on to his career, and finished with his retirement. The book is very well organized as it follows a timeline of his life. The way which the author describes Ali's rise to the top, is the strongest part of the book. The descriptions were clear and easy to relate to. The author talked more about Ali's success and not enough about the struggles that got him to the top.

I gave this book five stars because it is informative and entertaining. I would recommend it to others because it gave a thorough overview of who Ali really is. I believe that the message the author is trying to send is that if you work hard you can accomplish your goals. It is in my opinion that this is an important message to give to readers. I believe that the author was successful in getting his message across to the readers.

Mr. Tessitore displays a writing talent that makes you feel as though you are sitting next to him as he interestingly relates Ali's story. A genuine craftsman and wordsmith, the author creates a memorable look at Ali that you will want to revisit and enjoy again.

This young author does a magnificent job to portray one of the greatest athletes of our time. If you are an avid Ali fan, or just looking for an outstanding read, check out this gem. I hope the author keeps his works coming!!!

My mother and read this book together. Before reading it I didn't know much about Muhammad Ali, other than he was a great fighter. After reading a few of the poems with my mom, I began to ask questions about the life of Mr. Ali. I learned a lot from my mom, but his life seems so interesting that I want to do my next Black History Month report about him. I look forward to doing the research with my mom about a man that so many people are proud of.

Reading this book with my 11-year old daughter was a wonderful way to introduce her to the many accomplishments and triumphs of Muhammad Ali. Upon completion of the book, she was so inspired that she decided to do her next Black History Month report on "The Greatest!" She was genuinely moved by the author's eloquent writings about a man so deserving of his place in history. I recommend this book to those of you with small children, or those of you who teach small children. It is an excellent way to introduce a child to both Black history and the art of poetry.

Muhammad Ali, truly the greatest. A must read for fans of Ali and good writing. His greatness has been captured by the author in the most admirable of ways. A book dedicated to his life and sport obviously written from the heart. It's like the author was right there with him from his beginnings to today. This is a keeper, a highly recommended buy.

INTERRUPTS AND THE 8259 CHIP

This book has exceptional detail, all the way from debug routines to determine hardware addresses, to assembly and C programs to control the hardware. Numerous schematics and timing tables are also provided. Usually, several books are needed to provide the breadth and depth that this book provides. This book is succinct enough to present virtually all the information I need to dig into PC hardware. If you want to know exactly what is happening in the guts of the IBM PC compatible: from the BIOS calls, to interrupt servicing, to the chips that interface the PC to memory, to the exact timing of the strobe line on the printer port, you should get this book.

If you have come so close... order the book! It is one of the most beautiful books I ever read -- and I have read thousands and am a writer myself.
"Isfahan is half the world" is not just a wonderful boyhood tale, it is an essential introduction in to the origins of the problems of modern Iran. Sayyed Mohammad Ali Jamalzadeh was one of the major modern Iranian writers, and his father was in the eye of the typhoon of the violent reformer vs. tradionalist and laicist vs. islamist debates in Iran at the beginning of the 20th century.

He is called the founder of modern novel writing in Iran.So,his memories is useful to read.A teacher from Iran

LOVE Muhammid Ali - always have - didn't know alot about the young 19 year old Cassius Clay. The boy who becomes the man who is Muhammid Ali - This book tells some interesting stories about Cassius - I'm not sure why I'm suprised, or how I seperated the two in my mind...I mean...they are the same person...and you can see how Cassius is Muhammid - think to when you were 19 and imagine if your greatest qualities grew and become better etc -

Anyway - the book is really good - not 5 star, but 4 - I would have liked MANY more pictures of Cassius and more stories too - I was left wanting more - which is normally a good thing - but here it felt somewhat incomplete

Don't missunderstand - I would buy this again and buy it as gift for folks - if you don't have it - get it - it will make you smile

If you are a fan of Muhammad Ali or sports photography, you'll find this book a joy to read. The book focuses on Flip Schulke's black and white photographs of Ali that were taken on a few occasions from the early to mid-1960s. Flip's comments about the photos and Ali provide rare glimpses into Ali's early penchant for showmanship and the racial prejudice that affected his views. If you admire Ali for his impact in the boxing, social and political arenas, this book will bring tremendous joy to your heart.

This is a book that's hard to put down. Just when you've thought you had read all you can read about Ali, a book like this comes along. The pictures make you feel as if as though you were there yourself. This was one of the best gifts I've ever received. I plan to pass this treasure on to many for Christmas.

For those who want to know about the real Ali, I recommend "The Tao Of Muhammad Ali" by Davis Miller, which offers far more about the person rather than dates and figures. I enjoyed "Muhammad Ali: His Life And Times", it had a lot of things in it I didn't know, but if you want to read just one great book about Ali, then make it "The Tao Of Muhammad Ali".

If you are a Muhammad Ali fan then you definitely need to have this book.It gives details of his life and career. These details are not only told by him but by other people who he had an influence on. You get a chance to hear from his opponents and also his entourage. This is a good buy.

Aside from being one helluva boxer, Muhammad Ali was a vibrant, intuitive, funny, giving, and confilcted man. But his universal fame and his powerful fists (in addition to his constantly flapping mouth) often obscured his innate humanity, a quality that is made strikingly evident in Thomas Hauser's "Muhammad Ali: His Life And Times". Hauser's interview-driven paean to possibly the greatest sportsman of the Twentieth Century celebrates Ali's impact both in and out of the boxing ring, while at the same time revealing the heretofore unknown depths of The Champ's complex personality. Even if you know Ali's history backwards and forwards, there's still much to learn from this breathtakingly honest volume. For example, I had no idea that early in his career, soon after he declared himself a member of the intensely pro-black Nation Of Islam, Ali would make his way into poor white neighborhoods to play with the children of the men that his religious sect referred to as "white devils". I was also surprised to learn that the Ali of today--though not the least bit regretful of his decision to align himself with Elijah Muhammad in the early 1960's--no longer holds the Nation Of Islam's founder in particularly high regard. The fact that the champ himself cooperated in the construction of this book (i.e., the unflinching honesty during his own interviews, in addition to the insistance that all of his co-hortrs who were quoted be totally truthful themselves) makes "His Life And Times" that much more vital. An essential portrait a true American original.

Powerful Prayers is a Must Read Reading Powerful Prayers provides you amazingly simple examples of commuincating with God through personal everyday prayer. It opens the door to an otherwise complex arena of thought. The discussion between Larry King and Rabbi Katsof is sensitive and thought provoking. The interviews add incredible depth to the discussion. They also legitimize informal prayer, and the many different ways people have found to communicate with their respective spiritual beings. I recommend this book to everyone who is open to exlporing their individual communication with God. It is a must read. It has changed my entire understanding or paradigm in regards to my relationship with God outside of a house of worship.

Unlike most "religious" category books, this book lacks the preachy quality that causes most readers to not absorb the text. This book insightfully breaks down barriers between different religious beliefs and simply brings forth the universal belief in a higher power. The people that Larry King and Rabbi Katsof chose to interview are made more personable and are made more tangible through their everyday prayers, which are similar to ours, and their quest to be closer to God. This book would make a fabulous holiday gift that is sure to please a recipient of any religious background.

Mr. King delved into the foundation of Spirituality and Religion and made simple an otherwise complex and controversial issue. The book focuses on the individual and his or her communication with God, while setting aside religious beliefs. I would like to recommend to friends who are too formal about prayers and to those who maybe agnostic such as Larry King in his book.