Muhammad Ali’s favorite quote was “I am the greatest! I am the king”! He was one of the most outspoken, brave, and often controversial athlete in the world. He was the most recognizable face in the world. There were many facets to Muhammad Ali’s life. He was very spiritual and committed to standing up for injustice in the world. The story does a great job of covering his life as a child until he became the champion of the world. Muhammad Ali fought hard and as he aged it took longer to win those fights that he won so readily in his earlier years. Fighting was very hard on his body too. He developed brain damage by the age of thirty-nine and developed Parkinson’s disease. He retired from boxing to raise his family. I would recommend this as an optional purchase for collections looking for more to supplement their collection. ( )

I really enjoyed reading this book because I really felt like a learned a little more about Muhammad Ali's life. This book had a good way of keeping my attention by providing excellent illustrations on each page and it also gave facts but in a detailed sort of way. Almost telling a story without getting too boring like other biographies i have read in the past. I also like the timeline that is presented in the end. I thought that was good way to sort of recap the main key events of the story of Muhammad Ali. The message of this story i believe is that you should never give up on your dreams and hard work pays off in the end. ( )

In my opinion this is a good book. One reason I liked this book is for its well paced writing. The story begins with Muhammads early childhood. For example, it gives the reader information about his real name Cassius and gives the information about why he started boxing. Another reason I enjoyed this book is for it's description of the characters. Since the characters are real people, the author had a challenge and a duty to help preserve their personality. For example the police offer who inspired him to box and helped him by allowing him to workout in his gym. The overall purpose of this book is to not only inform Muhamammad Ali, put also to stand up and fight for what you believe in. ( )

In my opinion, this is a great biography presenting information about Muhammad Ali. I really enjoyed this book because it not only tells the amazing story of Muhammad but it pushes readers to think about tough issues. The story presents conflicts about racism and segregation. Muhammad was African American and was told that because of his skin color that he would never have money or become rich. I enjoyed the information that was presented about Muhammad because it was very well organized. The information was presented in chronological order by year but also supported with a story line behind each fact. Also, the author does an excellent job of bringing Muhammad’s voice to the book. He did this by using quotations that truly displayed his moods and feelings. I enjoyed that this book brought into light the issues that were occurring in the world throughout his life and showed his determination. The main idea of this story is to present information about the life of Muhammad Ali. ( )

Summary: This book tells the story of Muhammad Ali's childhood to his adult life, and how he was inspired to learn the art of boxing. The many obstacles he faced and the way he handled them, to include his religion.

Personal Reaction: This book offers a lot of the personal thoughts of a great fighter, both in and out of the ring. He is a true inspiration to young men all around the world.

Extension Ideas: Create a board with students that shows different African Americans and their influence in history. Answering questions like what makes this person stand out in both their personal lives and their respected careers. Adding to this lesson by listing their famous quotes and some of their not so famous. This is a research lesson as well as writing.