Reviews

This t-shirt was a Christmas gift. The colors were vibrant and it is a true-to-fit size. So if you usually wear a large, get a large. Decal was high quality. This shipper was quick and package arrived within days the last week of Christmas. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS SELLER.

Reviews

arrived on time and in better nick than i thought Thanks heaps

The book has shipped on august 13th, 2009 and I received in September 10th. The book arrived in perfect condition, like new, all good in the delivery and submission. Thanks!!

When boxing mattered, boxers were more than pugilists trying to break each other's wills; they were symbols that attracted the attention and aspirations of the masses. Like gladiators in Rome, these courageous men allow us to project our hopes, fears, and insecurities. David Remnick tells the story of Cassius Clay's growth from a skinny, mercurial, but morally upright boy, to a hero and symbol of resistance and hope for millions of anti-establishment figures. Ali captivated the hearts and minds of fans unlike any athlete before or since. Remnick does a beautiful job of explaining why and how this happened. No matter how dominate Michael Jordan was, or Tiger Woods is, neither absorb our emotions like the sponge known as Muhammed Ali. His grace, speed, and power thrilled, while his words, political stances, and humour enthralled. Everyone in America should learn the story of this hero. There is no better place than Remnick's book to do so. Highly recommended.

It is, as many have said, one of the great sports biographies of all time -- but it's also one of the great history narratives of all time. It's not just Muhammmad Ali profiled here, but the trio of heavyweights who dominated headlines in the early 1960s: also Floyd Patterson and Sonny Liston. And in many ways, those two are more fascinating because, before I read "King of the World," they weren't accompanied by the same pre-fight hype. Here's Liston, a dangerous and sullen felon who's achingly lonely; there's Patterson, a great athlete but at the same time so thoughtful and intelligent he was plagued by a boxer's worst enemy, self-doubt. And that's not to say anything of the portrait of the time, of Black Muslims, Malcolm X, Norman Mailer, the media, John F. Kennedy... Trust me, even a non-sports fan will be mesmerized.

Bertz / Randall "Almighty god was with me! I want everybody to bear witness! I am the greatest! I shook up the world! I am the greatest thing that ever lived! I don't have a mark on my face, and I just upset Sonny Liston, and I just turned twenty-two years old. I must be the greatest! I showed the world! I talk to god every day! I am the king of the world!" shouts Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) to the sporting press, after defeating Sonny Liston in 1964. This statement enraged boxing fans all over the world. Here was a twenty-two year old nobody with a big mouth, and he just defeated Sonny Liston. At the time, Liston was viewed as invincible. Liston was an experienced fighter who was known for defeating his opponents in two rounds or less. Not only did he lose the heavyweight championship to Ali, but he quit without being knocked down once. This declared Ali the king of controversy. "King of the World" by David Remnick is the story of the rise and fall of Muhammad Ali. Remnick does a fantastic job of showing us the different sides of racism. He focuses greatly on Ali's devotion to the Nation of Islam. The book showed many similarities between the Nation of Islam and the Klu Klux Klan. Remnick explained that both the Nation and the Klan were for segregation and that they both use methods of violence and terror to enforce their beliefs. After reading this book, I realized that the similarities are uncanny. Remnick's numerous references to these similarities proved to me that Remnick is a non-violent integrationist. I believe that one of the main points of the book is that segregation is wrong. The book greatly describes how the Nation of Islam had interfered with Muhammad Ali's personal life. For example, Remnick noted Ali's marriage to Sonji. He went into great detail how strong Ali's love was for Sonji, but he couldn't accept her inability to conform to his religion. This became a problem for them and they eventually got a divorce. Remnick also noted the emotional distance between Ali and his father being caused by his decision to join the Nation of Islam. Remnick goes even further in describing the way Ali turned his back on his best friend Malcolm X. He also wanted to let the reader know that religion should never get in the way of your personal life. The book said that the only thing in Ali's life that Ali regrets is "his cruel and hasty rejection of Malcolm." Now days, Ali looks back at Malcolm X with great respect. The main point Remnick was trying to communicate with his audience was that Ali stood up for what he believed in. Not only in the boxing ring but, also with his religious and political beliefs. In 1966, Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted to fight the war in Vietnam. The government threatened to take away his heavyweight championship and throw him into a federal prison for the next five years. Ali still refused. When they asked him why he refused to fight in the Vietnam war, he replied "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong." Eldridge Cleaver described Ali as a "genuine revolutionary" and the "first `free' black champion to confront white America." Writer, Jill Nelson, called Ali's refusal of the draft a "supreme act of defiance." However, not everyone supported Ali's refusal of the draft. Conservative boxing fans called him an unpatriotic bum. They thought he was hiding behind his religion because he was lazy. Remnick took a much more liberal stance on the situation. The author seemed to support Ali's decision. For many years, Muhammad Ali would be both loved and hated by boxing fans of all races. Some people believe that Ali should not have been allowed to be exempt from the war because of his religion. Others looked at his exemption as an amazing defeat. The only thing anyone could agree on was his amazing abilities in the ring. In 1997, during the summer Olympics, Muhammad Ali was invited to light the Olympic torch. In my opinion, this proved Ali to be a very patriotic man. It proved that the world had never forgotten about Ali, and it never will. Lighting the Olympic torch is one of the highest honors any athlete could be given. "King of the World" was published in 1998. Exactly one year after he lit the Olympic torch. I think that's why this book was written when it was. The ignition of the 1997 Olympic torch was Ali's return to the public eye. And this book was written to honor him.

Reviews

This was my first time reading Mailer, and I'd never really read something written with that kind of self-important style before, and I didn't even know what to expect going in. But I enjoyed the book quite a bit for what it was and what it wasn't. The description of the fight was tremendous and Mailer's take on both fighters was so distinct and fantastic that you really felt as though you were there. There's something to be said for being able to persuade the reader toward the view of Foreman being the heavy favorite so long after the events have already been written in history. Mailer writing himself in the third person seemed perfectly fine to fit in with the African religious themes he describes, and it just gives a flavor to the book that I didn't expect going in. Definitely recommended if you have an interest in classic American authors, combat sports, or feature-length in-person journalistic accounts.

If ever two egos needed to meet, these were the two. Only Norman Mailer could've made a Muhammad Ali-centered event like "The Rumble In The Jungle" so much about himself. And yet in his way, Mailer makes one want to read and re-read every page. He crafts a tale that makes it easy to sense the chaos preceding a heavyweight title fight, as well as the almost universal expectation that Ali was simply going to get himself killed by George Foreman. I loved Mailer's attempts to draw out Ali, and loved Ali's constant tug-of-war with Mailer, "the press" and the Foreman camp. Were the small cracks in Ali's confidence real, or was it part of the show? Did he use Mailer, or did Mailer use Ali? Having watched the fight many times over the years, I knew how the book would end. And yet I was enthralled by the ebb and flow of Mailer's thoughts as the fight approached and unfolded. No newspaper account...this is a marvelous take on a legendary sporting event, and well worth reading as a fight fan or a literature fan.

Norman Mailer died today. He was my first and maybe largest influence as a writer. (Those who admire and dislike my books have often compared my voice to Mailer's.) THE FIGHT was my introduction to Mailer. It's certainly among the best writing about Ali and about the act of boxing. I wish I'd made the opportunity to tell Mailer of his influence on me. And, heck, I wish I'd had the chance to box with him. I'm sad this afternoon. I'll miss this outsized, ridiculous, singularly talented person. Davis Miller (author of THE TAO OF MUHAMMAD ALI, THE ZEN OF MUHAMMAD ALI AND OTHER OBSESSIONS, THE TAO OF BRUCE LEE: A MARTIAL ARTS MEMOIR)

Norman Mailer delivered a classic in his coverage of the October 30, 1974, "Rumble in the Jungle," in the May 20th Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire, when heavy underdog Muhammad Ali shocked the world one more time with his 8th round knockout of champion George Foreman. Referring to himself in the third-person, Mailer captures the various angles of the fight that was oftentimes more interesting with the personalities and controversies outside the ring. There are interviews with George Plimpton and Hunter S. Thompson - the Gonzo journalist who could go toe-to-toe with Mailer in the world ego championship - along with the bitter Joe Frazier and vastly underrated contender Ken Norton. This was Don King's first boxing promotion, who got into the game with a boost from Ali. While Mailer gives perhaps the best sketch of Ali's famous cornerman, Drew "Bundini" Brown, it is nearly a throwaway comment on what appeared to be Ali struggling at times with his quick quips that may have been one of the earliest signs of what became permanent neurological damage. Going into the fight, Foreman - who earlier in his pro career enlisted Sonny Liston as a sparring partner - was considered unbeatable, with fears that Ali would get severely hurt in a heroic, but losing effort. After the loss, Foreman claimed - though later recanted - that his water bottle was tampered with & he was drugged. Foreman also claimed - but also recanted - that members of Ali's had loosened the ring ropes, so his punching power was negated by Ali leaning his upper torso & head far outside the ring. The Fight is not the typical coverage of a sporting event, but Mailer proved to be up to the task and delivered some of the best writing in his storied career.

Kinhasa Zaire...1974...One of the most publicized and adored fights of the 1970s, and what better writer to depict the settings than Mailer. This book was a tough find until '96 when the legendary documentary, "When We Were Kings" was released. Mailer's descriptions of the fight throughout the film were compelling enough to make me search out his read. Many people forget that the fight was postponed for two weeks by Foreman's camp, and the fight almost didn't go off, which leads to chaotic story. Mailer's settings in the Zaire heat and his descriptions of icons such as Hunter Thompson, George Plimpton, Jim Brown, and Don King roaming the lobby of Zaire's Inter-Continental Hotel are so good that you'll feel as if you've been thrown back for two weeks through a time-machine to 1974. A true time period when sports was straight-up for men's men Now, I'm not so into the romaticized Ali depictions seen through the eyes of Michael Mann, 'limo liberals' and other misinformed academians, and I will never adopt the modern day pre-fabbed tributes to Ali. Accompany this read with a viewing of "When We Were Kings" or with a read of Thomas Hauser's "King of the World" and Mark Kram's "Ghosts of Manila", and you'll catch my drift. Avoiding a Ali tribute, Mailer loves the sport of boxing, and it shows throughout the book. "The Fight" is a great read that depicts a chaotic time, Zaire, the characters and the life surrounding the classic fight.. Lead with a right-hand jab, and pick this read up. -BD 5/03

Reviews

Whenever anyone wants to bring up race relations in America and how bad they can be at times, one should simply read through a little bit of the life of Jack Johnson. As testy as things can be today, they are nothing compared to the outright and plainly accepted racism of just a century ago. Stories like this one help to remind one and all that the pure hatred and pain of frontline open racism in America is just beyond living memory, but it's been passed down by just one or two generations. If forgiveness is to come, patience must be our watchword. Johnson was the Mike Tyson of his day - brash, freewheeling and fast-spending, but just so damn good at what he did that nobody could stop him. He defied moral conventions simply by following his heart and his desires, and it made him one of the most hated men in America. Ward's treatment of the stories of his life are thorough, intense and sadly reflective of an America we are still struggling to come out from under.

In the introduction, the author notes that Johnson's only sin was that "he took orders from no one and resolved to live as if color did not exist;" that is, as if the U.S. were a colorblind society. This of course was Jack Johnson's cardinal "no, no." One cannot do that even today in what remains a profoundly racist society. These characteristics of seeking dignity and independence from whites, even today with "our black President," will still get blacks into a great deal of trouble. And while there are a lot of things bad that one can say about Jack Johnson's personal habits - he was a bon vivant, spent lavishly, in short, lived as if there were no tomorrow -- he was, at his core, and despite his many shortcomings, still a human being bent on living a full and trouble-free life of dignity. As this book notes he was not the first nor would he be the last black athlete (or black man) to suffer from the disease of seeking his full measure of dignity in a racist "white man's world." For those reviewers who attribute this episode solely to the racism of the times (1908-1915), one only need recall that even those who towed the lines of racist conventions to a "tee" such as the nine times U.S. gold medal champion Jessie Owens, still suffered as many, if not even more indignities than did Johnson. Owens, for instance, in the most embarrassing and ignominious of exhibitions ended his career in a foot race against a thoroughbred race horse, unable after all of the glory he bestowed upon the U.S. -- with Adolph Hitler looking on --unable to get a job in the U.S. that would enable him to care for his family. Similarly, for Joe Louis, who beat Max Schmeling in the famous "Fight of the Century," who served in the U.S. Navy and later gave millions in purses to the war cause, was nevertheless hounded by U.S. tax authorities until he was both "broken" and broke. Even his opponent, Max Schmeling was given a U.S. Coke cola concession and distribution that made him a wealthy man, while Louis died as a "greeter" at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The same was true of 1960 Olympic champion, Cassius Clay. When he became Muhammad Ali, he was brutally penalized mostly for rejecting Christianity and becoming a Muslim. As a result, he was forced into professional exile during the prime of his fighting years because ostensibly he chose the dignity of his religious beliefs over going to war to kill for his country. One could add to this list Ruben "Hurricane Carter," who, arguably, was arrested on trumped up charges and spent time in prison because he sought and expressed the kind of dignity and respect normally reserved only for whites in American society. And these are just the stories of those black boxers who had distinguished themselves as "so-called" American national heroes -- those more or less in the same orbit, if not exactly in the same class as Jack Johnson. And while this is a good biography of Johnson, it is not a great one. Too many details of his background are missing, and are told only from the vantage point of an "outsider." One never gets the part of the Jack Johnson's story that is not just a "white newspaper tinged version of the reality of the man inside the black buck's skin. Meaning no disrespect to the author, black subjectivity is missing entirely from this picture. Johnson is little more than a one-dimensional "object" of white scorn. From this vantage point, no matter how skilled a biographer, it is difficult to bring such a caricature fully to life. I watched the PBS documentary that was based on this book and was left with the very same feeling: White writers and screenwriters, including the great Ken Burns, do not seem to get it: Blacks are just not "miniature" white people. There is such a thing as black subjectivity. There is also a humanity that lives in that subjectivity. The point being that after reading this book I still wondered what the "real" Jack Johnson was like when he was not being chased around the globe by angry white men for screwing and marrying white women? Three Stars

Jack Johnson was one of the early twentieth century's most controversial figures. He was the first black man to attain the world heavyweight championship title, an honor that had been the exclusive domain of white boxers since the sport began. His flashy personality, considerable wealth, and refusal to let his race limit his career and marital prospects belied the traditional concept of the servile, grovelling black. When Johnson beat up white men in the ring and consorted with white women in public, Caucasian America reacted violently. Blacks like Booker T. Washington worried that the hostile attention he attracted would reflect badly on them. "Just who do you think you are?" he was often asked- by both races. "Jack Johnson," he invariably replied. The first half of `Unforgivable Blackness' traces Johnson's rise from Galveston street fighter to heavyweight champion of the world. It was hard going for years: white title holders refused to fight him, worried at the battering their legends would take if they lost to a black man. In what must be the epitome of persistence, Johnson chased the Canadian heavyweight champion Tommy Burns across the world, showing up in European cafes and Australian hotel lobbies to issue challenges. He finally defeated Burns in Sydney, Australia, in 1908, but hostile whites refused to acknowledge him as the new champion until 1910, when he beat the legendary Jim Jeffries, who had retired undefeated six years previously and only agreed to fight so he could show that "a white man is better than a negro." In the second half of this fast-paced volume, white America crucifies Johnson for his boxing success and affinity for white women (all three of his wives were Caucasian). Congress banned prizefight films from being taken across state lines, sparing thousands of whites the demoralizing sight of Stanley Ketchel and Jim Jeffries being defeated by a Negro. Policemen wrote Johnson tickets for driving a car that they felt no black should be able to afford. He was accused of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to take a woman from state to state for immoral purposes. Found guilty of `transporting' Chicago prostitute Belle Schreiber, Johnson fled to Europe with his wife Lucille and wandered the globe for years. He lost the heavyweight championship to Jess Willard in Havana in 1915 and hoped that he might finally go home now that the title had been reclaimed by a white fighter. But when he did, Johnson was arrested and spent 10 months in Leavenworth prison for the Mann Act conviction. Upon his release, he was considered too old to box professionally again and therefore reduced to minor film roles and speaking engagements. He was killed in a car crash outside Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1946, after speeding furiously away from a restaurant that refused to serve him. Geoffrey Ward has written Johnson's story in an highly readable style, combining sports history with popular biography. You don't have to be a boxing aficionado to enjoy `Unforgivable Blackness'. The entire book has an high-velocity undercurrent that keeps the reader turning the pages. Perhaps that's because Jack Johnson himself was an energetic, fascinating individual who only let himself be beaten in the ring.

THIS BOOK PAINTS A REAL PICTURE OF THE LIFE OF A MAN IN A RACIALLY CHARGED TIME IN OUR HISTORY. THE BOOK REMINDS THE READER THAT jACK jOHNSON IS A HERO TO SOME BUT ALSO WAS A VERY REAL HUMAN BEING AND HE HAD VERY REAL PROMBLEMS, AS MANY BOXERS DO.

I first read this book a number of years ago, pursuant to the Ken Burns production on PBS. I purchased a paperback addition, the spine of which broke during a second read; hence, the purchase of the hardback at hand. Needless to say, I consider Ward's book excellent. I say this both as a piece of general history and as a fascinating view of boxing in its infancy in this country. Johnson was polarizing, but no less interesting and influential. Consider his impact on Joe Lewis, Ali, and Miles Davis. Thoroughly recommend both the book and Burns documentary on DVD.