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The Soul Of A Butterfly

byMuhammad Ali, Hana Yasmeen Ali

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In this poignant, moving book, Muhammad Ali shares the beliefs he has come to live by and which he has passed on to his children. Some of the wisdom is his own; some comes from the teachings of true Islam, from his spiritual studies, and from people he has met in the course of his extraordinary life. Here, as he recalls his early days as a young warrior in Louisville, Kentucky, and his meteoric rise to fame as Heavyweight Champion of the World, a title he won three times, he tells of the many battles he won and lost, both inside and outside the ring and his conversion to Islam in the 1960s. Now, working tirelessly as a worldwide ambassador for peace, he talks of the damage caused when religion is used to tear people apart, the essential need for unity in this troubled world, and how his faith sustains him on this, the most important journey of his life - the journey to forgiveness and peace. Together with his daughter Hana, in this timely spiritual memoir Ali draws upon his rich reserve of notes, tapes and journals, and writes with compassion, warmth and, of course, humour on how we can liberate mind, body and spirit when we pursue and embrace the one essential truth - love.

It's not a book you meet every day... [It's] all about love. I was there in Atlanta when he lit the Olympic flame, and I felt the oceans of love washing towards him from America and the world... I have been
at prize-fights where the very name Ali gets a bigger cheer than either contestant. Ali: the world's most beloved sportsman; perhaps the world's most beloved human... In his conversations with his daughter, he emerges as a person of almost Christlike nature: sweet, gently proud, remorseful. His apology to his greatest opponent, Joe Frazier, for past insults, is truly touching

Simon Barnes, The Times

About Muhammad Ali

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1942, began boxing at the age of twelve. By the age of eighteen he had won all amateur titles available and in 1960 he won the Light Heavyweight Gold Medal at the Rome Olympics. On his return to the States, the young boxer - who had caused a stir with his unorthodox style of boxing and brash behaviour - turned professional and began what was to become the most remarkable career in the history of sport. Indeed, 'floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee', punching, prophesying, and generally creating a storm of controversy wherever he appeared, he quite literally transformed his sport and became the world's most adored athlete. His conversion to Islam in the 1960s had a profound impact on his life and undoubtedly influenced much of the search for peace and unity he embarked on later in life. Despite suffering from Parkinson's Disease, Ali worked tirelessly for a number of charitable organizations until his death in 2016.
Details
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • ISBN: 9781448168538
  • Length: 256 pages
  • Price: £9.99
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