Two authors team up to bring readers this enlightening history of the early life of Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali. Using a unique combination of prose and verse, readers will learn about the great fighter's early life from his best friend Lucky (prose sections) and the boxer himself (verse sections).
My parents were avid watchers of Wide World of Sports and other televised sporting events, so I recall watching some of Ali's fights and hearing about his success. I also knew about his later years and his battle with Parkinson's disease. I didn't know about his start in boxing and his childhood until picking up this wonderful book.
Cassius Clay was always a confident kid. His supportive family encouraged his various interests but didn't always approve of his casual approach to school. Cassius, or Gee-Gee as he was called by family and friends, knew early on that school would not be his ticket to success.
Cassius spent hours in the gym training with the goal of winning the Golden Gloves Championship and eventually an Olympic gold medal. I enjoyed reading about his childhood exploits, his friendships, and his family stories as he described working out and gradually attaining his lifelong goals. He didn't always win but looked at each defeat as a way to learn for better results the next time.
Fans of the great Ali will enjoy the stories of the young Cassius Clay, and the Kwame/Patterson team are sure to interest readers new to the life story of this incredible fighter.
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