More Than a Hero: Muhammad Ali's Life Lessons Presented Through His Daughter's Eyes

To the world, three-time heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali is known as "the Greatest." To his daughter, Hana, he is simply known as Daddy. Now in a heartfelt tribute, Hana Ali shares the life lessons she learned from her father, and offers an intensely personal look at one of the most revered men on the face of the earth.

Sprinkled among her insightful anecdotes, Hana Ali presents a collection of Muhammad Ali's most provocative and profound poetry and quotes -- spanning from the turbulent 1960s to today -- as well as classic and never-before-published photographs. She also confides the wisdom and understanding of a cultural icon whose battle with Parkinson's disease has not stopped his commitment to African-American pride, nor his ongoing fight against poverty and racism. Lovingly conveyed through Hana's unique perspective, More Than A Hero is more than just a rare glimpse inside the Ali family -- it is an inspirational reminder that we can all achieve greatness.

Ali isn't just the most written about boxer ever, he's also the most written about athlete. What a shame that most of the books written about him, like his mushy tribute from one of his many daughters, totally whitewash (no pun intended) one of the most controversial and intriguing figures of the 20th century. I wish somebody would write a biography of Ali that told it like it is, good and bad.


Let the Young Dream of Him!   November 3, 2000
Jacques COULARDEAU (OLLIERGUES France)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful

Hana Ali does a marvellous job at presenting her father, the famous and unforgettable Muhammad Ali, and some of his writings. We admired him when he became the World Champion of his boxing category. We admired and supported him when he refused to go and fight in Vietnam for conscientious reasons ; No Vietcong ever called me a nigger ) and when the system got its vengeance by getting his boxing title off him and putting him in the can for quite many years, punishing him for his objection but also punishing his wife and his children. We admired his will power when he reconquered his title. To read his poems, his writings is most invigorating. His daughter presents him as a hero and an angel. We feel his faith in a God of goodwill and charity, of love and peace in every single sentence, in every single page. We understand the total admiration his daughter cultivates for him. Especially since he now endures his natural ordeal which is named Parkinson's. Some pages of that book are beautiful, and that is enough to say so. His love for the poor, for the deprived, for the dispossessed is one more reason to think he was and is a great man, a great spirit, a soul all Afro-Americans can be proud of, a model for younger generations of any race who have lost the desire and the strength to fight for a better future for humanity. An inspiring book that we should all read and comment, that we should have teenagers read and comment in school. Only one flaw in that perfect gem : the one instance when he cannot convince his daughter to eat her vegetables, and he accepts her to dispose of them in the toilet. Has Hana thought of those in the world who have no vegetables at all to eat ? I have been educated in this absolute morality that considers that food is too hard to be bought, cooked, prepared for it to be in any way thrown away. Even bread crumbs can be used to bread some meat or to thicken your soup. But nevertheless, it is and remains an inspiring book. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.