05/15/2017
In this revealing history, sports writer Montville (Ted Williams) portrays Muhammad Ali, one of the most celebrated athletes of the 20th century, during the tumultuous 1960s. The day after felling Sonny Liston to win the 1964 heavyweight championship, 22-year-old Muhammad Ali pledged allegiance to the Nation of Islam. The hysteria that followed grew ever louder as the fighter went on to reject his “slave” name and refuse draft induction, saying “I don’t have no personal quarrel with those Viet Congs.” After a series of court battles, Ali was convicted and given a five-year sentence for refusing to be drafted. Stripped of his passport and boxing titles, Ali scraped by on speaking gigs and performing as a lead for a Broadway musical, Buck White, as his lawyers fought to keep him out of prison. With dry humor, Montville portrays the central figures of Ali’s life—mostly hustlers and religious idealists—as well as the controversies surrounding an African-American who both condemned racial injustice and praised George Wallace. Montville only touches on the brutality of the NOI and the megalomania of Elijah Muhammad. Before his battle with the U.S. government, Ali was a unique talent; afterward, he was a pariah who became a hero. Montville shows how Ali earned the title he came up with for himself: “The Greatest.” (May)
★ 05/01/2017
Who was heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali's toughest opponent? Was it Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, George Foreman, or Ken Norton? The foe who took Ali's title, forced him into a premature retirement, and tried to imprison him was the U.S. government which, during the volatile days of the Vietnam War, successfully prosecuted Ali for draft evasion. Montville, former senior editor at Sports Illustrated, details Ali's battle, which began in 1966 and ended with a unanimous 1971 decision by the Supreme Court in the ex-champ's favor. This story follows Ali's life in exile on the college lecture circuit, reminding us of nearly forgotten events such as Ali's suspension from the Nation of Islam, computer-generated "greatest of all time" battle with undefeated former champ Rocky Marciano, and short-lived career on Broadway. VERDICT While this is not the only book to focus on Ali's legal battles, Montville has given fans and boxing historians a thoroughly enjoyable and informative read.—Jim Burns, formerly with Jacksonville P.L., FL
2017-04-02
Fast-paced account of Muhammad Ali's struggle as a conscientious draft objector, a flashpoint for a tumultuous era.Prolific sportswriter Montville (Evel: The High-Flying Life of Evel Knievel: American Showman, Daredevil, and Legend, 2011, etc.) writes in a breezy, colloquial style, but his diligent research allows him to capture both the inimitable Ali and the larger social sweep of the mid-1960s as the heavyweight champion's stance against being drafted crystallized thorny political and racial issues. "He stumbled into his situation," writes the author, "said he didn't want to go to war because of his religion, put one foot in front of another, and came out the other end a hero." Montville proves that Ali's grueling odyssey to the Supreme Court, following the loss of his livelihood and nearly his freedom, mirrored mainstream America's slow embrace of tolerance and turn against the Vietnam War. The author goes beyond the expected celebrity cameos to capture the diverse supporting cast orbiting Ali, from the white Louisville businessmen who originally backed him to a black Philadelphia gangster who gave him a house, as well as the secretive subcultures of boxing and the Nation of Islam. He humanizes Ali by following him through his strange forced retirement, when he became a passionate speaker on college campuses and even starred in a radical theater production on Broadway, as the national mood grew darker. Montville adeptly synthesizes primary sources, from Ali's verbal jousts with Howard Cosell to his testimony before a segregationist judge, who actually concurred with Ali's argument on religious grounds but was overruled by the Justice Department. The narrative follows both Ali's intricate legal appeals and his belated return to competition following the 1970 restoration of his boxing license, culminating in a long-delayed, bitter bout against Joe Frazier: "Every newspaper in America would run a picture of [Ali's] knockdown." Ali remains a magnetic figure throughout, but Montville restores his fuller human complexity. A dramatic, pleasing tale of a sports iconoclast fighting for his rights during tumultuous times.
ONE OF THE BOSTON GLOBE'S BEST BOOKS OF 2017
“Montville, one of the best sportswriters of his generation, vividly frames Ali's individual struggle against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and the upheaval of the late '60s.”
—Chicago Tribune
"An absorbing portrait of Ali during his years of vilification and exile from the ring . . . Somehow Mr. Montville has managed, in a sympathetic but not hagiographic fashion, to find a fresh angle on the Greatest—by showing him embattled, as one might expect, and yet outside the ring."
—The Wall Street Journal
"Meticulously researched . . . The inventory of Ali books is indeed long. But put this one on the short list."
—Newsday
"A fresh, ambitious book about one of the most written-about men in the history of sports or anything else . . . He’s a writer who never disappoints."
—The Boston Globe
"Sting Like a Bee is a valuable, indeed essential, addition to the growing library on Ali, offering a broader understanding of the enigma known as 'the Greatest.'"
—The Washington Post
"A fast-paced account of Muhammad Ali's struggle as a conscientious draft objector, a flashpoint for a tumultuous era. . . A dramatic, pleasing tale of a sports iconoclast fighting for his rights."
—Kirkus
"Montville has given fans and boxing historians a thoroughly enjoyable and informative read."
—Library Journal (starred review)
"Fascinating backstory . . . the result is a book that belongs in the top tier of Ali literature."
—Booklist
"Revealing . . . With dry humor, Montville portrays the central figures of Ali’s life—mostly hustlers and religious idealists—as well as the controversies surrounding an African-American who both condemned racial injustice and praised George Wallace . . . Montville shows how Ali earned the title he came up with for himself: 'The Greatest.'"
—Publishers Weekly
"In Sting Like a Bee, Montville has put together an exhaustively researched and deftly written account of that stretch. The portrait of Ali is rendered with rich, meticulous detail . . . there’s no denying that Sting Like a Bee will give the reader a new appreciation for the difficulties of Ali’s journey."
—The Maine Edge
"Montville has conducted serious research into the legal maneuvering and legal issues surrounding Muhammad Ali and the draft, and brought the source material together in a way that makes it more easily accessed and more fully understood. That’s a valuable service."
—Ring Magazine
Narrator JD Jackson takes great care to articulate the story of Muhammed Ali and his refusal to serve in the military during the Vietnam War. Though he could have quickened his pace in some areas, his ability to consistently alter his voice for the various men and women quoted throughout is noteworthy and makes this controversial biography an enjoyable and informative experience. He is especially skilled at delivering the quotes from Ali and Howard Cosell, both of whom had distinctive voices. Jackson doesn’t attempt to soften the body blows to the provocative Ali. Furthermore, his ability to simply read the facts with no noticeable interpretation makes this audiobook a better experience than reading it in print. T.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Narrator JD Jackson takes great care to articulate the story of Muhammed Ali and his refusal to serve in the military during the Vietnam War. Though he could have quickened his pace in some areas, his ability to consistently alter his voice for the various men and women quoted throughout is noteworthy and makes this controversial biography an enjoyable and informative experience. He is especially skilled at delivering the quotes from Ali and Howard Cosell, both of whom had distinctive voices. Jackson doesn’t attempt to soften the body blows to the provocative Ali. Furthermore, his ability to simply read the facts with no noticeable interpretation makes this audiobook a better experience than reading it in print. T.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
