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Summary
Summary
A dynamic author-illustrator team follows the threetime heavyweight champ through twelve rounds of a remarkable life.
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. . . . I'm the prettiest thing that ever lived!"
From the moment a fired-up teenager from Kentucky won 1960 Olympic gold to the day in 1996 when a retired legend, hands shaking from Parkinson's, returned to raise the Olympic torch, the boxer known as "The Greatest" waged many a fight. Some were in the ring, against opponents like Sonny Liston and Joe Frazier; others were against societal prejudice and against a war he refused to support because of his Islamic faith. Charles R. Smith Jr.'s rap-inspired verse weaves and bobs and jabs with relentless energy, while Bryan Collier's bold collage artwork matches every move -- capturing the "Louisville loudmouth with the great gift of rhyme" who shed the name Cassius Clay to take on the world as Muhammad Ali.
Back matter includes a timeline.
Author Notes
Charles R. Smith Jr. is the author of Hoop Queens and its companion, Hoop Kings . He also wrote and illustrated the American Library Association Notable Book Rimshots: Basketball Pix, Rolls, and Rhythms , among other titles. Charles R. Smith Jr. lives in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Bryan Collier is the illustrator of several award-winning books, including Uptown , A Freedom River , Martin's Big Words , and Visiting Langston , all winners of the Coretta Scott King Award (USA). He lives in New York, USA.
Reviews (6)
Publisher's Weekly Review
This paean to the legendary pugilist offers a multifaceted portrait of the fighter as brazen, charitable, fiercely competitive and deeply spiritual. Smith's (I Am America) poetry recalls the rhymed, rhythmic chants Ali used to inflate his image and taunt opponents ("Fighting opponents and hatred/ with two glowing gloves,/ you spoke your mind freely/ while radiating love"). Each of the dozen chapters represents a period in Ali's life, from his birth through his boxing years, his conversion to Islam and retirement and diagnosis with Parkinson's. The fight scenes don't sugarcoat the violence: "when his rock-solid fist,/ released from way back,/ slingshot your cheek/ and broke your jaw with a crack." While some rhymes feel forced ("Each victory inching you/ closer to Sonny/ Liston, the champion,/ for title and money"), Smith's chronicle of Ali's life is nonetheless remarkable in its use of a compact, verse format to convey a great deal of biographical material. Collier's (Lift Every Voice and Sing) dynamic collages capture the emotional weight of both Ali's triumphs and failings; memorably, he depicts the fighters' blows as small ball bearings with fiery tails that radiate outward, heightening the sense of impact. Bold quotes from Ali and others seem to shout across the spreads and, along with Collier's artwork, provide a visual respite from the lengthy columns of verse. This unique and thorough tribute to a complex American hero should readily enthrall those seeking a less conventional biography. Ages 10-up. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Middle School) Any biography of Ali runs the risk of allowing his status as American icon to subsume his complex and significant achievements. Twelve Rounds to Glory definitely showcases the myth over the man; but it also provides insight into the nuances of Ali's personality and the racism he fought with words and fists. Like a medieval epic, Smith's extensive rhyming text extols the greatness of the Greatest from his babyhood -- "Bathed in a beautiful light / from parental love, / brown skin shimmers / with a glow from above" -- through his poignant lighting of the 1996 Olympic flame in Atlanta. Of course it's fitting to tell this story in verse that mimics the cadence of the boxer's own poetic bravado; and, overall, Smith manages to sustain momentum, aided by oversize quotes interspersed with the main text and onomatopoeia during scenes in the ring. Collier's glowing, dignified mixed-media art captures the intensity of Ali's facial expressions and the explosive athleticism of the fighters pictured. The text repeatedly highlights Ali's principled refusal to fight in Vietnam for religious reasons; but it also points out when Ali crossed the line, as when he called Joe Frazier an Uncle Tom. Even the Greatest wasn't perfect, but, as his ongoing battle with Parkinson's indicates, he is, says Smith, "the champ who never quit." Timeline appended. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Smith and Collier takes an in-depth look at Ali's life through 12 rhyming poems. Smith's eccentric rhythm seems at first not to scan, but the longer one reads it aloud, the more it begins to sound like the meter of Ali's famous rhymes. The text is also well-researched (although it is occasionally too easy on Ali as a person), and includes many excellent quotes from both historical sources and Ali himself. Illustrating all this are Collier's bold pictures. Mixing watercolor with cut-paper collage, they are among the best of his illustrious career, capturing both nuance and excitement. Note the facial expression of the young Ali after his bike is stolen; a few brushstrokes capture both his rage and his sadness. On a more cosmic level, whenever Ali is punching, we see an exploding curve of spheres shooting out from his hand. It's a wonderful abstraction that shows not only Ali's power in the ring but also his power outside of it. During the Rumble in the Jungle, the spheres erupt from the stadium itself, like fireworks over Zaire and all at once, readers see how much that fight mattered, and to how many.--Green, John Copyright 2008 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
MUHAMMAD ALI'S epic journey - from the 12-year-old Cassius Clay who learned to box after his new bike was stolen, to the '60s icon of defiance, sacrifice and principle, to the first three-time heavyweight champion of the world, to the gallant Parkinson's patient - is a narrative so dense and complex that it has so far eluded definitive biography. So what do we expect from an illustrated children's book? Introduction, slice of a life, springboard for discussion? Or just an impressionistic fable that will stake territory to be mined in age-appropriate books to come? This is hardly a problem unique to Ali; think of Jesus, Lincoln, Martin Luther King, all of whom Ali has compared himself h to favorably over the years, not to mention Jackie Robinson and Billie Jean King, also socially symbolic sports stars. But Ali's paradoxical life as prizefighter and pacifist, religionist and cheating husband, anti-integrationist and liberal hero, has been so willfully misinterpreted at each turn that the children's book writer and illustrator must constantly answer the questions, What do we need to tell, and when do we need to tell it? And then, Are we celebrating the legend or trying to make sense of the man? Two handsome new books for different age groups take on this formidable challenge. My scorecard records one defeat and one victory by knockout. The fighter on the cover of "Muhammad Ali: Champion of the World," written by Jonah Winter and illustrated by François Roca, looks tough and determined, as befits a young man sent by God into "the Kingdom of Boxing" to become a "prophet" for "a great wave of people who would not be silenced anymore." You think the 4-to-8-year-old listener/reader might need a little more background? In "Twelve Rounds to Glory," Muhammad Ali calls Joe Frazier an "Uncle Tom" and loses. Winter has taken the fabulist approach, which he signals in the opening line, "In the beginning was Jack Johnson. ..." Some years later "God said, Let there be Joe Louis," and then, after the brutish Sonny Liston won the title, "God said, Is that all there is ... to a boxer?" and "the heavens opened up, and there appeared a great man descending on a cloud. ... And he was called Cassius Clay." For all my reservations about the uninteresting, uninformative prose, it was the morose, faux-Hopper pictures that turned me off. The 1960s and '70s were a sound and light show, and Ali's face was probably the most recognized on the planet, usually smiling. In this book, Ali does not crack a smile until he arrives in Zaire for the Rumble in the Jungle and strolls with the dictator Mobutu. He smiles again as the crowd carries him on their shoulders after he wins back his title from George Foreman. After 44 years of covering Ali, I mostly remember the smiles - sly, joyous, mischievous, never wider than after one of his politically incorrect jokes ("What did Abe Lincoln say after waking up from a four-day drunk? I freed whooooooo?"). I understand not including that in a book for young children, but there must be a way to show why he captured our attention long before he won his first title and became a political, racial and religious lightning rod. He was - and is - magical, funny, kind, unpredictable and never as ideologically rigid as most of his supporters, critics or biographers. Bryan Collier's illustrations for "Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali" have more smiles, although Ali still tends to look serious in pictures that also never capture the vibrant color and motion of his times. It is the text by Charles R. Smith Jr. that illuminates the dazzle and daring of Ali, and ultimately the spiritual calm. He writes in a soft-rap second person singular, suggesting a poetry-slam letter of thanks for a life that has enriched us. This is a book that fulfills the mission of engaging readers until they are ready for the ever expanding adult shelf of Aliology in all its nuance and spin. Samples of Ali's hyperbole and doggerel offer young readers a sense of his flamboyant self-promotion. Smith's own vivid and imaginative prose well represents the era the young fighter had to overcome. Cassius heard America cheering when he returned from winning a gold medal at the 1960 Olympics, "but the welcome was short/because away from sport /the country you fought for still/put people, like laundry,/in two separate piles." While generally celebratory, Smith is matter-of-fact in describing the notorious aspects of Ali's life, his involvement with the Nation of Islam before moving on to more traditional Muslim practice, his refusal to be drafted into the Army, and his four wives, two girlfriends and eight of his children (an adopted child is not mentioned). I was impressed with Smith's unflinching description of Ali's "sinister and ugly" humiliation of Joe Frazier, a decent man whom he "insulted and degraded" as an "Uncle Tom." Ali paid for that in his first professional defeat "as Frazier's fist shook/your brain in your skull, /snapping your neck back,/when his fist met your jaw/ with one mighty crack!" Without sentimentalizing Ali's illness, Smith honors his courage as the shaking hand lights the 1996 Olympic torch: "You reignited memories/of the champ who never quit / in the ring, / in life." Robert Lipsyte, whose recent young adult novels include "Raiders Night" and "Yellow Flag," received the 2001 Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in young adult literature.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-Smith is best known for his high-energy poetry celebrating basketball and other sports, and this biography is his most ambitious undertaking yet. Rap-style cadences perfectly capture the drama that has always surrounded this boxer's life: "Louisville Lip leaps to life/just a few short years/after your first pro fight./Braggin'/and boastin'/and callin' the round,/signifyin'/how your opponent would go down." From Ali's childhood as Cassius Clay, to the realization that even an Olympic gold medal would not shield him from racial injustices, to a career that included three heavyweight titles, and his life after retirement, Smith skillfully weaves together the threads of the boxer's life, including his Muslim faith and his run-ins with the American government during the Vietnam War. Each chapter, or "round," represents a specific period, and selected quotes from Ali and voice-overs from announcers provide a "you are there" feeling. Collier's compelling watercolor collages with their brown overtones beautifully portray Ali's determination and strength. Each spread seamlessly melds powerful artwork and text in a way that transcends what either could be on its own. The thorough recounting of Ali's life, along with back matter that includes a time line and key statistics, makes this a superior choice over Tonya Bolden's The Champ: The Story of Muhammad Ali (Knopf, 2004). Smith's honest portrayal of Ali's strengths and flaws results in an impressive testimony to a man who never backed down from his beliefs. A first purchase for any collection looking for strong, well-rounded biographies: the poetry format will appeal to both seasoned and reluctant readers.-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Smith's most ambitious project to date celebrates the life of Muhammad Ali, from his Olympic gold medal in 1960, renowned fights with Sonny Liston and Joe Frazier, his personal battle with Parkinson's syndrome to the dramatic lighting of the Olympic torch at the 1996 Atlanta games. The attractive, large-format design and the rap-inspired poems, arranged in 12 rounds like a boxing match, will attract readers. However, the combination of busy and dense layout, long poems with complicated rhymes and rhythms and a large amount of biographical information conveyed in the poems makes the volume daunting, even for experienced readers. Collier's watercolor-and-collage illustrations range from spectacular to bizarre, demonstrating--as in his illustrations for Doreen Rappaport's John's Secret Dreams (2004)--a tendency for his work to be distractingly symbolic. A challenging, sometimes beautiful tribute to a modern-day hero--attractive, impressive and dramatic, but not a knockout. (timeline) (Poetry/nonfiction. 10+) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
