Redemption song : Muhammad Ali and the spirit of the Sixties
(Book)

Previous edition: 2005.

Originally published by Verso in 1999.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-319) and index.

When Muhammad Ali passed away in June 2016 the world lost an iconic sportsman and black radical. Throughout the sixties he was a vibrant character, playful and political, popular and non-conformist, defiant and triumphant. In this unique book, Mike Marqusee puts the great boxer back in his true historical context to explore a crucial moment at the cross-roads of popular culture and mass resistance. He traces Ali's interaction with the evolving black liberation and anti-war movements, including his brief but fascinating liaison with Malcolm X, as well as his encounters with Martin Luther King. Marqusee's elegant and forceful narrative explores the origins and impact of Ali's dramatic public stands on race and the draft, and reinterprets the Rumble in the Jungle, shedding new light on its triumph and tragedy. Above all, he imbues Ali's story with a long-neglected international dimension, revealing why he was embraced with such warmth by diverse peoples across the globe. This timely antidote to the apolitical celebration of Ali as a great American revisits the man and the period with a fresh eye, casting new light on both his courage and his confusions. In this third edition, Dave Zirin reflects further on the life of Muhammad Ali after his recent death.