Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
theflamingopriss's review against another edition
2.0
Racist, sexist, Islamophobic, condescending & desperately insecure
lucy_goosey7's review against another edition
4.0
"What is genius but balance on the edge of the impossible?"
Norman takes us deep into an intimate pocket of time in the lead up to this incredible fight, diving down into the rich context of the match, and on into the ring where seconds and minutes of boxing stretch into whole chapters. This was more of a page turner than anything I've read in a while, a fascinating circling of Ali's mindset, all the while Norman knowing that he could only ever guess at the inner workings of the champion's head and heart. Some ideas/analogies were definitely dated (mainly in regards to attitudes to women, I've got used to this from 20th century reads I spose), but it helps that Norman would never advise us to take his word as gospel in the first place. A key factor of my love for this book was that I was already in the middle of an obsession with the life of Muhammad Ali - what an addition this was; funny, thrilling, thoughtful and absorbing.
Norman takes us deep into an intimate pocket of time in the lead up to this incredible fight, diving down into the rich context of the match, and on into the ring where seconds and minutes of boxing stretch into whole chapters. This was more of a page turner than anything I've read in a while, a fascinating circling of Ali's mindset, all the while Norman knowing that he could only ever guess at the inner workings of the champion's head and heart. Some ideas/analogies were definitely dated (mainly in regards to attitudes to women, I've got used to this from 20th century reads I spose), but it helps that Norman would never advise us to take his word as gospel in the first place. A key factor of my love for this book was that I was already in the middle of an obsession with the life of Muhammad Ali - what an addition this was; funny, thrilling, thoughtful and absorbing.
luke1972's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this. Sort of like Hunter S. Thompson but without the drugs.
cameronius's review against another edition
3.0
I was somewhat ambivalent about this book for the first 2/3rds. Mailer is circuitous at best in his lead up to the championship fight between Ali and Foreman in Africa, the famous "Rumble in the Jungle." Lots of digressions and dissection of black culture, African culture and the art of boxing itself. I kept thinking this book could never be written today by a white man. But near the end when he gets into describing the fight, round for round, Mailer's brilliance explodes all over the place. I could not put the book down. His recounting is so vivid that once I finished the book I forgot I had not actually watched the fight. This is basically the mix of what you get when you sign up for Mailer: suspect writing, boring parts and total genius.
douglasjsellers's review against another edition
3.0
Beautifully written and mostly about the events leading up to the rumble in the jungle. The fight itself was only about 10% of the book.
junderscoreb's review against another edition
4.0
Mailer's descriptions of the boxers (Ali and Foreman) and the fight are amazing. The first time he inserts himself into the story -- to describe why it is that "Blacks" like him so much -- made me cringe. But later in the book his depiction of himself illustrates well the pathetic, lovable, suspicious ways of sports fans.