My Brother, Muhammad Ali: The Definitive Biography of the Greatest of All Time

by Rahaman Ali

A Sunday Times Book of the Year'Rahaman has, at last, written the definitive biography on his late brother, which tells the real Ali story' - Mike Tyson'The real life of the Great One' - George ForemanMore words have been written about Muhammad Ali than almost anyone else. He was, without doubt, the world's most-loved sportsman. At the height of his celebrity he was the most famous person in the world. And yet, until now, the one voice missing belonged to the man who knew him best - his only sibling, and best friend, Rahaman Ali.No one was closer to Ali than Rahaman. Born Cassius and Rudolph Arnett Clay, the two brothers grew up together, lived together, trained together, travelled together, and fought together in the street and in the ring.A constant fixture in his sibling's company, Rahaman saw Ali at both his best and his the relentless prankster and the jealous older brother, the outspoken advocate, the husband and father. In My Brother, Muhammad Ali, he is able to offer a surprising insider's perspective on the well-known stories, as well as never-before-told tales, painting a rich portrait of a proud, relentlessly polarizing, yet often vulnerable man. In this extraordinary, poignant memoir, Rahaman tells a much bigger and more personal story than in any other book on the great man - that of two brothers, almost inseparable from birth to death. It is the final and most important perspective on one of the most iconic figures of the last century.

Genres: Sports, History, Biography, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Audiobook

399 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 29, 2014

About the author

Rahaman Ali was an American heavyweight boxer. He was the younger brother of Muhammad Ali.

Reviews

[Lance · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed with this book. Even though this comes from his brother, it just didn’t feel authentic while reading it -instead it seemed to be someone with a grudge. With so many good books about Muhammad Ali out there, I thought this would provide a fresh perspective on his life. I didn’t believe it did.

[Erik Svärd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Told by the brother.
It was a very emotional book that portrayed The Champ in a very loving light. Rahaman speak of the good, the bad and ugly but always shines a warm light over his brother. I loved the book and it feels very VERY intimate which is nice!

[Julia Simpson-Urrutia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a convert to Islam who has never read a biography of Muhammad Ali before, I absolutely loved this book. While I have never read a book about Muhammad Ali specifically, I am a book worm and find myself staggered by alleged readers who claim that this book offers nothing new. Seriously? This generous memoir is told in the sincere, heartfelt voice of Rahaman Ali, younger brother to Muhammad Ali. When I saw it being offered to reviewers through NetGalley, I felt this was the memoir I had been waiting for--one written by a Muslim, a close relative to the man who has quite frankly been my hero for the last 40 odd years. When he died, I cried with a broken heart. May God have mercy on his soul.

The memoir moved me to tears in almost every chapter. Muhammad Ali continues to be a heroic figure to me for the way he symbolized what a Muslim convert should be and now his brother, Rahaman Ali, is also a figure whom I greatly admire. Muhammad Ali must have been one of the generous, kindest, most noble men I have ever heard of and whom my son (when he was four) had the great honor of meeting in his uncle's restaurant in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

I learned so much that helped my understanding of the evolution of Islam in the USA. Four decades ago, I did not have such a great opinion of the Nation of Islam because of its ethnocentric attitude about Islam, that it should only be for African Americans. When Malcolm X went to Mecca and returned to change that perception, he was repudiated by the Nation of Islam.

However, this memoir made me understand that Muhammad Ali was truly supported in his career as a boxer by that Nation and perhaps this was the only way that Islam could have entered into America. Perhaps, in addition, a group like the Nation of Islam was the only defensive organization that could shield Muhammad Ali from the corruption rife in the boxing world, where the Mafia has held sway for so many decades. To read that as many as 2,000 members of the Nation of Islam were present at the boxing ring to keep the great boxer safe from attacks of all kinds really opened my eyes.

So much harm has been visited upon Africans who were brought as slaves to the New World that I understand better, now, that perhaps the emergence of the Nation of Islam was part of the convoluted path necessary for Islam to gain understanding and acceptance. It cheered my heart immeasurably to realize, from Rahaman Ali's words, that his brother Muhammad Ali always loved Malcolm X but had to stay away from him due to his obedience to the Nation. I believe the writer. Rahaman Ali is one of the closest people on earth to Muhammad Ali, now departed. I would not believe a third party writer on this matter. The author is a source who has my vote of confidence. Moreover, I appreciate the author's comments that he was sometimes taken aback at his brother's almost unending generosity to all comers, almost incapable of saying no to anyone. When I was listening, I felt that I could not compete with that kind of generosity and wondered if something is wrong with me(the is the way Muslims think--we are worried about the hereafter), so when the author admitted he felt his brother gave TOO much, I felt better. After all, they are both Muslims.

And I assure you that the narration is full of graceful rendering, beautiful inflections and nuances. Get out your hankies! I am a female and I loved every bit of it, even the parts about Muhammad Ali learning some techniques from martial arts to employ in his boxing moves.

[Emal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anything to do with Muhammad Ali will always interest me and I thought that his brother would offer insights that would otherwise have gone unknown - I was wrong. Everything he talked about was well documented and it just comes off as something to make money off of Muhammad Ali's name. Three stars because it's about Muhammad otherwise it'd just be one.

[Taher Bellah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing insights about the life of someone who was even greater outside the ring than he was inside of it.

[Courtney Reads Stuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a long book clocking in at 13 hrs+ in audio format. I am surprised I endeavored into it because I am not a huge boxing fan. I did, however, like the personality, the charisma of Ali. I read other reviews about the book. These were reviews, largely, from people that were huge fans of boxing and people that researched Ali.

I will say, without a doubt, that the book could have been shorter, but I like the perspective. I like the stories of Ali and his connection with other people. I liked the way that the book opened up a look at the life of Muhmmad Ali in those small intricate moments that the world may not know or really care to know.

I would describe it like this: Imagine being a fan of Muhammad Ali but never meeting him when he was alive. As a fan you know the fights, you know the interviews and all of that fan fare associated with Muhammad, but imagine having someone that can give you looks at his life outside the ring, how he felt, how he functioned, what he liked, what he did when he was younger. If that kind of perspective appeals to you this is the book for you.

[Muhammad Asim · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book Muhammad Ali known as Clasius Clay life story has been discussed. How he became a celebrity, How he changed his life from Clasius clay to Muhammad Ali. After becoming a Muslim how he faced political outbusts, His reaction towards criticism. He treated everyone equally. He played with children, supported his brother. How he won every boxing match. He also lost many. The way he faced Parkensen disease.

[Tess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ali was an impressive, complex, contradictory man and while there are plenty of interesting vignettes in this memoir and Rahaman clearly loved his brother, it ended up quite repetitive and frustrating to have to read between the lines for every moment of "my brother did no wrong" to get an actual story.

[Rob McDermand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly, this was easily my least favorite Ali biography. I hoped for new personal insight about Ali’s life from his brother but instead this book was mostly a selective set of critiques of the high points of Ali’s life. There is a slight tinge of revisionism at times as well. Overall a bit of a letdown.

[Asif · Rating 4 out of 5]

41/2 stars. An excellent addition to the Ali Biography trade. This is an important book for those interested in Ali’s family life and especially for the parts since he retired from boxing and his childhood. The only reason it didn’t get 5 stars was some chapters were brief.

[Bojan Avramovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nekako mi žao Alija

[Ethan Jantzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lotta love in this book

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

audio version

[Farhana H.A · Rating 3 out of 5]

a lot about Muhammad Ali, storylike, 3 to 3.5 stars as parts of me had me hooked to keep going but other parts were very idol like talk about his stardom

[Kat Noble · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book charts the life of Muhammed Ali and his rise to fame and fortune through the eyes of his brother, Rahaman Ali. Rahaman and Muhammed grew up together and he attempts to tell what really happened and put rumours and myths to rest about elements of his brother’s life.

Rahaman Ali was a boxer who often trained with Ali and helped him prepare by being his sparring partner and a bodyguard when they were in public. He tells of their childhood and teenage years learning to box and then of Muhammed Ali’s dedication and talent which took his brother to the top. He also charts what happened with Muhammed Ali’s health and how his brother’s financial mismanagement caused problems, but that generosity and kindness were such a part of his nature that he could not be saved from himself. He covers the death of his brother and some of the family repercussions afterwards, and at the end gives a little of his situation and personal life.

This was my second Muhammed Ali biography and I had high expectations for this because Rahaman has a unique perspective, being his brother, and should have been able to give insights into his brother’s personality and private life.

However, I may have been spoiled with my first biography by his daughter Hana, as this book seemed shallow in comparison. It was a good overall look at Ali’s life and how his brother was part of it and helped him, although for all the claims that he stuck to him ‘like a magnet’ there seemed to be very little warmth and insight from Rahaman. The most intimate details appear to have been lifted from Hana’s recollections about her father. The language is also repetitive and there seems to be a bitterness about the financial management of Ali’s estate, both by Ali when he was alive and then by the family afterwards, that lingers in the pages. Rahaman’s financial mismanagement is briefly discussed, as it appears his brother provided him with financial support throughout his life, which seems to have not been continued after his death. This is Rahaman's perspective though, and I noticed that he was barely included in Hana Ali’s book, so it is not clear what the other members of the family think about the situation from these two books.

His claim to know him the best I’m unsure about, he knew him the longest, they had formative years together, and he supported his brother through difficult times but I got a sense of distance between them. As always it is sometimes what is not said that is more interesting to notice. It may be that their relationship was not one of deeper conversations but was built on their love of boxing together. I would recommend reading it to get a sense of Ali’s life and events, but overall this is not the biography I would expect from Rahaman if he and his brother were so inseparable.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a kid growing up in the 1970s, I loved Muhammad Ali. I still do, to this day.
This book is written by his brother, Rahaman Ali.
I really enjoyed it, and I did learn some things I didn't know.
He paints a realistic picture of his brother. He points out his flaws, as well as his many accomplishments.
Ali's boxing career is covered, but it's not the bulk of the story. Ali's personal life is at the heart of this book.
The ending of the book is very powerful.
If you are a fan of Ali, I recommend this book.

[Mr Roy Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good to hear the Ali story from the family side, There is clearly a lot more that was not said about the family relationships than was said. How has Rahaman ended up with no money and not even being able to afford a ticket to be by his brother's side when he was dying? The contracts were awful back in the day and nothing much has really changed. But just think about the earnings power of Ali in today's world. A genuine superstar who never forgot his roots. He also suffered from the male issues of fidelity and monogamy.

[Lance · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed with this book. Even though this comes from his brother, it just didn’t feel authentic while reading it -instead it seemed to be someone with a grudge. With so many good books about Muhammad Ali out there, I thought this would provide a fresh perspective on his life. I didn’t believe it did.

[Sanjay Carter-rau · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't know too much about Ali beyond what everyone knows before reading this book. Still don't after.
It glossed over major points and attempted to deepen understanding of the character of the man but didn't do much for me. Some interesting anecdotes but not as comprehensive as I was hoping

[Edward Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book as it relates to the brotherly love between two brothers.
Rahman and Muhammad were extremely close.
Minor revisions are needed; the ghostwriter has Archie Moore and Jersey Joe Walcott confused; this is in one of the opening chapters