Reach!: Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power [Hardcover]

David Ritz (Author), Laila Ali (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2002

With an undefeated 100 boxing record, Laila Ali can definitely hold her own in the ring. She has received a firestorm of media coverage, and her recent bout with Jacqui Frazier was the most highly publicized female boxing fight ever. Now, she offers her formula for physical, emotional, and mental power in a motivational memoir that delivers 15 rounds of straight-talking, hard-hitting advice. She reveals how she overcame child abuse, weight issues, isolation, and overall bad behavior by tenaciously developing a talent that she enjoyedprofessional boxing. She demonstrates how to sidestep feelings of self-pity and defeatism and achieve success in all arenas: diet, family, personal relationships, physical training, and more. Combining spiritual inspiration with practical guidance, Laila Alis program will show readers of all ages and backgrounds how to transform the demons of self-doubt into positive, winning energy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Twenty-three-year-old professional boxer Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali and Veronica Porche, notes, "I've always been a little suspicious of people who write books the minute they get famous... if I write a book... it's going to have to help people and tell the truth." Ali attempts to do that, but falls slightly short, offering instead a chronicle of her childhood and career thus far. In a direct, no-nonsense narrative, she discusses her feelings of isolation as her parents focused more on their public face than on family. She endured physical abuse, arrests, stints in jail and stays at a group home. Ali admits she was a difficult child, uninterested in school and sometimes mingling with the wrong crowd, but given the lack of supervision, this isn't surprising. Ali's honesty is appealing and readers will be sympathetic to her adolescent difficulties. However, her book lacks a strong motivational element. While Ali discusses her own development, she fails to generalize for readers. The chapter headings (referred to as "rounds") suggest a self-help message (e.g., "Developing Independence"; "Coping with Confusion"), yet Ali merely shares her experiences and doesn't offer advice. Some readers will be inspired by the author's words, e.g., "Everyone's story is special" and "Success is built on a foundation of hard work," but had Ali explained more of her decisions rather than simply recording the events of her life, her book would have been a more valuable inspirational tome.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Laila Ali is a 23-year-old prize-winning professional boxer. She lives in Las Vegas, with her husband and promoter, former boxer Johnny "Yahyah" McClain. This is her first book. Author David Ritz is best known for co-writing the autobiographies of music legends B. B. King, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Jerry Wexler, Etta James and most recently, the Neville Brothers. He also wrote Divided Soul, which is the definitive biography of Marvin Gaye. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786868554
• ISBN-13: 978-0786868551
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #977,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She make you want to figth!, January 9, 2003

By 

R. Bayne "dulce05us" (Trumbull, CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reach!: Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power (Hardcover)

I am a big Laila Ali fan. Even I did not know her rough past because she kept it from the press very well. After reading this book and Laila sharing her past with me I fell that I can become a beautiful strong black woman like she has become. This is not just a biography. She really makes you believe in yourself and show you that anything is possible even at such a young age. Keep doin what you're doin LAILA!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is whatz good, May 18, 2004

By 

Lee Lee (The Nati) - See all my reviews

This review is from: REACH!: FINDING STRENGTH, SPIRIT, AND PERSONAL POWER (Mass Market Paperback)

Since I am a fan of her it is important to know about her life and how her life realtes to mine. Untill I exactly read her book, I never knew of her personal struggles she went through to being a world champion. I see she has her share of problems that normal young women experience. The book totally shocked me when I learn she really didn't live with her father and how life became harder for her after her mother and father seperated. You would never think that a strong person like Laila would go through the same emotions, thousands of other young women go through today. I learned a lot from this book and I would recommend this to anyone seeking to know more about her life and to all those girls trying to blssom into a Lady.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars surprising and educating, February 8, 2005

By 

tyi - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reach!: Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power (Hardcover)

everytime i see a laila ali interview or t.v special, she always comes off as a cocky, conceited b***h (and i don't mean a good conceited like her father)who thinks she can beat the world. after i read this book though, i think of her totally different. a lot of that cockiness is misunderstood for strength. she let down her guard with this book by telling the things she told. it takes a lot of strength to talk about an abortion, an abusive relationship and a rocky relationship with your mother. she's not as tough as she comes off on t.v. she was born and raised in the suburbs and after getting her ass kicked she didn't even think about going to the ghetto school Crenshaw. she wasn't a tough chick who got locked up for being bad, she simply was at the wrong place at the wrong time and made bad (and i might add stupid) decisions. i was very shocked and surprised by this book. you really feel like you know her after reading it, b/c you know somebody just like her down the street, or next door, or at your job/school. she did keep her personal life out of the press. and she did it extremely good. i reccommend this book, b/c it was good enough for me to read in a few hours!!