The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Muhammad Ali (Author), Hana Yasmeen Ali (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2004

"During my boxing career, you did not see the real Muhammad Ali. You just saw a little boxing. You saw only a part of me. After I retired from boxing my true work began. I have embarked on a journey of love."

So Muhammad Ali begins this spiritual memoir, his description of the values that have shaped and sustained him and that continue to guide his life. In The Soul of a Butterfly the great champion takes readers on a spiritual journey through the seasons of life, from childhood to the present, and shares the beliefs that have served him well.

After fighting some of the fiercest bouts in boxing history against Joe Frazier and George Foreman, today Muhammad Ali faces his most powerful foe -- outside the boxing ring. Like many people, he battles an illness that limits his physical abilities, but as he says, "I have gained more than I have lost....I have never had a more powerful voice than I have now." Ali reflects on his faith in God and the strength it gave him during his greatest challenge, when he lost the prime years of his boxing career because he would not compromise his beliefs. He describes how his study of true Islam has helped him accept the changes in his life and has brought him to a greater awareness of life's true purpose. As a United Nations "Messenger of Peace," he has traveled widely, and he describes his 2002 mission to Afghanistan to heighten public awareness of that country's desperate situation, as well as his more recent meeting with the Dalai Lama.

Ali's reflections on topics ranging from moral courage to belief in God to respect for those who differ from us will inspire and enlighten all who read them. Written with the assistance of his daughter Hana, The Soul of a Butterfly is a compassionate and heartfelt book that will provide comfort for our troubled times.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Few lives have been more zealously recorded in movies, photography and literature than Ali's. So it's fortunate that this book is not so much a memoir as a collection of the supreme athlete's spiritual contemplations. Structured as a series of minichapters on abstract virtues—love, friendship, peace, wisdom, understanding, respect, etc.—it consists of Ali's religious reflections, buttressed by personal anecdotes, Sufi parables, aphorisms, personal letters and poetry. What might be seen as mawkish or cloying from someone less universally beloved has real poignancy coming from boxing's brashest champion ("The Mouth" was one of his many nicknames), who is slowly being driven behind a wall of silence by Parkinson's. The book has the intensity of a deathbed confessional. Ali is settling his accounts, apologizing to Joe Frazier and Malcolm X for hurting them. But primarily he is giving advice to his many children, for whom he obviously feels an overwhelming love. (His daughter Hana addresses her love for her father directly in the book.) Besides Ali's love, readers will be struck by his remarkable faith. With the Black Muslims, he found not only an expression of his own pride in being black but also a personal relationship with Allah, which served as the wellspring for the remarkable courage he displayed both inside ("The Rumble in the Jungle") and outside (refusing the Vietnam draft) the ring. It's hard not to be moved by Ali's spirit. Photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Who could have imagined the Muhammad Ali who first shook up the world writing a "Recipe for a Good Life" that includes "one teaspoon of patience" and "one dash of humility"? No tablespoons of trash talk or fiery rhetoric here--this disorganized pastiche of poems, meditations, Sufi stories, recollections, and advice is thoroughly softhearted, sometimes cloyingly so. There's not much in the way of boxing--when Ali writes of the run-up to his Olympic gold medal in Rome, for instance, it's only to reveal his fear of flying and to impress upon readers the importance of conquering one's fears. And the writing is, well, . . . not good ("Everything that God created was put here for a purpose. The sun has a purpose. The clouds have a purpose. Rain has a purpose." And on the list goes). But still, Ali's fans will learn a lot about the kinder, gentler man he has become. He even apologizes, in a moving poem, for taunting and ridiculing Joe Frazier. In the book's best poetic moment, Ali wonders, "Who would win the Rumble between the / Butterfly and the bee?" The butterfly wins here by TKO (technical knockout). John Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (November 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743255690
• ISBN-13: 978-0743255691
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( A ) > Ali, Muhammad

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We can learn a lot from this man, November 28, 2004

By 

Arjun Subramanian "Arjun Subramanian" (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey (Hardcover)

I have always been curious about the man who calls himself Muhammad Ali. Curiousity then turned into fascination when I saw Will Smith's fantastic portrayal of Ali. And then finally, When I saw this book I felt the urge to read it.

The book is nothing short of fantastic. It takes you on a journey through the remarkable learnings of this great man and moves you to tears at some points. It's not a very intense read and as the publisher mentions, its more of a compilation of abstract values Ali has learned and picked up over his life. He talks about these values and peppers them with anectodes and incidents in his life.

Whatever you may think of this man, this books is as close to heart as it gets. I was touched by his honesty and and simple logic to life. It will show you a man who is a giant. A giant with the soul of a butterfly.

No matter who you are or where you are from or what you think of Ali, you can benefit from this book. If only to show you a side of Ali you never saw or (like me) be taken through a powerful journey, this book will be a great read for you.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quick, revealing and moving read, March 25, 2005

By 

Adam R. Bosch (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey (Hardcover)

I bought this book because I was a big Muhammad Ali fan--not only of his boxing, but of his life--and found that I am a bigger fan for having read it.

There are great messages spread like little nuggets of knowledge throughout the book. Ali says the way he judges if he's doing and good with his life is by asking himself if he would be happy with the way he lived today if he died tonight? His life story is broken up with mini lessons from Sufi wisdom and other teachings that apply to his life.

Ali speaks with great depth about his relationship with God and elaborates his thoughts on the role of religion in our lives. One of his great messages is a message of tolerance (he says no one religion is better than the other and they all have the same basic messages, to love our fellow humans).

And while this book is not written with the hand of a literary pro, that might be what's best about it. It's a simple read from a complex man. The book is moving and worth a little time and thought.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Apologies from the GREATEST, March 6, 2005

By 

William D. Tompkins (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey (Hardcover)

Some of the treasures of this book are the apologies Muhammed makes to certainpeople he feels that he hurt in his lifetime. I won't give them away here to spoil it, but they are pretty surprising. Also quite interesting is Ali's ranking of his toughest fights. Surprisingly--Kenny Norton's name does not make the list.

The physical layput of the book is very interesting. The pages alternalte betwwen parch paper and tradtional book pages. The chapter layouts are disjointed but make for interesting visual as you read.

One one criticism is that the flow of the book is a bit disjointed at times so that you dont know where Ali is going with the flow of the chapters. maybe that was done on purpose, but I found it a little off kilter at times.

The graphics in the book have the look and feel of the 'SHROUD OF JESUS' imprint.

Read this book if you are looking for inspiration from a man who could have sounded bitter about his life but chose to meet the challenge head on and live life to the fullest