Review of "Return of the King"

I had time during the holiday weekend to read multiple books.  This was another one I finished during that time, and it was eye-opening.  Here is my review of "Return of the King." 

Title/Author:

“Return of the King: The Rebirth of Muhammad Ali and the Rise of Atlanta” by Thomas Aiello

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Many people are familiar with the legacy of Muhammad Ali. Even if one does not follow boxing and know about his career in the sport, they are familiar with his story of activism, including refusing to be drafted to serve in the Vietnam War.  This book by Thomas Aiello describes the circumstances when his conviction of avoiding the draft was overturned and he returned to boxing.

The title of the book is a perfect one as Aiello not only thoroughly discusses Ali’s legal issues, his alliance with the Nation of Islam and his training for returning to the ring, but also about the politics of Atlanta at the time, led by Georgia state senator Leroy Johnson, who was the first Black person elected to that office. Johnson had to balance the concerns of the white voters with the needs of Black voters to have equal access to items like quality housing, jobs and education. This review won’t go into the political details of Atlanta and Georgia at that time, but it should be noted that Aiello does an excellent job of presenting these issues in a balanced and informative manner.

There isn’t a lot of boxing text in the book, dealing more with Ali’s legal matters and activism.  It doesn’t ignore all of Ali’s action in the ring, be it sparring or his official return to the ring against Jerry Quarry.  The fight took place in Atlanta on October 26, 1970.  However, that wasn’t Ali’s first action in the ring after getting his conviction overturned and his boxing license approved.  That came in an exhibition at Morehead College in Atlanta. These events brought attention to the city in both sports and politics.  For the former, it was to show that Atlanta was a “major league city”, even though it already had the Braves (MLB), Falcons (NFL) and Hawks (NBA).  For politics, while it was mainly a show, there was the perception that Atlanta was more progressive on racial relations. Johnson played a very important role in getting the fight to be held in Atlanta and his political career was helped with this, even if only briefly.

There are many facts and items that might be surprising while reading the book.  The biggest one I found was the revelations by Aiello that in his election to the governorship of Georgia, Jimmy Carter was appealing to white voters with the appearance of racism.  He does give credit to the future President that he did support more progressive measures but reading that was surprising.  This is just one example of those types of passages. This is a good book that is recommended for readers of racial relations, politics and yes, even boxing.  

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book.  The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Link: Return of the King: The Rebirth of Muhammad Ali and the Rise of Atlanta: Aiello, Thomas: 9781496244185: Amazon.com: Books