Talk radio show host eric erickson. Liza randy and many others. For a complete schedule visit booktv. Org. We are Facebook Twitter and instagram. Were kicking off todays coverage on the life and politics of mohammed ali. This is live coverage on cspa cspan2. [inaudible] of money. Think you for coming and welcome to the 29th southern festival of books. It is my pleasure to have the opportunity to introduce our author. Another that i really admire and have been reading his work for years. Hes here to talk about his biography of mohammed ali. This is only his third stop so thats an honor for us. Before he speaks the book festival is free but if youd like to contribute to the cause you can do that at the headquarters for the book festival outsider online. Also remind you that after the remarks will be heading over to the signing tent seeking to have him cite your book over there. Is one of the typewriters of nonfiction a fantastic author in addition to writing for bestselling books jonathan has written for the New York Times, the new yorker of the Washington Post and he is a contributing outer for the wall street journal. Its the most highly rated book as well. Theres always a national connection. Either of these points i wanted to say that the widow was a vanderbilt graduate and if you ever had a chance to meet coach at temple and its word cashes clay and after those olympics he would come down he was looking for wilma so i dont know if you jew drove down but were excited to have you here. Thanks for coming. [applause] thank you. You know it mohammed alis to say is to say thank you for that introduction, youre not as dumb as you look. I went to that. Theres a lot of things that i cant get away with. You might notice that we both have unbelievably fast jab. As important as a biographer to recognize they dont have that much in common with your subject usually. Now you can understand that as best you can that means paying attention to the facts about 600 individuals for this book i counted the number of times he was punched i worked with statisticians to do that. I will looked to see how that affected his speech the biographers job is to help you understand that persons life and how that life was shaped and how it shaped us as a country and people. With ali one of the most important men of the 20th century was a huge responsibility. The other thing they have to keep in mind is empathy. You have to empathize with the subject. You dont always have to excuse him he was pretty enough to begin with. But ties have empathy for your subject. So i want to talk about the process someone i learned along the way. The challenge that i face. Dick gregory said to me when i interviewed him said theres no point in me writing this book if youre not going to explain to me and the readers how black kid growing up in jim crow louisville felt like he could be special. What made him think he could call himself the greatest. And the laws not just the people said so too. Youre going to have to help me and your readers understand what makes them special. I began this well he was still a live and i like to take on that journey. One of the first things i did was interview some that i knew best. In the beginning process its reading a lot of material. I began with his second wife who came to chicago a lot. She was known as belinda and was 17 years old. She now goes by khalil paul. She was here this night for a movie career. Shut up and said im writing hurt alis biography and i like to talk to and she looked at me like who are you and who gave you permission to write this the answers nobody. But id like you to talk to me anyway. The sense of responsibility that a biography feels untaken this is life in my hands. Going for it anyway. I explained that i wanted to do it right and give him the kind of biography it deserves, another lovefest or something that shows how important he was and i need you from the vietnam protest through all of the joe frazier, need you to tell me what it was like to be married to this man. They said how much can i pay you. This is alis brother and i called them up and he went answer finally said just one question and he said im not talking to you unless you pay me. I just want to know the name of the dog. Thousand dollars he said and i said was that docs in . And he said no to tell you less i get a thousand dollars. I said i dont pay for these things but im very persistent. Boxing they say youre fighting above your way but my wife is an oppressive woman the fact that she would go out with me. I set out on this quest for alis life. This is the home where ali grew he told me that hes to stand in cracks between the houses on the right and challenge to throw rocks at him. Theres not much room to judge. 72 inches between the two houses. The view out the window with 72 inches away. He would stand and challenges brother to throw rocks at them. Some people say thats one of the reasons he became so quick. I also learned that ali was dyslexic was never able to read well in school. Thats why he became a class. His father was abusive running around with women ali came from difficult circumstances. Is not poor middleclass neighborhood to block where he grew up with School Teachers and others who are all africanamericans that he saw opportunities around him. The biggest opportunity to find a way out when he was 12 years old. How many people know the story of the stolen bicycle . Most people know that his bicycle was stolen so often when i dive into the sinks he did not put his arm around Jackie Robinson and 47. Always ride in his bicycle one day it starts to rain and he ducks into the auditorium and he comes out in his bicycle is gone. Hes looking for a Police Officer finds one in the basement of the gym. The Police Officer said you know how to fight . And he says no but im tough. And the Police Officer said, learn to box. And he begins boxing and falls in love with it. He is transfixed by the sites of the gym. Something else really important, their black kids and white kids fighting together. Their black kids punching white kids. You did not do that in america in the 1950s. If you did you got in trouble. You could be arrested for far less than that. Ali saw this and it began to rewire his brain. He begins taking boxing seriously another one he used to race the bus to school. One things that i learned from robert carol is that uis ask what was it like to be in the room with your subject and you ask it over and over so i would ask his classmates what was it like to be on the bus and i asked it over and over and it wasnt making sense. I couldnt picture it. One of the things you said was it was a city bus and they paid 10 cents to ride to school. And then one day it hit me and i said he said it was a city bus doesnt that stop a live like almost every block . He said yes so he is racing the bus but it kept stopping. So plus we got out and transferred. He would wait with us for the next bus was he really racing the bus they said no of course not he was trying to entertain us and remind us that he was a big shot boxer. He didnt want to be faster this was a key moment. He wants to box and become great but he also wants attention. Now start to get to know my bed. This is a gym he trained not only what he trained there but he would go to another gym he was a white Police Officer who is not arresting black kids. Hes rewiring the blam brain bue works so hard that he goes and trains with fred and another gym. By the 60s hes the olympic lightweight champion. He comes back hes feeling almost every class partly because hes out boxing on the time. The principle of the cool says sunday biscuits can be famous and i dont want to be remembered as the principal who flunked the chant. He discovers that he loves the attention. He becomes the mayor of the olympic village. He is such charm and charisma. Being outspoken and loudmouth its good for his career. Its getting more attention to making him more money. He talks all the time about the cadillacs hes going on in all the different shades of the rainbow. The attitude of standing up and making himself known as helping them get bigger fights. By 64 he gets his first shot of the championship. The biggest baddest meanest man on earth. He knocked out his last opponent in a matter of seconds. And ali is perhaps more on popular and has a criminal record his autobiography is the chant nobody wanted. Ali is more popular because a black kid being so unsportsmanlike and bragging about himself is seen as repulsive to most white americans. People are rooting for his opponent. Seems this is the end of his career. Liston is so bad but ali has something thats not prepared for thats incredible speed perhaps learn from dodging the rocks but also given as a gift to him. He boxes like heavyweights are not supposed to. This was keep their hands up hit hard, and duck the punches. But these punches glance off the opponents are so frustrated they cant get near him. You see him throwing these giant punches and ali is gone before the punch is halfway through the air. And then that left jab is probably in the face. Liston is getting tired and man, the matter gets the harder he swings in the more he misses. By the fifth or sixth round hes gone. He has no chance and he doesnt get off the stool at the end of six round. He gives up without being a downer knocked out because too much form. After the fight ali announces that he is no longer, he is the champion king of the world. He says i told you on the greatest. And by the way im now a member of the nation of islam. Im not a christian. Christianity was a religion forced upon me, the rate name cassius clay is a slave name. And he makes this pronouncement that changes the world. Changes way people not only see bacblack athletes spoke like pee over. He says that on have to do it you tell me to do or say im free and in 1964, those are fighting words. Heres on popular before, is way more popular now. Soon after he announces that hes changed his name name given to him by the founder Elisha Mohammed. His brother named rudy at the time is somewhere in the picture. Thats Elisha Mohammed in the middle. Ali joins a group thats considered by the American Government a threat to democracy. This is not orthodox islam. The playback people in america are never going to be treated equally and theres no point in wasting your time. They need to forge there will way out to build their businesses improve their lives and help and eventually start their own country in america will be forced to give a segment of the United States to part of his long for black people to start their own country. Ali heard something similar from his father also thought black people would never be treated equally. He said you never gonna be rich or anything because the color of your skin. Ali believed it but wasnt prepared to get used to it. People he because he was different in a boxer in america had to listen to what he said that he could fight that. They gave him of platform to do. One other black leaders in this country spoke or malcolm x. Or Martin Luther king the words are filtered by the white media. The New York Times decided which quotes choose. But when mohammed ali stood in the center of the ring and said i am the greatest. A lot told me that i was going to win this fight and all praise is due to Elisha Mohammed, the whole world heard the that gave him a special platform helped explain why he thought he could play when many black athletes were forced to accept the deal and that being that you did your job and you kept your mouth shut. But ali did not think he had to accept that. He paid for it and refuse to fight in vietnam was convicted. First he said i dont want to go. We think them now as being this pacifist but he said text my tax dollars and go by all the bummer jets you want. Then he said this was not fair to black people there dying in disproportionate numbers over there. Many said its against my religion. So he evolved as many people evolve. But he paid a huge price for convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. Loses millions of dollars in endorsements finally after three and half years out of the ring he gets a chance to come back. This is a key moment in his career as an athlete. He comes back against joe frazier, the only time that heavyweights have squared off the ring. By now its 1971 interviews of vietnam has changed. Most americans feel like the war was a mistake. He suffered and was willing to sacrifice for his beliefs whether you agreed with him or not you respected it then he gets put on his rear end by joe frazier the 14th round. Was up in the second half. He was unconscious on the way down in the ground will come up. He bounces up and finishes the fight loses and he has to fight his way back to rematch with fraser. This is when you start to see americans showing respect probably. They used to think he was so quick and pretty and talkative that he couldnt fight when he wasnt a true chant. But now people admire his tenacity. The Civil Rights Movement has moved off the streets and into the courts. Is becoming a popular figure in is on Johnny Carson all the time. Hes also joking around with Johnny Carson and he has this ability to charm us. Some passable to hayden. Said you cannot be in a bad mood around him. Even people thinking this is a draft dodging trader, they couldnt resist him. He was so likable. When he starts fighting his way back the writer says ali in the 60s was a grizzly bear. His wild and on teams. The 70s hes more like a circus bear. Still dangerous, but fun and entertaining. The last act of his life we all just want to embrace them. Think about why thats the case. He gets a shot at the heavyweight champion again fighting George Foreman. This becomes the fight for black pride to declare whos the toughest black man on earth. Don king pulls off a spectacle, nobody has ever seen anything like it. Ali is a slower fighter. I counted all the punches he took he probably took about 200,000 punches if you include his amateur fights but by this point hes actually training to take those punches. He believes he can build up resistance and nobody cannot come out. Like calluses you taken a punches and you will be immune to a knockout. The left George Foreman the strongest man in heavyweight boxing pound away at him until his arm start to get tired and then he begins to fight back. Foreman told me that he believed he was drugged before that fight by his own manager. He also gave 25000 cash to make sure was a fair fight and later found out alis people gave more than that. Then this manager said thats ridiculous thats the stupidest thing i ever heard really give them 10000. Take it for what you believe. But it beats George Foreman and becomes the heavyweight champion and elisha calls him and says youve done it all its time to retire. Devote the rest you life to your religion family. After this he divorces khalil but he cant stop. He keeps boxing. In the last year see he keeps getting slower and slower and takes more more punches. He begins ask his friends do think this is hurt me . If you just go on youtube and watch his videos you can see how a speech is slowing and he slurring his words. It hes a celebrity and he likes hanging around with sonny and cher and he likes the entourage just like a little boy he loves the attention this goes on and he continues to fight into the early 80s. Finally and 81 he fights larry holmes and takes a terrible beating. He loses his last two fights not the way he wants to go out. But he gets a third act in the late 80s and early 90s we forget about him. He disappears and you can hire him to sign autographs. He loved being around people. If use board hed stand to fill up an intersection and see how long it would take for people to notice in. And then hed invite them to go to lunch or dinner he can get enough of people. If he couldnt sleep he called taxing go to the hospital and visit people. But he was depressed. In 96 may remember watching this . Nobody knows whos gonna like the olympic torch in atlantic and theres rumors that Evander Holyfield might alis name wasnt mentioned that goes up the steps and is handed off and he emerges this white tracksuit the crowd doesnt roar it is silent and then you hear an audible gasp, its only another chance starts going. Ellipsis if we rediscover him. Weve forgotten him and we have forgiven all the horrible things he said you have to admit, the sky he took his punches in his hand is shaking. He cant quite light the torch the flames are waking up toward his arm and were worried he cant pull it off and he gets it lit and the crowd begins to roar. Its in that moment hes rediscovered. The next day you can see that he becomes a teddy bear plywood argue that we dont want to remember him as the teddy bear, we want to remember him for the warrior he was. Its great he was willing to do this and see him suffering and see what this disease had done to him but thats not who he was and why he matters today. Ters today. One thing i needed to do in working on this book with model the interview his wives and brother and friends and fighters he faced in the ring but to try to meet mohammed ali. I have been working on this more than three years before he passed away. Several times i went to fundraisers where he was supposed to appear and he was ill, didnt make it that time but i met his wife and told her i was working on this and told her the same thing i told friends and family, why they should talk to an yes. So i got back after one of these events i said how nice it was to meet her in my daughter who was fired after she could write a letter to muhammed pro i said sure. She wrote year muhamed my daddy really loves you. Do you love my daddy . [laughter] that is so sweet. So i stuck it into these envelope and they said bring will love when you come to visit. It just so happens we will be in phoenix can revisit . She said sure. Is on digital come with a tape recorder or a camera as i said now i spent five years of my life so we went to phoenix and we went to hisan house he was not doing well he did not come out of hiss room we could not meet him. Nt she liked my daughter more than she liked me that i found he would be of louisville a few weeks later we went there and hung out with his brother and childhood friends but what will i asked him or say to him . Th i decided to go for a run on his route im thinking how ridiculous is this . Im trying to wonder stand but i really think the running in his footsteps would learn what it is