Sting Like a Bee: Muhammad Ali vs. the United States of America, 1966-1971 (PB) (2018)

A tremendous new biography of Muhammad Ali that zeroes in on the moment Ali turned from an athlete to an activist-icon.

Muhammad Ali: heavyweight champion, Olympic gold medalist, and cultural icon. In Sting Like a Bee, bestselling author Lee Montville takes a close look at the famed boxer, whose bombastic persona was rivaled only by his athletic performance. But Ali was more than just a boxer. He renounced his "slave name," joined the Nation of Islam, and refused to join the military. His story is the story of America in the late sixties, his life intersecting sports and pop culture, politics and the people. Sting Like a Bee zeroes in on five important years of his life, putting the legend in context. It's a portrait of an athlete and a portrait of America during a time of social unrest and earth-shaking change, a must-read for anyone looking to get a clear view of the man and his country.