First published 2020
Cassius Clay faces the same struggles as other kids in Louisville, Kentucky. He battles racism and difficulties at school while growing up with his family and neighborhood friends. When a thief takes his bicycle, twelve-year-old Cassius walks into a boxing gym and starts training as an amateur fighter. The young athlete quickly shows promise in the ring. He wins his first Golden Gloves match and continues developing his skills and confidence. Through his teenage years, Cassius transforms from an ordinary kid dealing with everyday problems into a charismatic boxer with extraordinary talent. The story follows his journey up to age seventeen, capturing the moments that shaped him before he became the legendary Muhammad Ali. Kwame Alexander and James Patterson tell his early life through both prose and poetry, showing how a stolen bike led to the discovery of a gift that would change sports forever.
Genres: biography, american-fiction, 20th-century, american, african-american, biographical-fiction, african-american-historical-fiction, american-history
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Setting: Louisville, Kentucky
Period: 20th-century
320 pages · Hardcover · jimmy patterson