He graduated from Princeton University in 1981 with an A.B. He was raised in Hillsdale, New Jersey, in a secular Jewish home with, he has said, “a lot of books around.” He is also childhood friends with comedian Bill Maher. Remnick, and an art teacher, Barbara (Seigel). Remnick was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of a dentist, Edward C. In 2010 he published his sixth book, The Bridge The Life and Rise of Barack Obama. He has also served on the New York Public Library’s board of trustees. Before joining The New Yorker, Remnick was a reporter and the Moscow correspondent for The Washington Post. He was named Editor of the Year by Advertising Age in 2000. Remnick has been editor of The New Yorker magazine since 1998. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his book Lenin s Tomb The Last Days of the Soviet Empire. A master storyteller at the height of his powers, David Remnick has written a book worthy of America's most dynamic modern hero.ĭavid Remnick (born October 29, 1958) is an American journalist, writer, and magazine editor. King of the World takes us back to the days when his life was a series of battles, inside the ring and out. Muhammad Ali is a great hero and a beloved figure in American life. Kennedy-and its pivotal events: the civil rights movement, political assassinations, the war in Vietnam. King of the World features some of the pivotal figures of the 1960s-Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad, John F. His rebellion nearly cost him the chance to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world. And, to the confusion and fury of white sportswriters, who were far more comfortable with the self-effacing Joe Louis, Clay came forward as a rebel, insistent on his political views, on his new religion, and, eventually, on a new name. He refused the old stereotypes and refused the glad hand of the mob. From the start, Clay rebelled against everything and everyone who would keep him and his people down.

This unforgettable story of his rise and self-creation, told by a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, places Ali in a heritage of great American originals.Ĭassius Clay grew up in the Jim Crow South and came of athletic age when boxers were at the mercy of the mob. He was a mirror of his era, a dynamic figure in the racial and cultural battles of his time. Ali was a transcendent athlete and entertainer, a heavyweight Fred Astaire, a rapper before rap was born. As Muhammad Ali, he would become the most recognized face on the planet. He changed the world of sports and went on to change the world itself. There were mythic sports figures before him-Jack Johnson, Babe Ruth, Joe Louis, Joe DiMaggio-but when Cassius Clay burst onto the sports scene from his native Louisville in the 1950s, he broke the mold.

King of the World by David Remnick