Ali and Me: Muhammad Ali, A Joy and My Journey - Paperback

by Lawrence Seurynck (Author)

For a decade, I had the startling good fortune to work for Muhammad Ali. Volumes have been written documenting his boxing prowess, social activism, and public antics. This book traces remembrances of times we spent together, his influence on my life, and the journey he set me upon. Here I want to share personal glimpses of the man and his reverence, mischief, magic, and compassion.

Globally, Muhammad was a warrior. He faced the most intimidating fighters of his day, often as the underdog. He absorbed thousands of blows, yet, he is most remembered for his gentle reverence and his belief in humanity. Ali battled first as a sterling athletic specimen, then with the near expressionless mask of Parkinson's disease; Ali shook up the world, and then he inspired it.

Understanding the historical arc of slavery in America brings into focus the implausibility of Muhammad Ali, aka Cassius Clay. Far more than a reaction to oppression, Ali was a force that illuminated the aching want of bigotry and the pettiness of tribalism. His compassion for people brought him joy, which was easy to see in his expression and how his eyes took people in. His grace uplifted everyone he met. He hugged them all. Most can tell you the day he reached out, and the power of his embrace felt deep in their heart.

As I contemplate "Ali and Me," there are stories to share, times on his farm in Berrien Springs, Michigan, the club we founded with his old boxing ring, and times he made people laugh. Ali was hilarious. These were good times; more significant was witnessing Ali's gentle capacity to inspire people to look inward to discover their own strength, to be stalwart, to be tolerant, to be Ali.

I had a friend who taught a class called "Autobiographical Fantasy." The point of the writing was not to adhere tightly to every irrefutable fact but to communicate a truth. I have written the remembrances of Ali in that spirit. I have trusted the details in my memory and given names when I cannot remember a minor actor. But the truth of the tale is exacting.

The parallel tale of our friend Zane is heavily researched, but his character is wholly fictitious. The account seeks truth in another way. Imagining a man like Ali a few generations earlier may give the reader an unvarnished moment to understand even a bit of the shameful blot of enslavement that continues to mark America today. Each of us embodies a response to the enslavement, be it denial, sadness, anger, humiliation, or pride for what was endured. Ali had his response, and he showed us a way to heal. The world needed Muhammad during his lifetime, and that has not changed with his passing.