Review Of Muhammad Ali's The Soul Of A Butterfly

The Soul of A Butterfly is Muhammad Ali’s autobiography, co written with his daughter, Hana Yasmeen Ali. This book begins at the moment Muhammad Ali was inspired to become a boxer. Named at birth Cassius Clay, this book walks the reader through his spiritual and physical journey into becoming Muhammad Ali. The Soul of A Butterfly provides a raw, honest perspective of the struggles Ali went through with himself, his country, and his religion. From being crowned a world champion heavyweight boxer, to being stripped of that title by the United States government, and then earning it back again, Ali has proven to be resilient in the face of hardships. Ali writes in his book that this resilience is what kept him grounded through his struggle

Ali wants to be remembered as, “a man who won the heavyweight title three times, was humorous, and treated everyone right. A man who never looked down on those who looked up to him and who helped as many people as he could… p.205” who also had Parkinson’s. When Ali did mention Parkinson’s Disease in this autobiography, he talked about it like just another component in his life. He stressed to his readers that boxing did not give him Parkinson’s. He felt that no matter his occupation or life choices, he would have still gotten this disease at the same point in his life. Ali actually reflected positively on his diagnosis with Parkinson’s Disease. In his book he wrote, “Parkinson’s has taught me to slow down and take smaller steps. I have learned to move at a different pace, and have learned to appreciate both quickness and stillness… p.149”. After reading this autobiography, I came to trust that this is how Ali actually felt. Based on the values and faith Ali based his life on, I believe him when he says that Parkinson’s Disease is just another challenge he has to face. Though he probably had times of anger and frustration, he placed his trust in his faith in order to overcome. Now I realize that this is probably not the typical reaction to a life changing diagnosis, and that Ali is a special individual, but it was inspiring as aboth a human and future health professional to read this reaction to such hard