"Dare to Struggle and How to Save a Life" is a book of poems originally written by a young man about his high school life and the times he spent after that as a coach to young athletes. Collected and published here years later, these poems and the writing about the poems reveal an honesty and gentle-heartedness that young and old can appreciate. Wild flowers, sunbeams, dreams, tenderness-Ali wrote about these things, but most of all, Ali was writing about trouble. Many teenagers, parents, friends, and teachers today know about trouble. Weaving throughout the writing is Ali's hope and optimism, despite the pain and loss he saw around him. If the purpose of poetry is to reach out to other people and touch their hearts, Ali has done that.