Muhammad Ali – Trickster In The Culture of Irony: Celebrities

Ali's life over the years has put irony in a different light. When Muhammad Ali stood against those who criticized him for converting to the Nation of Islam, he told the world "I don't have to be what you want me to be." What first appeared as simple defiance was revealed over the years as rock solid conviction - a conviction that allowed him to be and do what he believed in, while also embracing the world in his loving and laughing way.

Charles Lemert writes with grace, perspective, and affection. Muhammad Ali is the first book to unravel the reasons for the enduring respect and reverence that Muhammad Ali commands long after the end of his athletic career.

This text will appeal to those teaching and studying cultural studies, social theory, sports studies, and sociology, as well as to general readers interested in Muhammad Ali.