Ali, Hana. At Home with Muhammad Ali: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Forgiveness. Amistad: HarperCollins. May 2019. 480p. illus. index. ISBN 9780062917393. $25.99. SPORTS
What was boxing’s “The Greatest” like when he was out of the ring or the cameras weren’t rolling? The answer according to daughter and author Hana Ali is simply and unquestionably: the greatest. Here, the third youngest child of Muhammad Ali (1942–2016) draws from a treasure chest of previously unseen material to paint a picture of the private Ali. Included are extensive audio tapes he made in the late 1970s and early 1980s of himself interacting with Hana, her sister Laila, and his third wife, Veronica, at their Los Angeles home. There are   lso published and unpublished photos; journals, poems, and notes; undelivered love letters from Muhammad to Veronica, written even as their marriage was slipping away; and memories from the time the family broke apart until Ali’s death.
VERDICT Scholars of the sweet science won’t find much new here, but Ali’s fans and general readers will enjoy a charming glimpse into the private life of one of the most public of men (and few will come away from the author’s description of her last visit to their old home with dry eyes).—Jim Burns, formerly with ­Jacksonville P.L., FL

Kram, Mark, Jr. Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier. Ecco: HarperCollins. Jun. 2019. 320p. notes. ISBN 9780062654465. $27.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062654489. SPORTS
It is sad but necessary that in a biography of boxer Joe Frazier (1944–2011) the subject shares considerable space with arch nemesis Muhammad Ali. The sadness derives, first, from that, were it not for two losses to Ali and two at the hands of George Foreman, Frazier would have gone undefeated and been heralded as one of the best heavyweights of all time; and, second, because of the animosity, mostly on Frazier’s part, that lasted for more than three decades between the two. Kram, the son of a Sports Illustrated writer who covered many of the events described herein, presents a readable account of what has been called the golden age of boxing and of the symbiotic rivalry between two of the all-time greats. But Frazier’s fights with Ali, especially the last of the three, the Thrilla in Manila, defined the greatness of both, and showed boxing at its courageous best and brutal worst. Thus, Ali must lurk in the shadows throughout this book, which documents Frazier’s rise from rural poverty to world championship riches along with an on-and-off again music career. ­
VERDICT Boxing historians and fans of both fighters should approve of this straightforward ­account.—Jim Burns, formerly with Jacksonville P.L., FL