soinavoice's review against another edition
4.0
On the basis of quality of writing, and sheer enjoyability (I have ZERO interest in pretty much any and all forms of organized sports, including boxing, and yet this totally sucked me in. I entered this book as perhaps the only person on earth who didn't know the winner of the rumble in the jungle, and I got so invested I genuinely had nightmares about finding out the winner before I'd finished the book), this would be an easy 5. It loses points, however, for Mailer's weird and outdated attitudes towards race--his tendency to view race as somehow monolithic and lending itself to sweeping statements. A certain self-awareness on Mailer's part about his own ego and biases keeps the book from being utterly irredeemable, but it's still a little awkward to read all the way in 2017.
poachedeggs's review against another edition
4.0
Norman Mailer's style of writing is... unique. He talks about himself in the third person, and I can easily believe those reports of him being something of an egotist. That said, his journalistic writing is like poetry, and his description of the match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in the Democratic Republic of Congo (then known as Zaire) is excellent. I don't know much about boxing - what I know is from [b:The Power of One|526060|The Power of One|Bryce Courtenay|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320558264s/526060.jpg|649656], hardly a sporting novel - but Mailer engaged me thoroughly and made me respect the sport as an art (even) more. The training schedule of each boxer and the somewhat haunting description of Mailer meeting Ali for a jog in the dead of the night/wee hours of the morning are also well done, but the fight takes it all.
some_okie_dude27's review against another edition
*I started my YouTube channel back up, where I'm posting reviews of books, comics, movies, shows, games, and whatever else I feel like talking about on there. Go find it here. Don't worry, I won't stop writing reviews on here.*
Norman Mailer takes what is ostensibly a couple of news reports about the iconic 'Rumble in The Jungle' fight and manages to turn it into a compelling narrative. Mailer goes right alongside guys like Hunter S. Thompson in finding a narrative art in journalism that I wasn't aware even existed in the first place. It's not even a report anymore, it's a novel that just happens to be factual.
The prose is clean and laconic, at once it makes you think of Hemingway and then Conrad's Heart of Darkness, considering its setting. Mailer isn't very subtle about his influences since he mentions both Conrad's masterpiece and Hemingway in the book, and he shares Hemingway's love for machismo. The book moves along nicely because of Mailer's storytelling gift, and his ability to immerse you into the atmosphere of Zaire.
But this isn't merely a sports book, I was quite surprised by Mailer's political commentary and astute observations about the state of Zaire. One might say that this book feels like a companion piece to Conrad's original novel about the heart of darkness, and there is a sense that nothing has changed since the days of King Leopold II and the trauma that came with that. It almost seems as if the Zairians traded one dictator for another, except one that doesn't maim them for his own enrichment.
Easily the best aspects of this book are the fight sequences, which Mailer writes with gusto and with such energy and ferocity that it feels like sparks are coming from the pages. It gets you to the point where you're shadowboxing along with the fight, and are wrapped up within the event itself. For Mailer, this isn't merely a sports match: it is a battle between two warriors who are some of the best at what they do. In one fell swoop, Mailer captures what made Ali so dynamic as a fighter: his speed, his adaptability, and his range that he could use to outmaneuver his opponents. Mailer certainly shows his awe of Ali's abilities without much reservation, but he keeps it to where others can appreciate why Ali was indeed the greatest.
Admittedly, there are aspects of this book that haven't aged well. One might decry this book as racist, and I wouldn't really blame them. Mailer certainly has views that would probably make people wince in discomfort today. His depiction of Africans as 'Blacks' certainly had me wincing every once in a while. Luckily, he plays it in a way that's smart enough where it doesn't get in the way of the story that the book feels like it's being distracted by the strange, slightly racist, diatribes (cough cough Lovecraft.)
Sadly, I haven't read a lot of books about boxing, despite my enjoyment of the sport. But after reading this, I am unsure if I will read another book about the sport that reaches this level of engagement and entertainment.
8797999's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a book of its time with the authors attitude towards black people, could be one to get some peoples back up. The book is superb when it comes to the fight and the prose which makes you feel every blow and feel the elctricity of the moment.
I have not heard of this author before and I did google him and found what a horrid person this man was a bully and a stabber of his wife. Such an unlikeable human. I did have regrets throughout this book, I am not easily offended but did find his outlook at times off putting.
A book redeemed by the prose of the fight, shame the fight only starts 70% of the way in and is over in three chapters. The book does capture the magic of Ali contrasting to the robotic and punching machine of Foreman.
3.5/5 rounded up.
I have not heard of this author before and I did google him and found what a horrid person this man was a bully and a stabber of his wife. Such an unlikeable human. I did have regrets throughout this book, I am not easily offended but did find his outlook at times off putting.
A book redeemed by the prose of the fight, shame the fight only starts 70% of the way in and is over in three chapters. The book does capture the magic of Ali contrasting to the robotic and punching machine of Foreman.
3.5/5 rounded up.
deliatx's review against another edition
2.25
i just can’t shake off the feeling that Mailer is extremely narcissistic (why does he talk so much about himself when the book is supposed to be an account of such an iconic fight?) and definitely racist. i don’t understand how it’s considered ‘one of the greatest books written about boxing’. okay, it’s okay and well written in some parts but it often tends to go off topic and doesn’t address many important social issues
on the other hand, there were few interesting bits that revealed from a first person perspective how Ali and Foreman acted and experienced the fight so that was intriguing
on the other hand, there were few interesting bits that revealed from a first person perspective how Ali and Foreman acted and experienced the fight so that was intriguing
mannythemammoth123's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
The fight by Norm Mailer is a great time. Lots of cool descriptions of the poetry of violence. Slightly dated in some regards but it’s new journalist style perseveres to create an interesting depiction of Muhammad Ali and George Forman’s “Rumble in the Jungle”.
bodewilson's review against another edition
2.0
Deeply mixed about this book. Mailer's aggressive, deeply masculine prose is perfectly suited to describing physical activity, so the chapters dealing with the actual boxing match are very nearly perfect: exciting, suspenseful, and just breathless enough. Among the very best sports writing that I've read.
On the other hand, Mailer's aggressive, deeply masculine prose causes problems when describing just about anything else. The build-up to and aftermath of the fight are narcissistic, self-serving, condescending, and more than a little racist. His research is lazy. He's clearly in awe of Ali. He makes no effort to explore his own biases about race, boxing, Africa, or anything else. I can't for the life of me figure out what the point is.
Very similar themes are handled much more sensitively and lucidly (if at a fraction of the breathless excitement level, since it's about tennis and not boxing) by John McPhee in his superb "Levels of the Game." Boxing-as-metaphor was never done as well as in AJ Liebling's "Ahab and Nemesis." Read those instead.
On the other hand, Mailer's aggressive, deeply masculine prose causes problems when describing just about anything else. The build-up to and aftermath of the fight are narcissistic, self-serving, condescending, and more than a little racist. His research is lazy. He's clearly in awe of Ali. He makes no effort to explore his own biases about race, boxing, Africa, or anything else. I can't for the life of me figure out what the point is.
Very similar themes are handled much more sensitively and lucidly (if at a fraction of the breathless excitement level, since it's about tennis and not boxing) by John McPhee in his superb "Levels of the Game." Boxing-as-metaphor was never done as well as in AJ Liebling's "Ahab and Nemesis." Read those instead.
crispywonton's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
4.0
http://www.barharukiya.co.uk/the-fight-norman-mailer/01/
I picked up this book after watching BBC’s “Between The Covers”, aside from a spell where I was obsessed with the Rocky franchise I’ve never really followed boxing, but I do like learning about talented individuals that are at the peak of their powers. The Fight details the events of the infamous Rumble in the Jungle, the 1975 World Heavyweight Boxing championship fight between then current champion George Forman and Muhammad Ali in what was then called Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
I picked up this book after watching BBC’s “Between The Covers”, aside from a spell where I was obsessed with the Rocky franchise I’ve never really followed boxing, but I do like learning about talented individuals that are at the peak of their powers. The Fight details the events of the infamous Rumble in the Jungle, the 1975 World Heavyweight Boxing championship fight between then current champion George Forman and Muhammad Ali in what was then called Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
From very early on its difficult to shake the feeling that Mailer is racist, he almost always capitalises and uses the word “Blacks”, failing to refer to them as people, more often than not he compares the two fighters in the manner of a man compare cattle at market. Even forgiving the stereotypes for being “of its time” it still makes for uncomfortable readind. It’s not the only bitter taste this example of “New Journalism” (wherein the writer uses techniques often used in fiction to write about real events, though thats a simplification of the writing style) leaves. Mailer, throughout, comes across as self-important, inserting himself into the narrative at any given moment. Often taking whole chapters to lay down his own theories from his readings on African philosophy, far too often at the expense of documenting events surrounding the fight.
Thats not to say the musings on philosophy or local politics don’t play a role, they help set the tone and atmosphere surrounding the fight, but its Mailers insertion of himself as the focal point for these matters that make the earlier chapters drag.
However, once Mailer is able to put his ego to one side, instead focusing on the far more interesting persona’s of the two title fighters, the pace begins to pick up, the tone for all proceeding events begins to unfurl and the reader is placed within the gym’s, arena’s, hotel rooms and conference rooms that the key events to take place. It’s not only Foreman’s misleading quietness and Ali’s (sometimes forced) over confidence that lead the characters, but each fighters entourage have their moments to shine, the one stand out is Ali’s trainer, Drew Bundini Brown getting a sulk on when Ali chooses a different robe and shorts pairing over the ones Bundini would have prefered he used and how Ali uses his own persona to bring that potential conflict around, almost making it look like a staged confrontation between the pair for the eyes of Foreman’s representative within Ali’s changing room, such is the mind-games that take place between the two camps.
Once the fight itself begins the pace of the story-telling and the intensity of the bout is utterly relentless. The book maybe titled The Fight, but the description of the fight itself barely lasts three chapters, only just breaking the 30 page mark. But what a spell of the book it is, capturing every blow, side-step, block, facial expression and comment from within the ring, each teams corner and the press arena, you feel the energy and electricity of the fight.
However, Mailer can’t resist leaving the tale to its natural conclusion, where a less egotistical writer would have stopped the tale after their final meeting with Ali, Mailer begins to reinsert himself into the story, detailing his flight back to America, allowing that ego of his to take over the culimation of such an historical event.