In 1988, then struggling writer and movie store manager Davis Miller drove toMuhammad Ali’s mother’s modest Louisville house, knocked on the door, andintroduced himself to his childhood idol. Nearly thirty years later, the two friendshave an uncommon bond, the sort that can be fashioned only in serendipitous waysand fortified through shared experiences. Miller now draws from those remarkablemoments to give us a beautifully written portrait of a great man physically devastatedbut spiritually young—playing mischievous tricks on unsuspecting guests, performingsleight of hand for any willing audience, and walking ten miles each way to graban ice cream sundae. Following in the contemporary tradition of writers such as GayTalese and Nick Hornby, Miller gives us a series of extraordinary stories that coalesceto become a moving and timely introduction to the human side of a boxing legend.