Letters

Get in touch – share your opinions on history and our magazine

Ellen Staples, New York City, USA

LETTER OF THE MONTH

FIGHT TO THE DEATH

Thank you for a fascinating feature on Muhammad Ali’s struggle to clear his name back in the sixties (August 2016).

It is criminal to think of how such a unique talent was robbed of his prime years, simply because he didn’t believe in the Vietnam War. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but to us today, he seems not only justified in his protest, but that he should be seen as a hero for refusing to give in to a system that saw ‘his people’ oppressed in their own land. It only serves to bring home, in light of recent events in the United States, how far humankind still has to go in order to rid itself of racial and religious hatred and prejudice. Thank you for reminding us of the difference one man can – and did – make.

Ellen Staples, New York City, USA

HITTING OUT Ellen Staples believes Ali was justified in his protest against the Vietnam War

Ellen wins a copy of Vikings: Raids, Culture, Legacy by Roderick Dale and Marjolein Stern (£20, Andre Deutsch). This illustrated book examines the origins, explorations and settlements of the Vikings and their impact on the world.