My comments about the shocking cover on the new Muhammad Ali bio sparked an official reaction late yesterday afternoon. Chris Roslan, publicist for the book, responded to an email with a perfectly innocent explanation for the image (detailed at left, click for full version): "Sucker Punch takes a sympathetic look at Ali and how he was the victim of manipulation by the far left and the Nation of Islam. Author Jack Cashill does a brilliant job of exposing how these two forces combined to change Ali's life for their betterment, not his. One could also surmise that these two groups essentially put the words in Ali's mouth...and that Ali was the 'recipient' of the Sucker Punch, not the 'perpetrator' of it." Emphasis mine; any book jacket designers in the audience want to weigh in on how well the cover illustrates the principle of "putting the words in Ali's mouth" rather than, say, something else? Drop us a line...

YOU SAY: "A good book cover creates buzz for the book and stops potential readers/buyers in their tracks at the retail outlets," points out one commentator, concluding: "Looks like Ali has a Deep Throat and the publishers have some free publicity...all is well." Another reader needs a little more convincing: "If their publicist is willing to be photographed in an identical pose with the words Thomas Nelson Fall 2006 Catalogue dangling in his face, then I'm perfectly willing to believe the sincerity of his explanation."