Excerpt: Reach! Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power

June 10 -- People often said to boxer Laila Ali: "You're so pretty. Why don't you just model or act? Why do you want to box?" In Reach! Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power, the daughter of Muhammad Ali explains how she found power within herself to pursue her dream.

Round 1: Owning Your Own Story

Everyone's story is special. And I believe everyone's story deserves attention. Before I begin, though, I'd like to tell you why I'm telling my story.

At first I hesitated. I've always been a little suspicious of people who write books the minute they get famous. It doesn't matter if they really have anything to say; the point is only to increase their fame. That's the last thing I wanted to do. I told myself, if I write a book, it's going to have to mean something; it's going to have to help people — and tell the truth.

The truth is that my own celebrity is a source on conflict. When I started boxing, I realized the name of the game is winning. The more wins, the more fame. I also knew my famous name was an advantage. But as you'll soon see, fame never attracted me as a child, or as a teenager, or even as a young adult. I associated fame with false friends, fake behavior, and hangers-on. Raised around fame, I saw its downside — and moved in the opposite direction. My close friends were regular people, not celebrities. I lived a life that was private, where no one really cared about my famous family.

My decision to fight changed all that. That decision wasn't easy. To this day, it remains challenging. I'm still adjusting to a public life that often makes me uncomfortable. My essential shyness is still there. I still avoid celebrity parties and high-profile Hollywood gatherings. But reality is reality, and the plain fact is that I've achieved a small dose of fame. The plain fact is also that I'm motivated to inspire others.

I want to do so by honestly describing what I've been through. I can't call this book my life story because, at twenty-four, my life has just begun. At the same time, my youth gives me a unique advantage; my experiences are still fresh. I'm still challenged by decisions on every level — emotional, occupational, spiritual — that young people (and not-so-young people) face every day.