reinhardt's review
4.0
By far the most intelligent NBA autobiography I have ever read. Talks about growing up in NYC, what he learned there. His time at UCLA, his conversion (doesn't get preachy). Not a big ego trip like other NBA bios. Worth reading.
adelaidekauchak's review
4.0
if you are into “retro” basketball culture, you’ll love this book. as a fan of the “the last dance” documentary, i was hooked by this book. initially picked up as an easy read, but it took me much longer to get through. his story is very interesting. the only thing i struggled with was his treatment of women, and how even years later he struggles to see his own shortcomings in this part of his life. overall an inspiring story, and he’s definitely a forgotten icon.
bookishheather's review
4.0
I found this ghostwritten autobiography in a Little Free Library in Multnomah Village roughly a year ago, and it has taken me a year to read it because I've been lacking in quiet time the last few years. I took it with me to a yoga retreat in July 2017 and read a sizable chunk, but then put it down until April when I went on an annual trip involving plane travel. But I finally finished!
Kareem's autobiography appealed to me as a basketball fan, but also because I wanted to the learn the story behind his conversion to Islam: what motivated it, if he experienced troubles like the ones Muhammad Ali experienced, and so on. And I found what I sought—a large part of his story is about his perception of the world, seeing himself as a commodity to win games rather than a person as early as high school. I didn't know much of his personal story and found it very interesting, from his early days in New York to his experiences on the road with NBA.
Sprinkled throughout the text are passages that are extremely timely, about the rift between owners and players in his professional sport, the double standard applied to white vs. black players, and the like. When I wasn't quite done with this book Kareem penned an op-ed piece about NFL's treatment of cheerleaders for The Guardian which was a really nice companion piece as I read his book and pondered his thoughts.
Ghostwriter Peter Knobler, incidentally, is an old classmate of Kareem's from New York...which makes the work feel a little more authentic than maybe other celebrity autobiographies!
Kareem's autobiography appealed to me as a basketball fan, but also because I wanted to the learn the story behind his conversion to Islam: what motivated it, if he experienced troubles like the ones Muhammad Ali experienced, and so on. And I found what I sought—a large part of his story is about his perception of the world, seeing himself as a commodity to win games rather than a person as early as high school. I didn't know much of his personal story and found it very interesting, from his early days in New York to his experiences on the road with NBA.
Sprinkled throughout the text are passages that are extremely timely, about the rift between owners and players in his professional sport, the double standard applied to white vs. black players, and the like. When I wasn't quite done with this book Kareem penned an op-ed piece about NFL's treatment of cheerleaders for The Guardian which was a really nice companion piece as I read his book and pondered his thoughts.
Ghostwriter Peter Knobler, incidentally, is an old classmate of Kareem's from New York...which makes the work feel a little more authentic than maybe other celebrity autobiographies!
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