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A review by bookhawk
Becoming Kareem: Growing Up on and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I grew up as a Celtics fan in the 1980s when Kareem was a Laker at the end of his career. I always respected Kareem and found him to be an intelligent, articulate, and thoughtful person despite rooting for his primary rival. I discovered this book at the remarkable Planet Word museum in Washington, DC where it was identified as an influential book that had been banned in some areas.
The book was very well written and truly provided a genuine and thoughtful perspective on how an intelligent African American viewed how his nation treated him as he grew up and through college. The book explained why he left Catholicism and converted to Islam in a respectful and reasonable manner. Kareem also discussed his relationship with John Wooden and his high school coach. The rationale behind how he viewed the civil rights issues of his day was extremely well done. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to gain an understanding of how an African American might have viewed the world growing up in the 1960s into the early 1970s.
The book was very well written and truly provided a genuine and thoughtful perspective on how an intelligent African American viewed how his nation treated him as he grew up and through college. The book explained why he left Catholicism and converted to Islam in a respectful and reasonable manner. Kareem also discussed his relationship with John Wooden and his high school coach. The rationale behind how he viewed the civil rights issues of his day was extremely well done. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to gain an understanding of how an African American might have viewed the world growing up in the 1960s into the early 1970s.