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“Tells his life story in an inspirational way…Abdul-Jabbar discusses his evolution as a Muslim and person of color in the public sphere, recounting with blistering honesty the backlash he faced while also relaying the resolve and confidence he needed to push past it.”
— Entertainment Weekly
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“This timely and unforgettable memoir…affords rich opportunities for classroom and book club discussions.”
— School Library Journal (starred review)
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“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is…as gifted an intellect as he is an athlete…It’s a tale by a wise elder—about basketball, sure, but also about cultural, political, social, and religious awakenings, big stuff narrated in a very accessible way.”
— New York Times Book Review
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“More than a play-by-play sports story, it’s an honest, powerful exposition of what it means to be black in white America, offering a de facto history of the civil rights movement.”
— Booklist (starred review)
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“Wrestling with what it means to be black, determining his own responsibility and capacity to respond to injustice, and becoming the ‘kindest, gentlest, smartest, lovingest version’ of himself takes center stage in this retelling of the early part of his life. Like the author’s unstoppable sky hook, this timely book is a clear score.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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* "In our current moment when black athletes are joining the national confrontation with the nation's overwhelming legacy of racial injustice, few are better suited to provide context than Abdul-Jabbar.... Wrestling with what it means to be black, determining his own responsibility and capacity to respond to injustice, and becoming the "kindest, gentlest, smartest, lovingest version" of himself takes center stage in this retelling of the early part of his life. Like the author's unstoppable skyhook, this timely book is a clear score.
— Kirkus, starred review
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* "More than a play-by-play sports story, it's an honest, powerful exposition of what it means to be black in white America, offering a de facto history of the civil rights movement.
— Booklist, starred review
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* "This timely and unforgettable memoir is essential for middle and high school collections, and affords rich opportunities for classroom and book club discussions.
— SLJ, starred review
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is... as gifted an intellect as he is an athlete... It's a tale by a wise elder-- about basketball, sure, but also about cultural, political, social, and religious awakenings, big stuff narrated in a very accessible way.
— The New York Times Book Review