About this item
In his first memoir written especially for young readers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will focus on his relationships with several important coaches in his life - including his father, his high-school coach and Coach Wooden - as he tells the story of his life and career. Like many kids in elementary school, Kareem (then Lew Alcindor) struggled with fitting in, pleasing a strict father, and severe shyness that made him socially awkward. Unlike most kids, he also had to grapple with a sudden growth spurt that shot him up taller than pretty much everyone around him, including students, teachers, and even his own father. His increasing fame as a basketball player throughout high school brought new challenges as this shy boy was shoved into the national spotlight. At the same time, social unrest in the country, particularly involving the growing civil rights movement, tugged at his conscience as he tried to find his place in it. After all, he was just a kid. What could he do?Recruited to UCLA, his fame as an unstoppable center made him a college superstar. But as his fame rose, so did the social turmoil in the country: Vietnam War protests, Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., large-scale riots, the Women's Movement. He could have hidden from all the turmoil as a sports celebrity, but he chose to join in the social evolution. The result was converting to Islam and changing his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The public backlash was blistering, but he didn't waver.
About the Author
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a huge Holmesian--7'2" tall, basketball's all-time leading scorer, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (our nation's highest civilian honor) which was awarded from President Obama. He writes extensively, for The Hollywood Reporter & The Guardian Newspaper and has published 15 books; Giant Steps (biography) , Kareem (last year in NBA) , What Color is My World (children's) , Profiles in Black Courage, Brothers in Arms (military history) , On the Shoulders of Giants (black history) , Coach Wooden & Me (our 50-year friendship and Becoming Kareem On and Off the Court (YA) . His first novel Mycroft Holmes, starring Sherlock Holmes lesser well known but far more talented older brother, was published in 2015. The Mycroft trilogy is now complete and available online. For more information visit: KareemAbdulJabbar.com
