Been on a basketball memoir kick lately as I have been reviewing more of that sub-genre and this is another good one under that category, this time written by Carmelo Anthony.
Title/Author:
“Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised: A Memoir of Survival and Hope” by Carmelo Anthony
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very good)
Review: Carmelo Anthony’s story of a youth made very tough with poverty, racism, drugs, murders and overall bleak life in the projects of a large city is not very different from that of millions of other young Black men. What makes his story and this book a little different is that he writes about it with a very optimistic viewpoint.
Yes, one might say he would do that now because
is a multi-millionaire with an NBA pedigree so he made good while many others
didn’t. That is not the impression that
he leaves when reading this book because if he wasn’t happy with his situation
in his youth, he certainly knew how to make the most of his situation. Whether it was in the Red Hook section of New
York or in East Baltimore, Anthony relied on family and friends to help keep
him on track to excel in basketball.
These did not always work out as some of his relatives ended up in prison or
even murdered, but he always saw his mother as the rock of the family and
always made sure that her family was fed and also provided a hand to those who
needed it. Anthony’s father was not in
the picture, but that was because he died when Carmelo was two. Therefore, there is very little written about
him by Anthony, but he does discuss his relationship with his stepfather, which
was generously described as uneven.
As for what made Anthony a household name, basketball, that had just as many twists and turns as his personal life. He wanted to get into a high school where college recruiters would notice him, so he first enrolled in a Catholic school well-known for its basketball team. When that wasn’t working out as he hoped, he ended up at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, where many future NBA stars played. When he committed early in the process to Syracuse University, he was still determined to be the best player he could be. He rewarded the Orange by being a key part of their national championship team in 2003, and it is on the following draft day where the book ends.
Through it all, I was impressed with the positive energy Anthony brings to the reader, even when the topic is not pleasant such as racism or mental illness. That is the best aspect of this book that fans of Anthony will want to read, even if it does not cover any part of his professional career.
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