Review of "Above the Noise"

There was a lot of pre-publication buzz about this book and after reading it, I believed it lived up to the hype.  Here is my review of "Above the Noise", the memoir of DeMar DeRozan. 

Title/Author:

“Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm” by DeMar DeRozan

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

When NBA star DeMar DeRozan made a simple tweet to state that he wasn’t okay, no one expected the outpouring of not only support but also the attention that it would lead to the mental health of athletes.  While that was probably the best part of his memoir, it is one of the better sports memoirs I have read and one that every basketball fan will want to add to their library.

The format of the book isn’t much different than any other sports memoir – stories about his childhood, who helped push him into the athlete he became, his successes and failures that he endured along the way to where he is now.  What made this one stand out from others to me was his refreshing humility.  He was raised in Compton and frequently mentions the hard day-to-day life in that section of Los Angeles. He never forgets his roots when he is now living a much different lifestyle and it’s clear from the writing that this isn’t just being told to sound good – he truly does care for that community.

DeRozan is also frank about his personal relationships, whether with teammates, coaches or his wife and children.  He is honest about the struggles in his marriage and while his commitment to stay together with her may come across as “staying together for the children,” it is clear that part of his process of dealing with his mental health matters includes ensuring his relationships are strong as well.

And yes, there is plenty of basketball in the book.  It was clear that despite changing teams twice (from Toronto to San Antonio to Chicago) when he did not want to leave either time, he was able to quickly adjust and not only be welcomed, but welcomed being in a new city with new teammates despite missing his family.  He talks about his all-star seasons in Toronto, his relationship with coach Greg Popovich with the Spurs and his new role with the Bulls in helping them regain some of the glory they had in the days of Michael Jordan.

It's the feeling of refreshing honesty that made this book a very good read and one that I completed fairly quickly.  Hopefully this book will not only be a good one for basketball fans, but also for anyone who is dealing with mental health issues.  Reading about DeMar’s story is something that hopefully will be able to help others dealing with similar issues.

I wish to thank Harmony Publishing for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link: Above the Noise: My Story of Chasing Calm: DeRozan, DeMar, Zarum, Dave, Popovich, Gregg: 9780593581261: Amazon.com: Books

Review of “Dream”

 Having read a previous biography written by this author, I was eager to pick up an advance copy of this on Hakeem Olajuwon and it did not disappoint. Here is my review of “Dream.”

Title/Author:

“Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon” by Mirin Fader 

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review: In the 1984 NBA draft, Hakeem Olajuwaon was the first player selected, making him the first African native to be the first overall draft selection. How he became a legendary basketball player when his first sports love in his native Nigeria was team handball is a fascinating story, and author Mirin Fader tells about Hakeem’s life and basketball career in the excellent book. 

As was the case with her book on another NBA superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Fader writes with equal amounts of information and intrigue on both Olajuwon's basketball career and his personal life. The latter includes not only his upbringing in Nigeria but also how his Islam faith is very important to him as well as treating others with respect and his demeanor off the court, which is very different than on it.

Fader’s work on Olajuwon’s basketball career is also excellent in its completeness and detail.  She describes his inner test in basketball gaining traction and from encouragement from coaches, he starts playing in leagues in Nigeria. It is in these games where he started learning the basics and his exceptional athleticism gained in handball helped excel in this sport as well. He eventually lands a scholarship from the University of Houston where he was part of the exciting “Phi Slamma Jamma” teams. Then he stays in Houston with the Rockets and cements his place in the all-time greats by leading the Rockets to consecutive NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. 

It should be noted that the research and interviews by Fader are key to the outstanding writing she does because of the insight the subjects gave. This goes all the way from his Nigerian coaches to current NBA players to who Hakeem has provided workouts and tips, something he has done since ending his career with Toronto Raptors in 2002. Another nice touch by Fader is her writing about stories that may or may not be true, such as how he eventually decided to attend the University of Houston and how the spelling of his first name was eventually corrected in the press from “Akeem” to “Hakeem”. 

Whether the topic is basketball, African culture or Islam, the reader will learn much in this book on how important they were in the life of one of the greatest centers in the history of the game. 

I wish to thank the publisher for providing a review copy of the book via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. 

Link:https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Life-Legacy-Hakeem-Olajuwon-ebook/dp/B0CTZGG1G6/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tsgFpzIX8z5CEjQ53MywkA.3od3enzL40NN5E5h1oCKwzcmq1grB9eNW9UfgxqNS-Q&qid=1721602976&sr=8-1 

Review of "We the North"

While not the most recent NBA champion, this book on the Toronto Raptors was an enjoyable read and their second round win in game 7 against Philadelphia is a moment etched in my basketball memory.  Here is my review of a book on the Raptors, "We the North"

Title/Author: “We the North: 25 Years of the Toronto Raptors” by Doug Smith

Rating: 4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:  When one thinks of sports in Canada in general and Toronto in particular, the first one that comes to mind is hockey.  Yet, while the city’s NHL team has not won a title since 1967, the Toronto Raptors of the NBA won the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2019 and in doing so, made it be known that basketball has a place in the country as well.  Doug Smith has been reporting on the Raptors for every year of their existence and shares his stories in this book.

It is easy to see that Smith is not only very knowledgeable about the Raptors, but also about the game itself.  His writing about the early days of the Raptors and how they came about illustrate not only those years about the team, but about the NBA in general.  For that time frame, his accounts of what first Damon Stoudamire and later Vince Carter meant to the team and the city.  It was especially nice to read about how Carter gave credibility to the team – not only for his individual achievements but also for how the team improved as well, going from the expansion growth pains to making the playoffs.

Smith is equally good when he writes about the post-Carter years and how the team seemed stuck despite finding talented players such as DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.  He writes glowingly about both of these players.  It was really evident how much DeRozan felt a connection to the city and the team when he was crying when learning that he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018 for Kawai Leonard.  Smith’s writing about DeRozan almost felt like a love fest – but I won’t call it over the top because it is an accurate description of the city’s relationship with him.

The subsequent single season that Leonard spent in Toronto, capped off by the 2019 NBA championship, is covered well, but the reading is not quite as good as the human interest type of stories that fills this book.  However, the best basketball writing is in this part, with a passage that compares two buzzer-beating shots in game 7’s 18 years apart in Raptors history.  In 2001, Vince Carter launched a shot in game 7 of the second round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.  In 2019, Leonard did the same thing, in the same round of the playoffs against the same team.  In 2001, the shot was close, but not good.  In 2019, the ball hit the rim four times before going in.  The comparison between the two was excellent – even better than Smith’s writing about the championship and subsequent celebration.

Overall, this is an enjoyable book for any basketball fan, but especially Raptors fans.  Smith certainly knows the Raptors and the NBA and it shows throughout the book.

Link:  We the North: 25 Years of the Toronto Raptors: Smith, Doug, Carter, Vince: 9780735240360: Amazon.com: Books

 

Review of "Rapture"

One of the more surprising sports championships in recent years was when the Toronto Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals.  Their coach, Nick Nurse, was in his first season of being an NBA head coach, but he certainly was not an inexperienced coach, as his memoir shows.  Here is my review of "Rapture."  

Title/Author:

“Rapture: Fifteen Teams, Four Countries, One NBA Championship and How to Find a Way to Win – Damn Near Anywhere” by Nick Nurse

Tags:

Basketball, professional, memoir, Raptors, championship, coaching

Publish date:

October 13, 2020

Length:

272 pages

Rating:

4 of 5 stars (very good) 

Review:

Nick Nurse achieved a rare feat for a coach in any professional sport – he coached a team to a championship in his first season as a head coach in the league.  In his case, it was leading the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship in his first season as an NBA head coach.  How he got to that point and all the adventures he had on his way to Toronto is told in this fun-to-read memoir.

Nurse tells how many different countries and teams he has coached in the title and he has entertaining stories to tell about each one. Some of the better ones are about the team he coached in England where in order to keep his job and team together, he had to become the owner as well. He even coached Dennis Rodman for two games in that country.  

Unlike some other well-known teams and leagues in Europe and Asia, many teams in England live on a thread and can fold in a moment’s notice.  Despite all of this, Nurse shares his love for his time there and other countries as well. When he decided to return to the United States, he found employment in the NBA D-League (now called the G-League) with a new team called the Iowa Energy.

Not only was Nurse excited to coach in his home state, but with a new team, he was able to showcase some of his more innovative coaching ideas.  Most prominent among those is his emphasis on proper shooting technique in which he uses a specially marked ball he calls the Nurse Pill.  Between that and some innovative offensive plays, he enjoyed success in the D-League in both Iowa and later in the Rio Grande Valley.

When Nurse moved up to become an assistant coach in Toronto under Dwayne Casey and then head coach after Casey was fired after the 2018 playoffs, he took what he had learned coaching for all those teams and applied them to the Raptors.  What was especially interesting was his manner in which he communicated and related to his players.  He is quite in tune to the mindset of an NBA player and he displays that consistently during the chapters on his time with the Raptors.  These are the sections in the book that can most easily be used by readers in their day-to-day lives, no matter what their profession or work entails.  One doesn’t have to be a basketball coach or fan to not only enjoy this book but to also get some valuable advice.

I wish to thank Little, Brown and Company for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)                                                                                                                                 

Buying Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Rapture-Fifteen-Countries-Championship-Anywhere/dp/031654017X/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr