Review of "Barkley"

As one who has always admired Charles Barkley, whether on or off the basketball court, I was very excited to pick up this book.  It was quite good.  Here is my review of Timothy Bella's biography of Barkley.

Title/Author:

“Barkley: A Biography” by Tim Bella

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Whether one is familiar with Charles Barkley as a basketball player or as a broadcaster for TNT’s coverage of the NBA, he is sure to be entertaining and possibly controversial, but always refreshingly honest.  Those traits are on full display in this very good biography of Barkley by Tim Bella.

The amount of material on Barkley, even without the direct participation by the subject, that was obtained by Bella through research and interviews was amazing. The sections on Barkley’s childhood and youth was especially impressive given these limitations.  From those beginnings, a reader will see why Barkley became the person he did, given the strength and guidance he received from his mother and grandmother.  Like many other biographies of Black athletes, sadly Barkley had to grow up in Leeds, Alabama without a father figure in his life, but he was able to discover basketball to not only avoid crime, but also to eventually earn a college scholarship to Auburn University.

While at Auburn, not only did Barkley become a superstar college player and make the War Eagles noticed in the basketball world as well as football, but it was also here when his weight was as big a story as his scoring or rebounding. His appetite for fast food seemed to be as big as his thunderous dunks and it was always a source of contention for coaches and the press, from high school to the NBA.  Some of the anecdotes about this aspect of Barkley’s personality are hilarious, some are dead serious, but all are important to understanding the type of person Bella is portraying. 

The same goes for Barkley’s many controversial statements and incidents.  The most famous, and the one that Bella explores in depth, is the Nike commercial in which Barkley declares that he is not a role model.  Bella does an excellent job of covering all aspects of this topic, as both supporters and detractors of this statement are interviewed. The same type of balanced writing is present in Barkley’s other issues, such as when he meant to spit at a heckler while playing for the 76ers, but instead it landed on an 8-year-old girl.  That incident, and Barkley’s reaction and treatment of the young girl well into adulthood for her, showed the gentler side of Barkley, which Bella also portrays well.

Of course, there is Barkley’s time on the basketball court and his time with three teams.  It was in Philadelphia where his NBA fame started and grew with the 76ers.  When he wanted out of the City of Brotherly Love, he won even more accolades, including being named the MVP of the NBA while leading the Phoenix Suns into the NBA Finals in 1993. The Suns fell short of winning a championship and while they were still a formidable team, they never reached the Finals again during Barkley’s time there, which ended in 1996 when he was traded to the Houston Rockets for one last shot at a title, that didn’t happen.  He was forced to retire due to injuries, playing his last game in 2000. This is the heart of Bella’s writing and there is a great deal of detail on Barkley’s time with all three teams as well as his college career with Auburn and both Olympic teams Barkley was a part of while a professional player.  The Dream Team of 1992 is covered as well as the 1996 team that also won a gold medal.  Whatever portion of Barkley’s basketball career a reader wants to know about, he or she is sure to find new material in this book.

While I generally enjoy this level of detail about the sport in any type of book, here it was so detailed that it made the story of Barkley’s life slow down and at times I wasn’t sure which season was being described, especially during his time with the Suns and Rockets.  It is still the most complete book on Charles Barkley that one can read right now, even more than his two memoirs.  This is recommended for all Barkley fans.

I wish to thank Hanover Square Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Link: Barkley: A Biography: Bella, Timothy: 9781335484970: Amazon.com: Books

 

Review of "Game"

 Every year around this time, I start to go back through older books on my list to review and came across this one.  Since it is nearly time for basketball to return, it felt like a good time to read "Game", Grant Hill's memoir.  Here is my review. 

Title/Author:

“Game: An Autobiography” by Grant Hill

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

To say Grant Hill has lived a charmed life would not be inaccurate, but it certainly had some bumps in the road.  From his upbringing by two successful parents (his father was Calvin Hill, an All-Pro NFL running back and his mother was a successful businesswoman) to an eventful basketball career complete with injuries and a near-death hospitalization to successful business ventures, Hill has many stories to share and he does so in this fast paced and fun-to-read memoir.

Having read this fairly quickly on an e-reader, I was surprised to see that the hardcover edition is 400 pages – it certainly didn’t read like a 400 page memoir.  No matter what part of his life Hill is discussing, he does so in a manner that the reader will enjoy as it feels like Hill is sitting next to the reader, talking to them in plain language – even when discussing basketball strategy or later, medical terminology during his injury-plagued years while under contract for the Orlando Magic.

Those years were certainly the most frustrating for Hill, as he not only laments his lack of time on the court but also expresses his displeasure at the medical teams that treated him for his ankle injuries.  One of the surgeries he underwent had complications due to infections and he nearly died in the hospital.  He eventually recovered from these thanks to the medical teams at Duke University and was even able to play some more seasons as a role player for the Phoenix Suns.

It is only appropriate that Duke was the place for his medical recovery as that was where his basketball career really took off and his star rose quickly as in his four years as a Blue Devil, Duke won one championship and appeared in two additional championship games in Hill’s four years there.  He was the third pick in the 1994 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons and immediately made an impact in the NBA as well, as his six years with the Pistons were successful for him individually but not as much for the team before he left for Orlando as a free agent.

The book is certainly not limited to his basketball career or his medical issues as he talks at length about his parents and their influence in his life, both in childhood and adulthood.  He also spends much time discussing his marriage to Canadian singer Tamia and their two daughters.  His love for hip hop music is evident throughout the book and he even dips into social and political commentary.  The latter is written quite well and even-toned which was a welcome change from the divisive dialogue of today.

One doesn’t have to be a basketball fan to enjoy this book, although it does help when he is discussing his time at Duke and in Detroit, where much of the basketball talk is focused.  The book is a great look at the man and his mostly humble personality.  I say “mostly” because he isn’t shy in sharing his opinions when they enhance the discussion.  

I wish to thank The Penguin Group for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Link: Amazon.com: Game: An Autobiography eBook : Hill, Grant: Books