First published 2010
Craig Robinson opens his memoir by recalling the moment he introduced his sister Michelle Obama at the Democratic National Convention. He traces his path from Chicago's South Side streets where he played basketball while excelling in school. His parents Marian and Fraser Robinson taught him and Michelle that education and hard work could take them beyond what seemed possible. Fraser went to work daily despite battling multiple sclerosis while Marian gave up her career to raise them full time. Robinson earned admission to Princeton where he became Ivy League Player of the Year twice. After playing professional basketball in Europe, he shifted to finance and earned an MBA from University of Chicago. He climbed quickly to partnership level but abandoned the business world to coach basketball. He transformed struggling programs at Northwestern, Brown, and Oregon State University. At OSU his first season produced one of the nation's best single season turnarounds. Robinson reveals the people who shaped his understanding of character and success, showing how his family's values of love, discipline, and respect guided his choices.
Genres: family, business, autobiography, sports, education, non-fiction, biography-memoir, basketball
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, inspirational, rags-to-riches
Setting: Chicago, Princeton, Europe, University of Chicago, Northwestern, Brown, Oregon State University
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
288 pages · Hardcover · Gotham