by Victor Cruz
First published 2012
Victor Cruz stands at what feels like rock bottom, having lost family members and friends along a winding path filled with dead ends. The future NFL wide receiver faces a moment of reckoning when he realizes his responsibility to everyone who believed in him and to kids like himself who just need a chance and something to believe in. Cruz's journey to becoming a Super Bowl champion and the receiver known for explosive plays and salsa touchdown celebrations seemed to emerge from nowhere to outsiders. The reality tells a different story. His meteoric rise in professional football actually represents the culmination of lifelong dedication and perseverance through countless obstacles. Cruz navigates the challenges that threaten to derail his dreams while carrying the weight of representing his community and proving that opportunity can transform lives. The book reveals how what appeared to be one magical season was actually built through years of grinding work, personal loss, and an unwavering commitment to those who saw potential in a young man from his neighborhood.
Genres: american-fiction, american, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: overcoming-adversity, rags-to-riches
Setting: New York
Period: 21st Century
353 pages · Paperback · Penguin Publishing Group