by Victor Cruz
First published 2012
Victor Cruz reflects on a path that appeared sudden but stretched across years of struggle. Growing up in Paterson, New Jersey's Fourth Ward, he faced setbacks that could have ended his football dreams before they began. His grandmother taught him the dance moves that would become his trademark salsa celebrations. His father, a firefighter, first put a football in his hands. When Cruz hit rock bottom, losing family members and friends along the way, he discovered his responsibility extended beyond himself. He owed something to everyone who had believed in him and to kids facing the same long odds he once did. This Super Bowl champion and record breaking wide receiver reveals how his explosive NFL plays and meteoric rise actually resulted from a lifetime of hard work, perseverance, and family support that sustained him through dead ends and detours.
Genres: american, african-american, autobiography, sports, biography-memoir, 21st-century, football
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: against-all-odds, overcoming-adversity, rags-to-riches
Setting: New Jersey, Paterson
Period: 21st Century
320 pages · Hardcover · Celebra