First published 2008
Alonzo Mourning opens his memoir by recounting the moment doctors delivered devastating news in September 2000. At the height of his NBA success, with an Olympic gold medal and lucrative contract, he learns he has a rare kidney disease that could end everything. The diagnosis forces him into a cycle of retirement and comeback attempts as his body fails him. Mourning chronicles his childhood struggle to escape foster care, his academic achievements at Georgetown University, and his rise to NBA stardom. The central tension emerges as he battles between his love for basketball and his deteriorating health. After receiving a kidney transplant in 2003, he faces the challenge of rebuilding both his body and his purpose. His return to win a championship with the Miami Heat in 2006 represents only part of his journey. Mourning reveals how illness transformed his understanding of success and led him to dedicate his life to helping others facing similar struggles.
Genres: biography, autobiography, sports, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: overcoming-adversity, second-chance
Setting: Georgetown University, Miami
Period: 2000s, 2003, 2006
256 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: medical-trauma