by Chris Paul
First published 2023
Chris Paul opens his memoir the day after signing with Wake Forest, when a devastating phone call changes everything. His grandfather Nathaniel "Papa" Jones, who ran North Carolina's first Black-owned service station, has died from a heart attack after being mugged in Winston-Salem. Over a thousand people pack the county's largest church for the funeral. The next day, Chris takes the basketball court for his high school team. He scores shot after shot, then deliberately throws his final attempt out of bounds. He finishes with exactly sixty-one points, one for each year his grandfather lived. Paul reflects on how Papa Jones shaped him into the man and father he became. He explores the faith and family foundation that anchored his life, his commitment to being a positive force in his community, and his responsibility to set an example for future generations. At its heart, this is a story about Winston-Salem and the tight-knit community that raised one of basketball's most respected leaders.
Genres: american, african-american, autobiography, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, family-drama
Setting: North Carolina, Winston-Salem
Period: 21st-century
336 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press