Member-only story
Carmelo Anthony: Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised
My review of this surprising good read from the NBA superstar
Last November I decided to rekindle my love for reading by selecting one book per month. While perusing through books at Target this book caught my eye. I was hesitant at first, solely off some negative social media coverage of Carmelo. None of the other selections seemed interesting enough. So I gave this book a try. And I’m glad I did.
The memoir begins in Carmelo’s childhood neighborhood of Red Hook, Brooklyn in the late 80’s. It was there in the Red Hook housing projects where Carmelo was shaped by the dichotomy of a loving household, and honing his basketball skills in a drug filled violent environment.
Later in search of better opportunity, his mother relocated the family to Baltimore, Maryland where Carmelo would come of age and rise to high school star status.
His story of surviving the inner city inundated with guns, drugs, and violence is remarkable. The book does a very good job in detailing how challenging it is for a woman to raise kids successfully under such circumstances. And how a community of coaches, mentors and the like gather around young promising kids to help them rise above their circumstances.
Professional athletes are often looked at as just that: athletes. With no thought into who they are or where they come from as human beings. This memoir is an excellent survey into the life of Carmelo Anthony, who is so much more than an athlete.
