(ThyBlackMan.com) As a lover of sports, Stephen A. Smith quickly became one of my favorite analysts to watch. Before there was First Take, I loved watching his NBA commentary and The Stephen A Smith Show. He was passionate and willing to speak on matters of sports & current events with a boldness that had to be respected, even if you disagreed with him. Though we’ve seen Stephen A. Smith on TV for years, there was so much about him that was unknown. Unknown in the sense of what drives him, and what has shaped him. In “Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances And First Takes” we’re finally introduced to the life and mind of Stephen A. Smith.
“” Give it up, Janet,” he told her, like he was talking about a sink he’d never be able to fix. “That boy just ain’t smart. He’s not going anywhere. Accept it.””
Who would have ever thought the greatest challenge Stephen A Smith would face is his father. As the reader encounters the difficulties of this relationship, and how it would effect a young boy that would one day be a man…it helps one understand the toughness that is Stephen A. Smith. He was taught through pain. Though his father would abandon all hope for him, his mother and sisters kicked in with love and encouragement that would keep him. Yet, it takes strengthen to take a parental relationship as is understanding it will never improve…. that one’s father couldn’t be one’s hero.
“This book is the culmination of all I’ve learned, from others and from my own experiences. Make no mistake: this is a ride you’re about to take. That’s assuming, of course, that you’re about winning the game of life, and that you’re about doing whatever it takes to keep standing upright – no matter how many times you get knocked down.”
This is a man that is a son, brother, father, and appears to be fierce friend. He was built from the have nots, and it was a driving force in his success. While reading about his life, one can learn so much about overcoming adversity. I appreciate that as I read this book I it was as if Stephen A was talking. If you’ve heard him on the air, you can hear him in the pages.
“I’ve never taken work for granted. I was a black man who’d tasted unemployment. I knew what it was like to think you have it all and then feel like you’ve lost everything.
Its amazing how much you do not know a person until they sit down and tell you their life story in their words. Stephen A Smith lost his mother in 2017, and that life changing moment allowed him to introduce us to himself on a personal level. Listening to him, one may have never known he had to overcome academic challenges due to being dyslexic and undiagnosed for a period. Reading this book might change the way some view Stephen A. Smith as he is so much more than a loud commentator. This book can serve as an inspiration to many, especially our youth that face so many challenges that are not of their making nor within their control. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a modern example of overcoming odds. Its also a great book for young black boys, and men, that are trying to work through life’s adversity.
“Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances And First Takes” by Stephen A. Smith can be found at your local bookstore, Amazon, and anywhere books are sold.
Staff Writer; Christian Starr
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