In his first memoir written especially for young readers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will focus on his relationships with several important coaches in his life - including his father, his high-school coach and Coach Wooden - as he tells the story of his life and career.
The public backlash was blistering, but he didn\'t waver..
The result was converting to Islam and changing his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
He could have hidden from all the turmoil as a sports celebrity, but he chose to join in the social evolution.
Martin Luther King, Jr., large-scale riots, the Women\'s Movement.
But as his fame rose, so did the social turmoil in the country: Vietnam War protests, Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam, Dr.
What could he do? Recruited to UCLA, his fame as an unstoppable center made him a college superstar.
After all, he was just a kid.
At the same time, social unrest in the country, particularly involving the Growing civil rights movement, tugged at his conscience as he tried to find his place in it.
His increasing fame as a basketball player throughout high school brought new challenges as this shy boy was shoved into the national spotlight.
Unlike most kids, he also had to grapple with a sudden growth spurt that shot him up taller than pretty much everyone around him, including students, teachers, and even his own father.
Like many kids in elementary school, Kareem (then Lew Alcindor) struggled with fitting in, pleasing a strict father, and severe shyness that made him socially awkward.
In his first memoir written especially for young readers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will focus on his relationships with several important coaches in his life - including his father, his high-school coach and Coach Wooden - as he tells the story of his life and career
