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A Game of Character: A Family Journey
from Chicago’s Southside to the Ivy League and
Beyond
By
Craig Robinson
Book Review by Kam Williams
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A
fundamental teaching my parents always
emphasized [was] that life happens to
you, putting choices in your path that
offer an abundance of opportunities as
well as challenges, and that the best
choices are usually the ones that
require courage… Really, that’s what
inspired me to write A Game of
Character—not only to share what I’ve
learned, but also to help reclaim the
value of character that I believe is as
intrinsic to basketball as it is to
life. What’s more, as the pages ahead
will elaborate, true character is a
quality that can be found everywhere and
anywhere, in some of the least likely
places—including the Southside of
Chicago.—from
the Preface (pg. xxvi)
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For most of her life,
Michelle Robinson lived in the shadow of her older
brother, Craig, both literally and figuratively.
After all, not only did he always tower over and
protect her from neighborhood bullies as a child,
but he was also even more of a standout later at
their alma mater, Princeton University, where the
6’7” basketball phenom was twice voted the Ivy
League Player of the Year.
As Craig reflects in
this touching, intimate memoir, “Michelle was the
head of my fan club… Being known as Craig Robinson’s
little sister was a badge of honor that she wore
well into our college years. Of course, later on the
tables would turn and I would have the honor of
being known as Michelle Obama’s big brother!” We all
know that she went on to study law, marry Barack and
become a cultural icon as the first African-American
First Lady, but her overachieving sibling’s
accomplishments are nonetheless noteworthy in their
own right.
Post Princeton, he
went on to play professionally in Europe, before
returning to the States to earn his MBA at the
prestigious University of Chicago. Next, he would
enjoy a meteoric rise up the corporate ladder to the
rank of vice president at Morgan Stanley before
following his passion and taking a huge pay cut to
be an assistant college basketball coach. But his
hard work and dedication led to the head coach
position at Oregon State where he is still employed
today.
A Game of
Character
is mostly a heartfelt homage crediting Craig and
Michelle’s parents, First Mother Marian Robinson and
the late Fraser Robinson, III with making countless
selfless sacrifices on behalf of their offspring
while instilling them both with “fundamental values
like love, discipline and respect.” What makes the
book so compelling for this critic is that after
reading so many unauthorized biographies about the
Obamas by authors neither one seemed to have spoken
with much if at all, we finally have a legit opus by
a person who you tend to believe when he says he
grew up sharing the same bedroom with his little sis
who is now the First Lady. Sorry, nobody can
question the cred of anyone that close to her.
And when you factor
in that Chicago witnessed 40 gang-related shootings
on the Southside over a recent weekend, the
deteriorating state of affairs in the Windy City
makes this uplifting success story about how a
couple of kids miraculously made it out of that very
same ‘hood all the more remarkable, refreshing and
eminently worthwhile.
* * * *
*
He helped elect a
president.—The New York
Times
Craig's understanding of character and his sound
judgment for how to win on any court, clearly
learned in the extraordinary household where he grew
up, are unsurpassed. The lessons he shares in this
book provide a playbook for success that can be
applied by anyone. It's been a joy to witness his
remarkable journey.—Bill
Carmody, Men's Basketball Coach, Northwestern
University
For many years the role of family historian—the
"keeper of the family lore" as Craig puts it—had
belonged to his father, my late husband, Fraser
Robinson. Without Fraser here to keep those stories
alive, they were in danger of becoming lost and
Craig was determined not to let them go, but instead
to take up his father's mantle of storyteller,
motivator, and Philosopher-in-Chief. Craig has risen
to the challenge with A Game of Character, a book
that not only pays tribute to his parents (and to
all parents, teachers, mentors, and coaches for that
matter) but also honors a beautiful brother-sister
relationship and all sibling, family, and community
relationships.—Marian
Robinson
The eagerly
anticipated inspirational memoir from Michelle
Obama's brother, celebrating the extraordinary
family members and mentors who have shaped his life
When he stepped into history's spotlight at the
National Democratic Convention, Craig Robinson
recalls that nothing could have been more gratifying
than introducing his sister, Michelle Obama, to
millions of Americans. Within minutes, he won the
hearts of the nation by sharing highlights of
growing up in the modest Robinson household, where
the two were raised by devoted parents who taught
them the values of education, hard work, and the
importance of reaching far beyond what even seemed
possible.
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Those
lessons of character were fundamentals
in shaping Craig Robinson's own
remarkable journey: from his days
playing street basketball on Chicago's
Southside, while excelling academically,
to admission at Princeton University,
where he was later named Ivy League
Player of the Year, twice. After playing
professionally in Europe, Robinson made
an about-face, entering the competitive
field of finance. With his MBA from the
University of Chicago, his meteoric rise
landed him a partnership in a promising
new venture. But another dream beckoned
and Craig made the unusual decision to
forego the trappings of money and status
in the business world in order to become
a basketball coach.
Michele and Craig as children |
He soon helped
transform three struggling teams—as an assistant
coach at Northwestern, then as head coach at Brown
and now at Oregon State University. In his first
season at OSU, he navigated what was declared to be
one of the nation's best single season turnarounds.
| In
A Game of
Character,
Robinson takes readers behind the scenes to meet his
most important influences in his understanding of
the winning traits that are part of his playbook for
success. Central to his story are his parents,
Marian and Fraser, two indefatigable individuals who
showed their children how to believe in themselves
and live their lives with conviction through love,
discipline and respect.
With insights into this
exemplary family, we relive memories of how Marian
sacrificed a career to be a full-time mom, how
Fraser got up and went to work every day while
confronting the challenges of multiple sclerosis,
how Craig and Michelle strengthened their bond as
they journeyed out of the Southside to Princeton
University and eventually, the national stage.
Heartwarming, inspiring, and even transformational,
A Game of Character comes just at the
right time in an era of change, reminding readers of
our opportunity to work together and embrace the
character of our nation, to make a difference in the
lives of others and to pave the way for the next
generation.—Publisher,
Gotham |
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posted 19 May
2010 |
