On the surface, Chamique Holdsclaw's memoirs, Breaking Through, is
an inspiring behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it's like to play
professional women's basketball. It's got the thrills, the spills,
and the locker room gossip that any sports fan longs to read about
and be privy to. Holdsclaw takes her readers on a whirlwind tour of
life as a WNBA star, from the streets of New York to the streets of
the world. From Astoria to Tennessee to Spain to Poland and
eventually winding up in Atlanta, we follow Chamique up and down
the court of life until we too are winded from the back-and-forth.
But when we stop to catch our breath, we realize this is much more
than another sports book. New York features prominently in these
pages-its successes, its heartbreaks, its projects and its swanky
gyms. The relative security and safety of Holdsclaw's life at
Christ the King High School in Queens stands in sharp contrast to
her tales of life in the nearby projects, where alcoholism, drug
abuse, petty crime and despair have a strong foothold in the
rundown buildings and darkened bus stops. But Holdsclaw does not
dwell; she does not sulk. She doesn't have the time, frankly, for
we soon find that the life of a young basketball star is full of
constant action. From sunup to sundown, Holdsclaw is practicing,
shooting, running and negotiating. The decision about which college
to attend is almost as harrowing for the readers as it is for
Holdsclaw herself, and we breathe a sigh of relief when she makes
what is obviously the right choice. And though we meet Jay-Z and
Gabrielle Reece and many other famous sports stars on these pages,
the personality we most remember is that of Holdsclaw's grandmother
and guardian. She is the calm in Holdsclaw's storm, the light that
shines into and illuminates the dark tunnels of choices no child
should have to make. June Holdsclaw's steadfast surety is something
every child would be fortunate to have, and her granddaughter's
testament to her faith and love resonates in these pages. As
Holdsclaw grows up and trades in the streets of New York and a
busted up pair of hi-tops for the rigors of academia at the
University of Tennessee, the burdens of success become more
apparent. The stress of being a star on the court takes its toll
mentally, academically, and of course, physically, but Holdsclaw
bravely dribbles past these obstacles and fights to stay on top.
Which isn't to say she doesn't have her distractions-from boys to
friends to tough-as-nails coaches like Pat Summitt, Holdsclaw's
busy life bustles and buzzes throughout Breaking Through, making
the pages hum with vitality. And only when Holdsclaw's health fails
her, when her team slows down and the winning streak seems to be
over, does she come to realize that what's essential in
basketball-and of course, in life-isn't speed, or strength, or who
you know, or how hard you work, but balance: the fine line between
not enough and too much, between carefree and careless. She finally
finds hers, and that's what makes this book the powerful read that
it is. At its core, Breaking Through is a testament to the places
and people that make us whole and keep us sane-it's a shout out to
hard work, love, faith and equilibrium.
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