They Better Call Me Sugar

 By Sugar Rodgers

 Akashic     2021

190 pages     YA Memoir

The Shortlist

I must begin by saying that I had no idea who Sugar Rodgers is, nor could I have named the sport she plays when this book came from the publisher. But I quickly found out as I began the book that Sugar Rodgers is a WNBA basketball star, who has been a star athlete from a very early age.

TaShauna Rodgers was born in 1989 into a large family in Virginia, headed by a strong-willed, purposeful mother. The neighborhood was rough but the family was resilient and bonded. TaShauna has always gone by the name, Sugar, hence the title of the book. At a very early age, Sugar showed great promise as an athlete, whether it was golf, football, or basketball—at which she excelled. She was the first of her family to attend college, where she was a basketball star, and now she plays basketball for the Las Vegas Aces.

The memoir is filled with anecdotes and memories from her childhood on, written in short, easy to read chapters. Although the writing a bit disjointed, the reader is left with insight and inspiration, particularly regarding the influence of her mother as well as the mentors who understood her potential and her strength of will. She says in closing, “My personal education has been one of knowledge gained from a never-ending list of people and life experiences. I cannot dismiss any of the impact that those interactions have had on me. They have all participated equally in creating my success. The positive people in my life and the negative ones—any way you look at it, they were all good for me. My haters are my motivators and my supporters are my lifeline.”

The most poignant story in the book is about the time as a young girl when her sister was in jail, and she went to visit her. The reader could feel the emotion radiating from the pages as she described putting her hand on the glass in an attempt to reach her sister, while speaking to her on the phone. Yet they were all smiling. A pivotal moment in her life.

I would recommend They Better Call Me Sugar to young teenage girls who are seeking a role model or girls who are interested in sports careers. It will resonate and inspire them.

Here is the Kirkus review.

We Matter: Athletes and Activism

By Etan Thomas

Akashic Books     2018

320 pages     Nonfiction

The Shortlist

I want to give a shout out for a book that has crossed my desk. We Matter by former professional basketball player, Etan Thomas, is a series of interviews and commentary. Thomas discusses Black athletes and their activism—from taking a knee during the national anthem to forcing the University of Missouri president to address racially-charged incidents on campus. The stories are profound as are the interviews. Thomas’ narrative helps put the Black Lives Matter movement into the long-term perspective it deserves—how we got to where we are now.

The book should serve as inspiration to young athletes as well as the socially and morally conscious who deplore police brutality and discrimination . It also helps put President Trump’s policies in perspective through the eyes of the athletes Thomas interviewed. 

We Matter closes with two poems written by Etan Thomas. One is about the impact of Colin Kaepernick on the culture. The other called “You Matter”  is a call for African American youth to believe that they are important in a culture that disparages them.

But the darkness will come to light

And our strength will surprise you

When your walls come tumbling down just like Confederate statues.

I encourage you to read this interview with Thomas in the New York Times and buy the book for those who will value it.

Stillpower: Excellence with ease in sports and life

By Garret Kramer

New York, Atria Books, 2012

195 pages            Nonfiction

The Shortlist

“It was always fun for me. I loved baseball so darn much. By the hours I practiced, you’d have to say that I was really working, but it was pretty much tireless fun.” Ted Williams

Stillpower by Garret Kramer teaches coaches and athletes ways in which to harness their inner peace in order to master their sport. Filled with practical advice but also with wisdom about work and joy, Kramer offers a new way to look at sports and sports training. The powerful message of the book is appropriate for all endeavors.

One of the main messages of Kramer's book is that when you take joy out of the equation, sports becomes drudgery; drills and endless practice aren’t fun, and players lose their passion. He says, “The more we try to control our effort (or our thoughts about effort) the more we tend to get in our own way—and reduce our odds for success…when effort is unbounded, we don’t even think about trying hard.”

I have no experience with sports, except as a mother and grandmother. But I do have experience as a musician and piano teacher. The philosophy of Stillpower works for music as well. I know that as a piano student when I was practicing in “the zone” so to speak, I could go on and on, playing scales, practicing pieces, preparing for recitals. When my mother imposed a time constraint, as in “you have to practice for an hour,” I hated every minute of it. I took that experience to heart when I taught piano lessons and made sure that my students had plenty of “fun stuff” to play—things that taught them the skills but still made them happy. I wanted them to feel the joy of mastery. 

When I was a sports mother, I didn’t know enough to coach my son or yell instructions from the sidelines. I did watch a father on one of my son’s soccer teams who week after week would haul his kid aside during halftime and upbraid him for something he had done in the first half of the game. The kid never played well in the second half; he would get off sides, yellow carded, sidelined. He obviously was trying to control his efforts but to no avail. He had lost the joy of the game.

My granddaughter, Maya, is becoming a good soccer player with her dad as one of the coaches. I was there when she scored her first goal. A look of pure joy crossed her face. When I hugged her after the game, she said, “I did that for you, Grandma.” So far she loves everything about soccer, which she has been playing for about 5 years. I want her to keep that enthusiasm.

I received a copy of Stillpower from the publicist. I would recommend this book because it contains a lot of life skills and good advice. I will be giving my copy to my son to help him as he coaches young girls to play soccer. I also think that this would be a very appropriate book for teenaged athletes. 

Garret Kramer’s website: http://garretkramer.com/

Excellent review of the book: http://fatherhood.about.com/od/sportsandrecreation/fr/Stillpower-Excellence-With-Ease-In-Sports-And-Life-By-Garret-Kramer.htm