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Yao, the 7'5" Chinese NBA center, charms readers with the same grace
and humility that have made him one of basketball's most mediagenic
personalities. Coauthored by Bucher, an ESPN the Magazine writer, the book
includes short sections by Yao's Houston Rockets teammates and managers,
but its driving voice is 23-year-old Yao's.
The language is
simple, sincere and often funny as Yao jokes about Wilt Chamberlain's
reputation as a ladies' man and presents a view of himself as a
blue-collar worker ("I sweat for my paycheck"). The book follows Yao's
career in China, the bureaucratic struggles involved in getting him to the
U.S., and his experiences on the court, including what it was like to play
against Shaq.
Though there's lots of basketball talk, the book's
most compelling sections address the clash of cultures, such as the time
when Yao's former team, the Shanghai Sharks, banned one of Yao's
representatives from negotiating because he was white. Yao clearly loves
his native country and says his greatest dream is to lead China's national
team to an Olympic gold medal. But with millions in endorsement deals, the
adoration of fans across the globe and this earnest book, it's clear he's
living out the American dream, too.
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