Author Topic: Perk is releasing an autobiography  (Read 3259 times)

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Perk is releasing an autobiography
« on: January 13, 2023, 09:09:12 AM »

Online Roy H.

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Champion Boston Celtics big man turned NBA broadcaster Kendrick Perkins didn’t always have the sports world as his oyster.

As a child, he went through the sort of hard times most of us only see in movies. His father abandoned him and his mother to play basketball abroad, and his mother was killed by a friend in an argument between them at work.

A life-altering affront followed by unimaginable tragedy, Big Perk had to live with his grandparents in Beaumont, Texas, in poverty compounded by his rapid growth as a teenager that left his pants unstylish “highwaters” several inches above his ankles.

“My pants, even when newly bought, would quickly become too short,” related Perkins in a new autobiography co-penned with Seth Rogoff (via the New York Post’s Gavin Newsham).

While the loss of his mother shaped and continues to shape his life, it isn’t part of his past, according to the 2008 Boston champion. “It’s not something to get over — it’s a loss I carry with me to this day,” he related in “The Education of Kendrick Perkins.”

“Before she was killed, it was just the two of us. She wouldn’t go anywhere without me.”

After struggling to make ends meet with his grandparents, Perk wanted to give back via his basketball skills’ ability to bring in an income far beyond what he grew up with in terms of means.

Making nearly a million in his first year with the Celtics — having elected to skip college in part to get right to the pros and start making money — Perkins was pulling in close to double that by the end of his rookie deal three years later.

“A lot of lettuce in 2006 for a not-yet-22-year-old kid from Beaumont, Texas,” he offered in his book, which he used to take care of his grandparents.


Still, even with enough success as to buy himself a Bentley with the bonus he earned from the Celtics’ 2008 title run, he still felt an empty space left by the absence of his mother.

Not long before that, he’d broken down while out with his wife Vanity, aching to be able to have shared what he’d built in life with his departed mother. “Decades of living with the tragedy of her death came pouring out of me as Vanity sat beside me, holding me, keeping me steady,” he explained.

“My mother’s presence in my soul, even in her absence, is a North Star,” Perkins added.

The memoir is available for pre-order from St. Martin’s Press and is slated to be released in hardcover and Kindle editions on Feb. 23.

https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-alum-kendrick-perkins-growing-174704489.html


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Re: Perk is releasing an autobiography
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2023, 10:51:04 AM »

Offline cons

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kind of hope he releases it as an audio book

gotta hear that drawl while im reading this :)

good for him!

Re: Perk is releasing an autobiography
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2023, 11:18:26 AM »

Online bdm860

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I like Perk.  I think he's very entertaining when he does broadcasts with Scal, but leaves a lot to be desired in his ESPN analyst role.  He is what he is.

Usually when someone releases a book, they drop an interesting tidbit or juicy story to make you want to read more, I get none of that from this.  Seems like a paint-by-numbers book.  If you swapped out Kendrick Perkins name and told me instead this was Mo Speights's story, I'd have zero interest.

Clicked through the link, and look at these reviews, you can't tell me these are real:

Quote
"Kendrick Perkins is the bold and educational voice we need today. Every single word he speaks will challenge, enlighten and encourage you to become a better version of yourself and see a better version of the world. Perkins' riveting stories about the NBA, his upbringing and social justice will make this book impossible to put down." -- Emmanuel Acho, New York Times bestselling author of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man

"It makes sense that the most exciting, authentic and knowledgeable basketball analyst in the world would create a stunning, revealing memoir. But I was still shocked at the wonder of this memoir. After reading The Education of Kendrick Perkins, you will understand why none of us should ever doubt the mind, nor the gumption of Kendrick Perkins ever again. It's hard to make a layered classic memoir and that's exactly what Kendrick Perkins has done. Though the book moves from region to region, Kendrick carries his south with him, and consistently interrogates himself, and the NBA. The book is flat out brilliant. Now carry the hell on."--Kiese Laymon, MacArthur award-winning author of Heavy

"From Beaumont to Boston and beyond, The Education of Kendrick Perkins takes the reader on a journey through Black history and Black social thought to give a unique perspective of what it is like for a Black man to make it in the NBA." --Louis Moore, author of We Will Win the Day: The Civil Rights Movement, the Black Athlete, and the Quest for Equality

"The Education of Kendrick Perkins makes clear our own miseducation. On the hardwood, Big Perk did what great Big Men do, he cleaned the glass. But in these pages, he does what great point guards do, he drops dimes, dishing highlight reel insights into the Black experience on and off the court. He leads us to truths too often obscured by racism. Truths about Jim Crow and the Great Migration; about training camp and game sevens; about fatherhood and fatherless sons; about teams and players we love and love to hate; about Black Power and Black Lives Matter; about the era of Jordan and the Age of Lebron. This is the book you need to carry on!" --Hasan Kwame Jeffries, author of Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt and host of the podcast Teaching Hard History

"The Education of Kendrick Perkins is a stone-cold miracle, one of those rare books that manages to combine an enthralling, insider’s account of life in the modern NBA with a daring exploration of what it means to be raised poor and black in America. Big Perk brings us onto the court and inside the locker room. But he also traces his story back to the roots of the African American experience, capturing the ancestral struggle to persevere amid slavery, migration, and a racism so entrenched that it infiltrates even the most gilded realms of athletic stardom. A thrilling ride and an astonishing achievement." --Steve Almond, author of Against Football and All the Secrets of the World

"Kendrick Perkins became a world champion as a professional basketball player because of his crushing defense and his relentless pursuit of excellence. Now, as a renowned ESPN figure who brings thrilling new meaning to the term color commentator, and in this bracing and brilliant memoir, Perkins displays a gift for blunt truth and unsparing analysis that matches his dominance on the court. Whether addressing his rise to prominence from humble roots, or the racial crises that plague our national landscape, The Education of Kendrick Perkins offers acute insight in his trademark folksy manner that translates abstract moral principles into compelling common sense. This book is a refreshing departure from the politically correct reflections of most sports stars to reveal the heart and passions of a beautiful and honest man. "--Michael Eric Dyson, Vanderbilt professor and author of Entertaining Race

“One of the NBA’s most intimidating enforcers and also one of its most compassionate and legendary teammates.” ― ESPN Press Room

"Perk is probably one of the last of the old school vets that learned from the older guys in the way of giving back to the young guys... You see that big scowl on his face, he looks all mean on the court, but off the court, all his teammates love him." ― Paul Pierce, Celtics forward, Sports Illustrated

"[Perk is] charismatic, engaging and blunt...[with a] willingness to be candid and critical of players who not so long ago were peers." ― Boston.com

« Last Edit: January 13, 2023, 11:32:56 AM by bdm860 »

After 18 months with their Bigs, the Littles were: 46% less likely to use illegal drugs, 27% less likely to use alcohol, 52% less likely to skip school, 37% less likely to skip a class

Re: Perk is releasing an autobiography
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2023, 11:54:24 AM »

Online Roy H.

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I like Perk.  I think he's very entertaining when he does broadcasts with Scal, but leaves a lot to be desired in his ESPN analyst role.  He is what he is.

Usually when someone releases a book, they drop an interesting tidbit or juicy story to make you want to read more, I get none of that from this.  Seems like a paint-by-numbers book.  If you swapped out Kendrick Perkins name and told me instead this was Mo Speights's story, I'd have zero interest.

Clicked through the link, and look at these reviews, you can't tell me these are real:

Quote
"Kendrick Perkins is the bold and educational voice we need today. Every single word he speaks will challenge, enlighten and encourage you to become a better version of yourself and see a better version of the world. Perkins' riveting stories about the NBA, his upbringing and social justice will make this book impossible to put down." -- Emmanuel Acho, New York Times bestselling author of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man

"It makes sense that the most exciting, authentic and knowledgeable basketball analyst in the world would create a stunning, revealing memoir. But I was still shocked at the wonder of this memoir. After reading The Education of Kendrick Perkins, you will understand why none of us should ever doubt the mind, nor the gumption of Kendrick Perkins ever again. It's hard to make a layered classic memoir and that's exactly what Kendrick Perkins has done. Though the book moves from region to region, Kendrick carries his south with him, and consistently interrogates himself, and the NBA. The book is flat out brilliant. Now carry the hell on."--Kiese Laymon, MacArthur award-winning author of Heavy

"From Beaumont to Boston and beyond, The Education of Kendrick Perkins takes the reader on a journey through Black history and Black social thought to give a unique perspective of what it is like for a Black man to make it in the NBA." --Louis Moore, author of We Will Win the Day: The Civil Rights Movement, the Black Athlete, and the Quest for Equality

"The Education of Kendrick Perkins makes clear our own miseducation. On the hardwood, Big Perk did what great Big Men do, he cleaned the glass. But in these pages, he does what great point guards do, he drops dimes, dishing highlight reel insights into the Black experience on and off the court. He leads us to truths too often obscured by racism. Truths about Jim Crow and the Great Migration; about training camp and game sevens; about fatherhood and fatherless sons; about teams and players we love and love to hate; about Black Power and Black Lives Matter; about the era of Jordan and the Age of Lebron. This is the book you need to carry on!" --Hasan Kwame Jeffries, author of Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt and host of the podcast Teaching Hard History

"The Education of Kendrick Perkins is a stone-cold miracle, one of those rare books that manages to combine an enthralling, insider’s account of life in the modern NBA with a daring exploration of what it means to be raised poor and black in America. Big Perk brings us onto the court and inside the locker room. But he also traces his story back to the roots of the African American experience, capturing the ancestral struggle to persevere amid slavery, migration, and a racism so entrenched that it infiltrates even the most gilded realms of athletic stardom. A thrilling ride and an astonishing achievement." --Steve Almond, author of Against Football and All the Secrets of the World

"Kendrick Perkins became a world champion as a professional basketball player because of his crushing defense and his relentless pursuit of excellence. Now, as a renowned ESPN figure who brings thrilling new meaning to the term color commentator, and in this bracing and brilliant memoir, Perkins displays a gift for blunt truth and unsparing analysis that matches his dominance on the court. Whether addressing his rise to prominence from humble roots, or the racial crises that plague our national landscape, The Education of Kendrick Perkins offers acute insight in his trademark folksy manner that translates abstract moral principles into compelling common sense. This book is a refreshing departure from the politically correct reflections of most sports stars to reveal the heart and passions of a beautiful and honest man. "--Michael Eric Dyson, Vanderbilt professor and author of Entertaining Race

“One of the NBA’s most intimidating enforcers and also one of its most compassionate and legendary teammates.” ― ESPN Press Room

"Perk is probably one of the last of the old school vets that learned from the older guys in the way of giving back to the young guys... You see that big scowl on his face, he looks all mean on the court, but off the court, all his teammates love him." ― Paul Pierce, Celtics forward, Sports Illustrated

"[Perk is] charismatic, engaging and blunt...[with a] willingness to be candid and critical of players who not so long ago were peers." ― Boston.com


I buy the last three, haha.


I'M THE SILVERBACK GORILLA IN THIS MOTHER——— AND DON'T NONE OF YA'LL EVER FORGET IT!@ 34 minutes