Straight Shooter by Stephen A. Smith

Synopsis: Personal testimonies of a Popular Sports Journalist.

Writing Style: 1st person.  

Pacing: Moderate.

Personal Highlights: This turned out to be a very interesting reading experience, one I have not experienced before. Prior to reading this memoir I only (at a distance) heard of 'screaming Stephen'... aka the 'Provocateur' 🠈(oh, I so loved that word). No pun intended, it was hard not to (over)hear him when you have a spouse indebted to watching sports. So, of course, I picked up his book to learn (at a lower decibel) what he was screaming about.

"...We were poor, but didn't have to be..." caught my attention first. His idols Cosell and Bryant Gumbel also made me smile. I really liked Gumbel (and Cosell too).

Overall, Stephen didn't want to be a little fish in a big (or small) pond. And he didn't want to be a sellout either. He's well versed on sports ...in and outside the industry... and has many, many, many advocates. He's worked hard. Very hard. Achieved. And through his bumps and bruises has learned a lot. His mesh with the Ray Rice, Laura Gentile, Richard Sherman, Skip Bayless and Max Kellerman entanglements were places to also reflect on. In fact, I found this totter (for lack of a better word) around Stephen 'keeping it real' but keeping himself employable as well, the anchor of his story. His telling of how he attained and maintains the life he lives is remarkable. I wholly respect his hustle, even if I agreed and disagreed with him plenty. For instance; that bit about 'blacks achieving affluence, considered lucky'. This is as true as others in positions of affluence who are considered entitled or unjustly enriched…in other words ‘assumed’ lucky too. No doubt this memoir spells out what's really what...the very reason I read (and advocate) memoirs; this one especially. Highly recommended. (read copyright 2023 edition)