From Publishers Weekly
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. Photos. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
The seven-foot-four-inch Yao, all-star center with the Houston Rockets, is the best basketball player ever to come out of China. This as-told-to autobiography covers the usual ground: Yao's youth as the son of two outstanding Chinese baskestball players; his enrollment in the Chinese basketball pipeline and subsequent international success; and his decision to try the NBA. What sets the book apart from similar sports bios is Yao's comparison of Chinese culture with the one to which he's adapting in the U.S. For example, he contrasts the freewheeling NBA sexual lifestyle versus his own chaste courtship of a player on the Chinese women's national team. He also displays a sly sense of humor, digging playfully at NBA broadcaster Bill Walton by noting that Yao's translator has no idea what Walton is talking about. Coauthor Bucher, a first-generation American whose initial language was German, adds context to Yao's story with his own experience assimilating a new culture. This will be a very pleasant surprise for readers expecting the usual and-then-we-played memoir manufactured to capitalize on the popularity of a young superstar. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Since Yao Ming's electrifying NBA debut with the Houston Rockets in 2002, the 7-foot-5 Chinese center has appeared in numerous TV commercials, on magazine covers, and in countless basketball-highlights reels. And yet, despite Yao's status as one of the country's most recognizable sports stars, the remarkable story of how a shy, gangly kid from Shanghai went on to become the NBA's first foreign-born and developed #1 draft pick has remained, until now, largely unknown. With this memoir, Yao reveals himself as a thoughtful, opinionated young man whose insights extend far beyond the basketball court. He paints a compelling portrait of how his parents, both former Chinese basketball stars and fully aware of the bleak outlook for ex-players, resisted the Chinese government's interest in steering their son into the sport as a child. But the love of the game took hold of Yao as a teenager, and he began to sense both his own potential and the restraints he would face from the bureaucrats who ran the sport. As Yao's success in China grew, it became clear that his future would be with the NBA. But nothing came easily. With riveting detail, Yao recounts the white-knuckle gamesmanship required to win the approval of Chinese officials for his leap to America. Yao: A Life in Two Worlds vividly chronicles Yao's move from Shanghai to Houston: The sudden millionaire has to learn to drive his newly acquired car; the young man who has only ever had one girlfriend tries to make sense of pro-basketball's hard-partying life off-court; the supremely dominant player in China is transformed into a NBA rookie unnerved at the prospect of facing Shaquille O'Neal. But soon enough, aided by his easygoing manner and sense of humor that has proved so appealing to fans, Yao finds his moorings and flourishes as a major NBA star with a worldwide following. Sports writer Ric Bucher spent hundreds of hours in conversation with Yao in the U.S. and China, closely tracking the player's feelings and observations during that historic first season with the Rockets. Yao: A Life in Two Worlds is an inspiring account of how one man's faith in himself, hard work, and drive have taken him from national success story to international icon—and helped build a bridge between two countries.


About the Author
YAO MING is twenty-three years old and plays center for the Houston Rockets. He lives in Houston, Texas. RIC BUCHER is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine as well as an NBA analyst for ESPN television and the ESPN radio network.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Yao Ming first won media notice as a curiosity: At 7'5" the Shanghai teenager was the tallest person in China. Then he developed into a basketball legend. At the 2002 NBA draft, he became the first foreign player in history ever selected as a No. 1 pick. At first, veteran sports reporters questioned the rookie's ability to adjust to his new league's rougher, quicker style of play, but Yao learned quickly. Winning over fans and skeptical teammates, the Houston Rockets center became an NBA all-star and a towering international sports hero and media star. In Yao, this pro basketball phenomenon tells his story for the first time.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Since Yao Ming's electrifying NBA debut with the Houston Rockets in 2002, the 7-foot-5 Chinese center has appeared in numerous TV commercials, on magazine covers, and in countless basketball-highlights reels. And yet, despite Yao's status as one of the country's most recognizable sports stars, the remarkable story of how a shy, gangly kid from Shanghai went on to become the NBA's first foreign-born and developed #1 draft pick has remained, until now, largely unknown.

With this memoir, Yao reveals himself as a thoughtful, opinionated young man whose insights extend far beyond the basketball court. He paints a compelling portrait of how his parents, both former Chinese basketball stars and fully aware of the bleak outlook for ex-players, resisted the Chinese government's interest in steering their son into the sport as a child. But the love of the game took hold of Yao as a teenager, and he began to sense both his own potential and the restraints he would face from the bureaucrats who ran the sport. As Yao's success in China grew, it became clear that his future would be with the NBA. But nothing came easily. With riveting detail, Yao recounts the white-knuckle gamesmanship required to win the approval of Chinese officials for his leap to America.

Yao: A Life in Two Worlds vividly chronicles Yao's move from Shanghai to Houston: The sudden millionaire has to learn how to drive his newly acquired car; the young man who has only ever had one girlfriend tries to make sense of pro-basketball's hard-partying life off-court; the supremely dominant player in China is transformed into an NBA rookie unnerved at the prospect of facing Shaquille O'Neal. But soon enough, aided by his easygoing manner and sense of humor that has proved so appealing to fans, Yao finds his moorings and flourishes as a major NBA star with a worldwide following.

Sports writer Ric Bucher spent hundreds of hours in conversation with Yao in the U.S. and China, closely tracking the player's feelings and observations during that historic first season with the Rockets. Yao: A Life in Two Worlds is an inspiring account of how one man's faith in himself, hard work, and drive have taken him from national success story to international icon-and helped build a bridge between two countries.   About the authors:

Yao Ming is twenty-three years old and plays center for the Houston Rockets. He lives in Houston, Texas.

Ric Bucher is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

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. Photos. Agent, Jon Liebman. (Sept.) Forecast: Miramax plans ads, national media appearances and a 10-city drive-time tour, although the book's largest audience may be in Houston. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal