Basketball Junkie

February 28, 2011
In this blunt, self-deprecating memoir, Herren tells his story as one of the greatest high school athletes to come out of southern New England. Fall River, Mass., has a storied basketball tradition, and Herren's achievements on the court made him a local hero as well as bringing him to the attention of national recruiters and Sports Illustrated. Overwhelmed by expectations, Herren avoided school and abused drugs and alcohol. Although Herren managed to make it to the NBA, his life continued to spin out of control until he OD'd in his car and was found unconscious with a bag of heroin on the seat beside him. Herren offers explanations for his downfall but doesn't make excuses. Neither does he glorify the partying and excess that made his life a blur. What he does achieve is something more valuable: giving a stark portrayal of the surreal existence led by young sports stars in a world of rapacious agents, vicious rivals, oblivious fans, and educational institutions that enable their "student" athletes to get away with almost anything. In the end, this is a sobering, cautionary tale for star-athletes-to-be.

The life story of a talented high school athlete who succumbs to the pressures of the professional ranks is one of anguish and shame that boiled into full-blown drug addiction. His drug of choice? Everything. Every step of the way, you root for him--on and off the court as he battles a gripping demon. Peter Berkrot's voice has an East Coast edge that is appropriate for the Massachusetts-born author. While Berkrot's voice sounds a bit too old for Herren, his strength is in conveying the frustrated tones of those around the standout player. Herren's physical journeys take him around the world, though not nearly as far as the emotional ones he travels. You don't have to be a hoops fans to enjoy this one. M.B. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

July 1, 2012

This unflinchingly graphic and refreshingly candid memoir recounts once-promising basketball player Herren's struggles with substance abuse, which cost him his NBA career and almost his family and life. The drug use details and exhaustive exploration of Herren's motivations for abusing alcohol and heroin and his eventual decision to turn his life around set this apart from the surfeit of feel-good redemption stories that don't probe the abuser's psyche. The language, much like the story itself, is simple and direct. Narrator Peter Berkrot delivers a fine performance, conveying Herren's self-deprecation, shame, and eventual pride. VERDICT This cautionary tale of a talented young athlete making poor life decisions and turning to drugs in the face of overwhelming pressure to succeed is recommended to all sports fans and parents. ["How Herren threw it all away and got it back in the biggest rebound of his life is a real Cinderella story," read the review of the St. Martin's hc, Memoir Short Takes, ow.ly/bF3JL.--Ed.]--Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia

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