Life Is Magic

November 1, 2019
There's a lot of pressure put on a long-snapper in the NFL or a magician on America's Got Talent. But compared to being 12 and living through the horror of his father murdering his mother, those circumstances don't seem all that stressful. Dorenbos recalls his early years, when therapy and the support of his extended family helped him through his grief and anger. Excerpts from his childhood journals show a boy who is trying to make sense of the senseless. Learning magic helped him take some control of his world, and his years in the NFL gave him a community and an outlet for his anger. Dorenbos has a clear, level-headed view of life in the NFL and a frank, easygoing style that will draw readers into his struggles. Each chapter is headed by a well-chosen quotation that reflects Dorenbos' hard-won perspective. His advice to talk to yourself but don't listen to yourself is sound, and he has earned the right to pass it along. His popularity on America's Got Talent along with his NFL background will make this a popular purchase.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)