Reviewed by J'son L for Readers' Favorite

"Shaq Uncut: My Story", by Shaquille O’Neal and Jackie MacMullan, is the story of the basketball great, Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal, who was born on March 6, 1972, in a poor area of Newark, New Jersey. Shaq was raised by his mother, Lucille, and her husband, “Sarge” Phillip Harrison. Lucille was a gentle, no-nonsense woman who wanted the best for her child. Harrison, whom Shaq surprisingly reflects on favorably, was an overbearing, military guy who ruled with an iron fist. Shaq grew up in many different places due to Sarge’s military background. This, coupled with his size, made it difficult for him to fit in – a recipe for trouble. As such, Shaq often found himself in some sort of mischief. To channel this youthful energy, his parents pushed him towards sports. One might think that his size made him a natural athlete, but to the contrary. In fact, he was cut from his high school basketball team due to his clumsiness. Shaq eventually grew into his body and moved on to become one of the most celebrated players in basketball history.

This was my first experience with an audio book. The book is narrated by Dion Graham, whom most will remember from "The Wire". His rich voice brings Shaq’s words to life. In fact, he sounds quite a bit like Shaq on the audio which made it that much more believable. The narrative style made you feel as if you were sitting in a room with Shaq and enjoying conversation over coffee – oh wait, Shaq doesn’t like coffee! There was one choice, however, that troubled me about the narration. Most of the narration is in first person, but for some reason when giving background information the narrator often goes into third person narrative, which felt as if someone intruded on my conversation with Shaq. How rude!

"Shaq Uncut: My Story" is an entertaining and intriguing look at a basketball legend. Shaq tells it as it really happened and addresses a number of controversies that surfaced during his career. Maybe it was the narrator – or maybe not – but the tone of the book lends itself to credibility. I felt as if I got to know a star beyond what he brought to the world of basketball. I got to know the gentle, sensitive and philanthropic human being who cares for the welfare of kids and still listens to his mother. Thanks, Shaq, for giving me a glimpse into the man behind the basketball!