Book Review: WALK LIKE YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE TO GO

Lucille O'Neal is most famous for being Shaq's mom, but her autobiography, Walk Like You Have Somewhere To Go, is mostly about her own story. She takes her readers through her childhood, which included a broken home; her teen years, which included being a single mom to Shaquille; her young adult years, which included marriage, being a military wife, and having three more babies; and adulthood, which included Shaq's move to the NBA, their family's move from rags to riches, her earning her college degree, and eventually divorcing her husband. Throughout it all, Ms. O'Neal describes her struggles with alcohol and dealing with broken family relationships. Her mother was a great influence in her life, and Ms. O'Neal gives her the credit for helping her build a foundation of faith, which wavered greatly over the years.

Although I learned some interesting trivia about Shaq (ex: His name means "little one"!) and found Ms. O'Neal's story to be somewhat interesting, I did not at all feel inspired by her story. In truth, I felt that her son's prosperity, not her "regained faith," is what gave her the freedom and confidence of which she boasts. (To her credit, this is very understandable.) A verse of Scripture is posted at the beginning of each chapter, and it just seems very forced and unrelated, in my opinion.

The story seems a bit slow at times and seems to jump around, but I appreciate the fact that it is told in Ms. O'Neal's own words and tone. Allison Samuels, who helped Ms. O'Neal with the writing, did a great job of letting Ms. O'Neal's voice be heard. I felt like I was sitting in her living room and just listening to her tell her story. And with the addition of family photographs sprinkled throughout the book, the story held my interest and helped me to picture the characters in her story.

Overall, this book is a fairly interesting but not a very inspiring read.


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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”