Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go by Lucille O'Neal

Lucille O'Neal is the mother of NBA legend, Shaquille O'Neal. In Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go, Lucille relates her life story in her own words. She talks about her hardships and struggles including a traumatic childhood, teenage pregnancy, alcoholism, an unhappy marriage and low self-esteem. Her life changed dramatically when her son became rich and famous. But the change in circumstances also brought unexpected feelings of anger and resentment of her son's success.

The book is a fast, easy and interesting read but not an especially inspirational one. Lucille focuses on her unhappy childhood. She came from a broken family. Her grandparents raised her. They were cold and unaffectionate people, but she did not have an impoverished upbringing. Others who grew up in that era experienced the same or worse but went on to raise their own children in loving homes.

After giving birth to Shaquille, Lucille married. She rebelled against her husband's controlling nature just as she did with her grandparents. Her drinking problem worsened and after almost thirty years of marriage, they split up. Lucille left her husband and went back to school with the help of her son's financial support, something most single mothers can't count on. I found the book to be entertaining but not motivating.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. The opinions expressed are my own.


Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 30, 2010)
ISBN: 978-1595553072
Hardcover: 256 Pages
Price: $22.99