I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It [Hardcover]

Charles Barkley (Author), Michael Wilbon (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

Charles Barkley has never been shy about expressing his opinions. Michael Jordan once said that we all want to say the things that Barkley says, but we don’t dare. But even die-hard followers of the all-time NBA great, the star of TNT’s Inside the NBA and CNN’s TalkBack Live, will be astonished by just how candid and provocative he is in this book—and just how big his ambitions are. Though he addresses weighty issues with a light touch and prefers to stir people to think by making them laugh, there’s nothing Charles Barkley shies away from here—not race, not class, not big money, not scandal, not politics, not personalities, nothing. “Early on,” says Washington Post columnist and ESPN talk show host Michael Wilbon in his Introduction, “Barkley made his peace with mixing it up, and decided the consequences were very much worth it to him. And that makes him as radically different in these modern celebrity times as a 6-foot-4-inch power forward.”

If there’s one thing Charles Barkley knows, it’s the crying need for honest, open discussion in this country—the more uncomfortable the subject, the more necessary the dialogue. And if the discussion leader can be as wise, irreverent, (occasionally) profane and (consistently) funny as Charles Barkley, so much the better. Many people are going to be shocked and scandalized by I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It, but many more will stand up and cheer. Like Molly Ivins or Bill O’Reilly, Charles Barkley is utterly his own thinker, and everything he says comes from deep reflection. One way or another, if more blood hasn’t reached your brain by the time you’ve finished this book, maybe you’ve been embalmed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

NBA star Barkley-still only the second basketball player in history, along with Wilt Chamberlain, to total more than 23,000 points, 12,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists-has refused to go quietly into the mists of sports legends. One of the most controversial professional athletes in any sport, Barkley has repositioned himself as an outspoken and provocative sports commentator for the TNT network, reaping a new and large viewing audience in the process. This sports memoir-Barkley's first-is a highly entertaining and remarkably thoughtful work that successfully continues his ongoing repositioning from on-court wild man to provocative analyst. "I'm trying to transition from sports into something broader, with wider social implications," he writes. In a book that often reads like an overlong Sports Illustrated interview, Barkley explores a wide range of interests. Each chapter has a theme, and Barkley has no problem speaking his mind on any topic, whether it is politics ("Poor white people and poor black people just don't know how much they have in common. Rich people don't give a damn about either group") or lack of minority control in sports ("Black people ought to want other black people to be successful and work hard and accumulate some wealth and build a new damn reality"). In between these chapters are other sections that retell some of the great and not-so-great moments in his career, such as his involvement with Michael Jordan in the U.S. Olympic medal-winning "Dream Team." But transitions within and between chapters can often be jarring (in one chapter he suddenly launches into a criticism of abusive priests). Despite that, this is a very entertaining look at one of the most intelligent minds in pro sports, and like Barkley's career, it's bound to produce fierce arguments.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Barkley was named one of the top 50 players in NBA history and, since recently retiring, has served as a popular studio analyst for TNT's basketball coverage. This, however, is not a basketball book per se. Instead, in the guise of a memoir, it is a series of riffs and rants on a variety of topics by a man who sometimes talks about going into politics. At times, the subject matter is repetitive, and occasionally Barkley's arguments can be self-contradictory. More often, though, the observations are dead-on. For example, on the subject of the "keepin' it real" attitude of athletes who have struck it rich but continue self-consciously to keep the trappings of poverty, Barkely feels that nothing could be phonier or more self-destructive. Noted sports writer Wilbon edited the book, but the tone is clearly and happily all Sir Charles. The outspoken Barkley has always been an intelligent and provocative guy who can be entertaining while also having something worthwhile to say. His book is no different. Recommended for public libraries.
John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1 edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037550883X
• ISBN-13: 978-0375508837
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #967,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #99 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Basketball > Professional

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read, October 15, 2002

By 

"michaele23" (Orlando, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It (Hardcover)

In this book he talks about how he is making the transistion from basketball to something else, political commentator or something like that, now that he has retired from the NBA. He is at his best AWAY from basketball in this book, and even though he talked a lot about wanting to move beyond it he still talked about it a lot.

I recommend this book because of his comments on racism, which I found interesting in that they would be hard to characterize as liberal or conservative. I hope Charles does do something political because based on what he says here I think he could be a valuable inbetween sort of person that both sides could trust to help sort some issues out. He talks frequently about the need for more discussion and I agree with him. This book really did make me think, I tend to be conservative on the race issue, but I did not find his views about where racism lies to be at all race baiting like so many black leaders out there, or excessively small minded, but rather thought provoking and things I have gone back to in my mind since reading the book and noticing racial things on TV, etc.

All in all a good read, easy reading, and enough juicy basketball stuff if that is what you are up for to go with the meatier stuff about social and racial issues.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEYOND EXCELLENT, November 4, 2002

By 

Kimothy Clark (Upstate NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It (Hardcover)

I was never a Charles Barkley fan during his days at Philly and Phoenix. I always thought he was somewhat abrasive. I've ALWAYS been and STILL AM, a Julius "Dr. J" Irving fan. But now that Charles is older and wiser, he's actually one of my favorite people. I love his candid and frank demeanor. Although he could use better choice of words when displaying his forwardness on certain individuals.

Thank you Charles for writing this book. ALL PARENTS WITH POTENTIAL STUDENT ATHLETES NEED TO READ THIS HIGHLY INFORMATIVE BOOK.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sir Charles is the proper name, November 17, 2002

By 

david riding (Roosevelt, Utah USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I May Be Wrong but I Doubt It (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my son, who has been a Barkley fan for years. I started to read it and decided to order another one, as I don"t want to give this up. It is great. I have also been a fan. But I enjoy his honesty and being so forthright. He's really changed my views on different things.

S. Riding