YAO: A Life in Two Worlds [Paperback]

Yao Ming (Author), Ric Bucher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 14, 2005

In 2002, Yao Ming became the NBA's first foreign #1 draft pick and a media sensation. Sports writer Ric Bucher was the only American reporter with unrestricted access to Yao's first year in the NBA. Now available in paperback, Yao: A Life in Two Worlds captures Yao's private story and traces his remarkable journey from Chinese success story to international icon. Whether winning over skeptical teammates, or treading lightly with ever-watchful Chinese officials, Yao reveals the many challenges he has faced with delicacy and humor. Spanning sports, politics, business, and popular culture, Yao's fascinating memoir reveals the humble, profoundly likeable young man behind the myth.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Yao, the 7'5" Chinese NBA center, charms readers with the same grace and humility that have made him one of basketball's most mediagenic personalities. Coauthored by Bucher, an ESPN the Magazine writer, the book includes short sections by Yao's Houston Rockets teammates and managers, but its driving voice is 23-year-old Yao's. The language is simple, sincere and often funny as Yao jokes about Wilt Chamberlain's reputation as a ladies' man and presents a view of himself as a blue-collar worker ("I sweat for my paycheck"). The book follows Yao's career in China, the bureaucratic struggles involved in getting him to the U.S., and his experiences on the court, including what it was like to play against Shaq. Though there's lots of basketball talk, the book's most compelling sections address the clash of cultures, such as the time when Yao's former team, the Shanghai Sharks, banned one of Yao's representatives from negotiating because he was white. Yao clearly loves his native country and says his greatest dream is to lead China's national team to an Olympic gold medal. But with millions in endorsement deals, the adoration of fans across the globe and this earnest book, it's clear he's living out the American dream, too. Photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

The seven-foot-four-inch Yao, all-star center with the Houston Rockets, is the best basketball player ever to come out of China. This as-told-to autobiography covers the usual ground: Yao's youth as the son of two outstanding Chinese baskestball players; his enrollment in the Chinese basketball pipeline and subsequent international success; and his decision to try the NBA. What sets the book apart from similar sports bios is Yao's comparison of Chinese culture with the one to which he's adapting in the U.S. For example, he contrasts the freewheeling NBA sexual lifestyle versus his own chaste courtship of a player on the Chinese women's national team. He also displays a sly sense of humor, digging playfully at NBA broadcaster Bill Walton by noting that Yao's translator has no idea what Walton is talking about. Coauthor Bucher, a first-generation American whose initial language was German, adds context to Yao's story with his own experience assimilating a new culture. This will be a very pleasant surprise for readers expecting the usual and-then-we-played memoir manufactured to capitalize on the popularity of a young superstar. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Miramax (September 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401359833
• ISBN-13: 978-1401359836
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #971,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Autobiography!! Very Interesting Read!!, September 11, 2004

By 

Number One Gator "Gatorfan76" (Palm Harbor, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: YAO: A Life in Two Worlds (Hardcover)

You do not have to be a basketball junkie to love this book.
Its interesting to read about the language, and culture barriers Yao had to break to be successful in the NBA.

Stories from friends, families, coaches , GM's and fellow players are really funny, and gives you some insight on behind-the scenes NBA stuff.

Ric Bucher has done an EXCELLENT JOB--blending Yao's words,and perspective, with the words, and perspectives of people in Yao's inner circle.

Definitely, one of the better sports biographies ever written.
I was really impressed.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, September 18, 2004

By 

Benson Ng (Pasig, Metro Manila Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: YAO: A Life in Two Worlds (Hardcover)

I am just finished this book. It has a great insight of Yao's life and his struggles in going to the NBA, his first allstar and his life as an NBA player. Some funny moments as you would have a peek into his humor and wisdom. What's great about this book is that Yao Ming personally speaks/wrote of himself in the book and most of the person's that know him well shared their insights in the book. The book (including a chapter about his girlfriend, Ye Li) really informs us of Yao's both world . I am now a Yao Ming Fan for life. Definitely worth its price.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Autobiography of a basketball superstar, October 23, 2004

By 

Karen Potts (Lake Jackson, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: YAO: A Life in Two Worlds (Hardcover)

Yao Ming comes across in this book as a refreshingly well-balanced young man who has his size 18 shoes squarely on the ground, dispite the fact that his head is almost (literally) in the clouds. Anyone who thinks that Yao has had it easy, will soon discover that he has worked very hard for everything he has and that his 7'6" frame has sometimes been as much a liability as it has been an asset. Yao describes a bit about his growing-up years and shows how his parents, although basketball players themselves, wanted something more for their son. They encouraged him to pursue a college degree, but when he opted for life as a professional athlete, they supported him in his decision. Although very committed to China and to playing for its national team, Yao shows a surprisingly independent spirit and has definite opinions which he shares in the book. Things bog down a bit during the chapters on the negotiations which brought him to the Houston Rockets and the NBA, and the multiple voices which tell the story are rather distracting and confusing at times. Yao is at his best when he uses his humor to contrast life styles between China and the U.S. Although he sometimes pokes fun at both cultures, he manages to show respect to the individuals he writes about. With his work ethic, competitiveness, and balanced outlook on life, Yao is sure to be a success in anything he attempts in life.