I Feel Like Going On: Life, Game, and Glory

by Ray Lewis, Daniel Paisner Narrated by JD Jackson

Overview

Ray Lewis, legendary Baltimore Ravens linebacker and one of the greatest defensive players of his generation, holds nothing back on the state of football as well as his troubled childhood, his rise to athletic greatness, the storm that threatened to ruin his NFL career, and the devastating injury that nearly cost him a final moment of glory.

A lot of folks, they know my game, but they don't know my deal. This book right here, it tells the story of my seventeen-year NFL career. It tells of my two Super Bowls, the mark I was blessed to be able to make on the game, on the city of Baltimore. But it also tells the story of how I grew up-abandoned by my no-account father, raised with my siblings by our God-fearing, hardworking single mother. It tells how I sometimes struggled off the field. It tells of the anguish and controversy that found me away from the game.

Mostly, it tells how heartbreak can sometimes lift you to greatness and glory-if you find a way to put your focus in faith, and faith in your focus.

When I left the game, confetti raining down on me and my teammates after winning the Super Bowl, I made a promise to myself to show how the game is really played at the highest level. That's what you'll find in these pages-a raw, honest look at the business of football and a look behind the scenes at some of the most torturous aspects of the game. The grind of the NFL-that's what shines through.

My deal? That grind is a given. Every player who wears an NFL uniform has to slog through the same battles just to get to the league. But it's how you prepare for those battles that defines you-and here I hope to show how an unwavering trust in God and an unbreakable sense of purpose can lift you from tragedy to triumph. From strength to strength, man-that's the deal.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

12/01/2015
Former NFL superstar linebacker and current ESPN football analyst Lewis, with coauthor journalist Paisner's assistance, brags his way through his life story in this self-serving, self-promoting memoir. Following a lengthy description of his difficult, impoverished, and fatherless childhood, Lewis moves on to covering in impressive detail his successful high school football and wrestling careers but, oddly, he has little to say about his playing days at the University of Miami and for the Baltimore Ravens, other than boasting about recovering from devastating injuries to lead his team to a Super Bowl win and refusing to play for a college coach who wanted to make Lewis, then an incoming freshman, actually earn a starting position. Without a trace of humility or gratitude, Lewis sanctimoniously sermonizes about overcoming endless obstacles, boasts about his tenacity and talent, demonizes anyone who dares to doubt or disrespect him, and glosses over his controversial and reputation-shattering murder charge following a 2000 street fight. This is clearly an attempt to inspire young readers and restore his reputation, but it fails on both counts. VERDICT Light on facts yet heavy on attitude, this insubstantial and humorless, but unintentionally comical book can only be recommended as disposable light reading for undiscerning football fans.—Douglas King, Univ. of South Carolina Lib., Columbia

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171177416
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	10/20/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged

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