Mama Bear: One Black Mother's Fight for Her Child's Life and Her Own

“Brave. Compelling. Provocative. ” —Gabrielle Union Wade, actress and New York Times bestselling author

In this moving memoir, Shirley Smith, wife of NBA Champion and All-Star J. R. Smith, tells the story of giving birth to one of the youngest premature babies to survive—using her experience to heighten awareness of the crisis of Black maternal and infant health and pay tribute to Black women’s resilience.

Shirley Smith and her husband, NBA champion J. R. Smith, looked forward to the birth of...