Magic: The life of Earvin 'Magic' Johnson by Roland Lazenby
In 783 pages of intense detail this book interrogates the life and intensity of 'Magic' Johnson. From a family of hard-working and faith-inspired ordinary folk, (descendants of Southern slaves, now struggling to find their place in Lansing, Michigan) to the dizzy heights of the NBA in the Los Angeles Lakers Dreamtime team, we are given insights into the extraordinary life of Earvin Johnson II. This is a book for devotees of basketball and the NBA, filled with the genetically blessed and fanatically trained goliaths of the sport; this book details many astonishing aspects of the life of one of the stars of the game. Despite its length and my lack of basketball skill (one season as a poorly skilled adult player will never make me a devotee), I found the intricate detail of this book strangely mesmerising. Magic Johnson’s incredible drive to succeed was profoundly compelling. The world of the highly successful sports star is so far removed from most realities that this too is like peeking into a forbidden world that ordinary people enable but can never really understand. Johnson’s personal proclivities are a sad statement about the dangers of the ‘life of the rich and famous’, but it is the sheer joy of basketball played with passion and excellence that is the overriding highlight of the book.
The sheer length of this book means that few will persevere to journey through the 60+ years of a ‘magical’ life. As a reviewer I was often daunted by the intricacy and dense complexity of the facts and opinions of the many contributors to this work as they recount their experiences rubbing shoulders with Magic Johnson on court, in championship encounters and in his life in general. But someone who ‘lives and breathes’ basketball may well find this book an experience to remember, but will have to devote many hours/days/weeks to the endeavour. The sadness of HIV does impact the basketball journey but obviously has not limited a life in the same way that it impacted his career, but it should be noted that younger readers may be confronted by Magic’s choices. Consequently, because this is a weighty tome, this can be recommended to the stoic and passionate basketball tragic only. They will need to have reading stamina to persist (and muscles to carry the book too). For readers aged 16+.
Themes: Basketball, NBA, LA Lakers Basketball team, Hopes and dreams, Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, Afro-Americans - 20th and 21st Century, HIV/AIDS, Biography.
Carolyn Hull