THEY BETTER CALL ME SUGAR

WNBA champion Rodgers reflects on her childhood and road to athletic glory.

Written in accessible, colloquial, first-person language, Rodgers’ story is presented with a raw focus on her childhood growing up as the youngest daughter of a big, extended family in Williamstown, a neighborhood in Suffolk, Virginia. Through short chapters filled with anecdotal insights, Rodgers talks about the influence her mother had on her engagement with sports, including golf and, eventually, her passion for basketball. Although her early life proved to be chaotic, with community members in and out of jail around her, Rodgers’ mother was a stabilizing agent, preparing her to train, learn, and grow as an athlete and a young woman; indeed, the book is dedicated to her mother’s memory. Rodgers also acknowledges coaches, family members, and friends who have made an impact on her career, enriching her journey through the connections they made. She acknowledges the people who supported her triumphs and shared her challenges, staying by her side no matter what. Encouraging tidbits will stay with readers, such as, “Stars are stars because they work hard even when the lights are not on.” Although the chapters are short and easy to engage with, they end abruptly, leaving each section feeling disconnected. Some anecdotes wander widely, never coming back to find a focus to tie everything together.

Disjointed storytelling fouls the play, but this memoir still has a bold bounce.