After a seven-year struggle with cancer, Scott, an ESPN SportsCenter anchor and commentator who died in January, wrote this memoir-with Platt (Only the Strong Survived)-with the same out-of-the-box energy that he brought to his shows. A cracking good storyteller, he describes growing up in North Carolina and tells of his love of football; his college days at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he became friends with Michael Jordan and discovered his love of journalism; his early days in television; raising his daughters, Taelor and Sydni; and his rise to anchor of SportsCenter (where he originated the expression "boo-ya"). But Scott's tenacious fight against appendiceal cancer, which doctors discovered in 2007, is what truly stands out in the memoir. Baring his soul and not backing down, Scott reveals his physical and psychological pain, writing that he knew he needed to be strong because he "wanted to walk Taelor and Sydni down the aisle." In late 2014, Scott received the Jimmy V. Award for Perseverance (named for late N.C. State basketball coach Jimmy Valvano, who died of brain cancer). Scott taught his daughters that "life consists of two dates with a dash in between," and judging by this inspirational narrative, Scott has made that dash significant. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Scott, an ESPN sports anchor who famously incorporated African American cultural references into his upbeat, energetic reporting, passed away in January after a long battle with cancer. This is his account of that battle and his life. For those to whom Scott became a welcome everyday presence via his work at ESPN, this is a heartbreaking story, as he discusses the initial detection of the disease, his first round of treatments, a couple of years' remission, and the cancer's discouraging return. When the cancer was first diagnosed, Scott's two daughters were children; at the end, they were young adults. At every stage, Scott struggled with how much he should reveal to them about his status. Cancer provides the dark backdrop to this memoir, but Scott also provides a perceptive account of his determination to bring his personality, his background, and his culture to the ESPN sports desk. There's a lot of pain and sadness within the covers of this book, but there's inspiration and humor, too. To the very end, Scott was, as he would say, cooler than the other side of the pillow. --Lukowsky, Wes Copyright 2015 Booklist

The late Stuart Scott (1965-2015) was a popular ESPN anchor for roughly 20 years. Like other ESPN personalities, he was known for infusing his news commentary with personal catchphrases, snarky remarks, and obscure pop culture references. Scott's distinction was that he was the first to represent an authentic hip-hop style. Criticized for his celebrity-style chumminess with the athletes he was covering, Scott countered that his familiarity allowed him to elicit more genuine responses in interviews. In 2014, it was announced that Scott had been privately combatting cancer for the past seven years, and he was lauded for his courage. This book melds the story of his life: growing up in a tight-knit family in North Carolina, attending the University of North Carolina at the same time as Michael Jordan, making his way up the ladder as a sports reporter at regional television stations, raising his daughters, and concluding with his long, frustrating, and exhausting battle for health. His ultimate message is that you beat cancer with how you live, so live and love to your fullest as long as you can. VERDICT Scott's memoir will have obvious appeal to sports and pop culture followers but also to those facing cancer in their families.-John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The posthumous memoir by the sportscaster who brought hip-hop to ESPN and subsequently showed his strength of character through his fight with cancer. Though Scott was once mainly known for his "Booyah!" catch phrase (which he explains the origin of here), this memoir shows what a mistake it would be to underestimate the man or his cultural influence. About half of it is what one would expect from a cancer memoir: the mysterious pain, the diagnosis, the operations, the chemotherapy, the false hope of an illusory remission, the support from family and friends, the unwitting insensitivity from others. Yet some of the most moving parts of the book have little to do with cancermainly showing what a devoted father Scott was to his two daughtersand some of the most revelatory sections reflect the dynamic between the sports journalism establishment (overwhelmingly white) and the athletes they cover (predominantly black). "I've been criticized for being too chummy with and soft on athletes," he writes. "That critique is born of a very particular type of journalism: one in which predominantly white, middle-aged writers and broadcasters judge young, often black, athletes. I'll ask tough questions, if need be. But they'll be in service of explaining rather than judging." Within such a culture clash, Scott was also closer in age to many of these athletes, sharing the culture of hip-hop that seemed to mystify or annoy older white fans (and broadcasters) but plainly resonated with a larger, younger part of the audience. So this is also the story of how he got to be where he was (unlike others, he had never aspired to ESPN). It's also the story of a man who felt blessed by what life gave him and even learned to appreciate the perspective that terminal cancer afforded him: "It makes you look fresh at small moments and see themreally see themas if for the first time." A class act and a courageous voice to the end. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.