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Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised: A Memoir of Survival and Hope
From iconic NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony comes a New York Times bestselling memoir about growing up in the housing projects of Red Hook and Baltimore—a brutal world Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised .
For a long time, Carmelo Anthony’s world wasn’t any larger than the view of the hoopers and hustlers he watched from the side window of his family’s first-floor project apartment in Red Hook, Brooklyn. He couldn’t dream any bigger than emulating his older brothers and cousin, much less going on to become a basketball champion on the world stage.
He faced palpable dangers growing up in the housing projects of Red Hook and West Baltimore’s Murphy Homes (a.k.a. Murder Homes, subject of HBO’s The Wire ). He navigated an education system that ignored, exploited, or ostracized him. He suffered the untimely deaths of his closely held loved ones. He struggled to survive physically and emotionally. But with the strength of family and the guidance of key mentors on the streets and on the court, he pushed past lethal odds to endure and thrive.
By the time Carmelo found himself at the NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden in 2003 preparing to embark on his legendary career, he How did a kid who’d had so many hopes, dreams, and expectations beaten out of him by a world of violence, poverty, and racism make it here at all?
Carmelo’s story is one of strength and determination; of dribbling past players bigger and tougher than him, while also weaving around vial caps and needles strewn across the court; where dealers and junkies lined one side of the asphalt and kids playing jacks and Double Dutch lined the other; where rims had no nets, and you better not call a foul—a place Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised .
For a long time, Carmelo Anthony’s world wasn’t any larger than the view of the hoopers and hustlers he watched from the side window of his family’s first-floor project apartment in Red Hook, Brooklyn. He couldn’t dream any bigger than emulating his older brothers and cousin, much less going on to become a basketball champion on the world stage.
He faced palpable dangers growing up in the housing projects of Red Hook and West Baltimore’s Murphy Homes (a.k.a. Murder Homes, subject of HBO’s The Wire ). He navigated an education system that ignored, exploited, or ostracized him. He suffered the untimely deaths of his closely held loved ones. He struggled to survive physically and emotionally. But with the strength of family and the guidance of key mentors on the streets and on the court, he pushed past lethal odds to endure and thrive.
By the time Carmelo found himself at the NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden in 2003 preparing to embark on his legendary career, he How did a kid who’d had so many hopes, dreams, and expectations beaten out of him by a world of violence, poverty, and racism make it here at all?
Carmelo’s story is one of strength and determination; of dribbling past players bigger and tougher than him, while also weaving around vial caps and needles strewn across the court; where dealers and junkies lined one side of the asphalt and kids playing jacks and Double Dutch lined the other; where rims had no nets, and you better not call a foul—a place Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised .
208 pages, Hardcover
First published September 14, 2021
117 people are currently reading
5385 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
July 21, 2022
I have to admit I wasn’t expecting such a strong storytelling voice, but I am so glad I did pick this one. I love to read about people’s stories, but this was truly well done. While I think it could have been longer and gone into the author’s time with the NBA as well in some ways it was perfect starting and ending with the NBA draft. I liked reading about the obstacles he overcame, but honestly I just really liked his attitude and outlook. Truly a beautiful book and I hope it can inspire some to reach for their dreams and become more than what’s expected.
January 17, 2022
There’s no denying Carmelo Anthony has faced extreme adversity throughout his life, beginning in childhood, where he grew up in rough neighborhoods in New York then Baltimore.
In Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised: A Memoir of Survival and Hope, Carmelo shares the story of his upbringing. He had a close knit family and it’s clear his mom was the rock, doing whatever she had to, to support her kids to ensure they had a chance to succeed while also assist ing those in the community who needed help. For many young men there, the (only) two options were hustling or hooping. Carmelo had coaches growing up, on the court and in his neighborhood, who believed in him and encouraged him, while instilling discipline when needed.
I enjoyed hearing Carmelo’s story, but this book ends very abruptly, right after his year at Syracuse and being drafted to the NBA in 2003. I didn’t know this was the concluding point when I read the book. While I likely still would have read it had I known this, I was definitely hoping for more about his NBA experience, having been in the league for more than 15 years on several different teams starting with the Nuggets and Knicks and now currently with the Lakers. Carmelo has risen above a lot of challenges and I can see how his story would be inspiring for many people, especially young athletes — 3.5 stars
In Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised: A Memoir of Survival and Hope, Carmelo shares the story of his upbringing. He had a close knit family and it’s clear his mom was the rock, doing whatever she had to, to support her kids to ensure they had a chance to succeed while also assist ing those in the community who needed help. For many young men there, the (only) two options were hustling or hooping. Carmelo had coaches growing up, on the court and in his neighborhood, who believed in him and encouraged him, while instilling discipline when needed.
I enjoyed hearing Carmelo’s story, but this book ends very abruptly, right after his year at Syracuse and being drafted to the NBA in 2003. I didn’t know this was the concluding point when I read the book. While I likely still would have read it had I known this, I was definitely hoping for more about his NBA experience, having been in the league for more than 15 years on several different teams starting with the Nuggets and Knicks and now currently with the Lakers. Carmelo has risen above a lot of challenges and I can see how his story would be inspiring for many people, especially young athletes — 3.5 stars
July 27, 2021
Simply incredible. The heart of this book is not about basketball—it ends at the moment he’s drafted. This book is about the childhood and life of a man who defied his odds SO many times in situations that aren’t talked about enough. This is a great education on housing projects.
September 10, 2021
I didn't expect to read a memoir by a basketball player this year, but I'm very happy Gallery Books sent it to me because it's great! This book follows Carmelo Anthony from childhood right up to the 2003 NBA Draft. Learning about his childhood in the projects in the 80s and 90s was absolutely fascinating. He focuses on the people in his life who kept him from crime and focusing on school and sports. It really showed how vital a support system is and how easy it can be to fall if you don't have good people. I feel like I know these people now because the writing and focus was so easy to get wrapped up in. I read this book in one day.
I did get a bit lost when he started talking more about basketball because I'm not interested in the sport at all. If you are a fan, I'm sure you'd love it. If you like reading good memoirs and understanding people, definitely pick this one up.
Thank you to Gallery Books for sending me a copy of this book for library review.
I did get a bit lost when he started talking more about basketball because I'm not interested in the sport at all. If you are a fan, I'm sure you'd love it. If you like reading good memoirs and understanding people, definitely pick this one up.
Thank you to Gallery Books for sending me a copy of this book for library review.
February 21, 2023
Carmelo Anthony’s story of a youth made very tough with poverty, racism, drugs, murders and overall bleak life in the projects of a large city is not very different from that of millions of other young Black men. What makes his story and this book a little different is that he writes about it with a very optimistic viewpoint.
Yes, one might say he would do that now because is a multi-millionaire with an NBA pedigree so he made good while many others didn’t. That is not the impression that he leaves when reading this book because if he wasn’t happy with his situation in his youth, he certainly knew how to make the most of his situation. Whether it was in the Red Hook section of New York or in East Baltimore, Anthony relied on family and friends to help keep him on track to excel in basketball.
These did not always work out as some of his relatives ended up in prison or even murdered, but he always saw his mother as the rock of the family and always made sure that her family was fed and also provided a hand to those who needed it. Anthony’s father was not in the picture, but that was because he died when Carmelo was two. Therefore, there is very little written about him by Anthony, but he does discuss his relationship with his stepfather, which was generously described as uneven.
As for what made Anthony a household name, basketball, that had just as many twists and turns as his personal life. He wanted to get into a high school where college recruiters would notice him, so he first enrolled in a Catholic school well-known for its basketball team. When that wasn’t working out as he hoped, he ended up at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, where many future NBA stars played. When he committed early in the process to Syracuse University, he was still determined to be the best player he could be. He rewarded the Orange by being a key part of their national championship team in 2003, and it is on the following draft day where the book ends.
Through it all, I was impressed with the positive energy Anthony brings to the reader, even when the topic is not pleasant such as racism or mental illness. That is the best aspect of this book that fans of Anthony will want to read, even if it does not cover any part of his professional career.
Yes, one might say he would do that now because is a multi-millionaire with an NBA pedigree so he made good while many others didn’t. That is not the impression that he leaves when reading this book because if he wasn’t happy with his situation in his youth, he certainly knew how to make the most of his situation. Whether it was in the Red Hook section of New York or in East Baltimore, Anthony relied on family and friends to help keep him on track to excel in basketball.
These did not always work out as some of his relatives ended up in prison or even murdered, but he always saw his mother as the rock of the family and always made sure that her family was fed and also provided a hand to those who needed it. Anthony’s father was not in the picture, but that was because he died when Carmelo was two. Therefore, there is very little written about him by Anthony, but he does discuss his relationship with his stepfather, which was generously described as uneven.
As for what made Anthony a household name, basketball, that had just as many twists and turns as his personal life. He wanted to get into a high school where college recruiters would notice him, so he first enrolled in a Catholic school well-known for its basketball team. When that wasn’t working out as he hoped, he ended up at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, where many future NBA stars played. When he committed early in the process to Syracuse University, he was still determined to be the best player he could be. He rewarded the Orange by being a key part of their national championship team in 2003, and it is on the following draft day where the book ends.
Through it all, I was impressed with the positive energy Anthony brings to the reader, even when the topic is not pleasant such as racism or mental illness. That is the best aspect of this book that fans of Anthony will want to read, even if it does not cover any part of his professional career.
May 18, 2022
Carmelo narrates his memoir himself. You don't have to be acquainted with who he is nor what a basketball is to love this book. He talks about his life and its difficulty. What an exceptional read.
September 24, 2021
I enjoyed this journey with Carmelo as he took me from his childhood to the moment he was drafted into the NBA. This memoir only documents the first part of Caremlo’s life. Normally, when reading a memoir I want more from an author. I expect to read about their childhood & adulthood. To only write about their childhood usually leaves me frustrated and wanting more. But not in this case. Carmelo ends this book at the NBA draft and it didn’t bother me one bit. This story felt complete.
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Carmelo didn’t have an easy childhood. His wasn’t a perfect cookie-cutter life of which he breezed through. Instead, each new phase of his life was met with new and sometimes more difficult challenges. But he overcame each one. In the moments he did want to quit, he was encouraged by loved ones that pushed him to continue.
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This is a great book for teen boys. The lessons in this memoir will be sure to uplift and inspire their young minds. This book speaks to the child that may not feel loved by a stepparent. It gives a voice to the child sitting in a classroom experiencing racism from teachers and principals. It whispers to the person that has lost a loved one, but know they must continue pursuing his or her goals. Carmelo’s story highlights the importance of determination.
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What I love most is that I was able to learn who Carmelo was before the fortune and fame. I appreciate his talent and accomplishments so much more now that I know his story.
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Overall this is a great book that I’m sure everyone will enjoy. It’s an easy, quick read.
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Carmelo didn’t have an easy childhood. His wasn’t a perfect cookie-cutter life of which he breezed through. Instead, each new phase of his life was met with new and sometimes more difficult challenges. But he overcame each one. In the moments he did want to quit, he was encouraged by loved ones that pushed him to continue.
⠀
This is a great book for teen boys. The lessons in this memoir will be sure to uplift and inspire their young minds. This book speaks to the child that may not feel loved by a stepparent. It gives a voice to the child sitting in a classroom experiencing racism from teachers and principals. It whispers to the person that has lost a loved one, but know they must continue pursuing his or her goals. Carmelo’s story highlights the importance of determination.
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What I love most is that I was able to learn who Carmelo was before the fortune and fame. I appreciate his talent and accomplishments so much more now that I know his story.
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Overall this is a great book that I’m sure everyone will enjoy. It’s an easy, quick read.
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April 16, 2022
In this memoir written by Carmelo Anthony he states “I know I never thought about it. I never allowed myself to be lost in a dream that could be easily snatched away.” (Anthony 3). The significance of the saying in the book means to me that never lose your self in something that you could lose within the matter of seconds. Also to stay real to yourself never let a dream get the best of you and stay who you are. I feel like the author said this because he came from tough beginnings in his early stages of life, like he says “My environment was all about kill or be killed.” (Anthony 91). Growing up he wasn’t always around good things and even though basketball was his dream, that dream can easily go way and could go back to his childhood living so he always stayed real with his self and never like a dream get the best of him.Futhermore I liked this book because Carmelo truly made me understand were he came from and is up bringing of his life. The book wasn’t completely about basketball, when i grabbed the book i thought it would’ve been all about basketball but it isn’t and i like that. He does also mention things about basketball well because that is he career and i also like that. one last thing that i liked was his description on this was amazing but it was hard to create a picture in my head with some of the words and things he was saying. A crisis Carmelo has to face was when he had to move form New York to Baltimore because he loved New York so much and he felt like nothing would be like it.
January 21, 2022
Quick enjoyable and entertaining read from Melo. Long time fan of his game but knew surprisingly little about his life story despite him being a superstar for 20 years. Digs into his experiences dealing with and overcoming a number of obstacles including racism, poverty, and various family issues.
October 4, 2021
Publishers ruin memoirs by requiring a minimum word count. I felt like I was reading the same things over and over. Disjointed and rambling. I wanted to like it: it made me laugh, it made me sad; it made me angry, but it just wasn’t well written.
October 17, 2021
Pleasant autobiography of Carmelo Anthony’s childhood and rose to basketball fame. His description of inner city Baltimore and schools are pretty harrowing.
October 17, 2022
I received a copy of this book from the goodreads giveaways. Carmello Anthony writes of his childhood growing up in Brooklyn and Baltimore. He childhood could be tough with tragedies. His father died when he was only two. His mother had to raise her four children by working two jobs. He lived in tough neighborhoods where the murder rates are high. He found he had a talent for basketball. he faced cruel treatment by the school he attended on a basketball scholarship. but he persisted and after only one year playing college basketball he was already good enough for the pro teams. I was glad to read Carmello Anthony's memoir. Think other readers may as well.
September 25, 2021
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway, and was sent the book for free by the publisher. Thank you!
An easy read, although quite heart-rending at times. It's good to hear about the struggles that made a great person, and Mr. Anthony has seen more than his fair share. I grew up in the suburban/rural areas of Pennsylvania, and I learned a great deal about what it is like to grow up in the rougher parts of cities. I certainly have no idea what it is like to grow up a brown boy, and from this book, I was given valuable insight. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from Mr. Anthony. The narrative was heartfelt and smooth, whilst portraying the strife and danger with the drama that it all most certainly entailed. I took off one star just because I felt it could've been more emotionally developed at times, and is quite short.
I hope to read more from Mr. Anthony in the future.
An easy read, although quite heart-rending at times. It's good to hear about the struggles that made a great person, and Mr. Anthony has seen more than his fair share. I grew up in the suburban/rural areas of Pennsylvania, and I learned a great deal about what it is like to grow up in the rougher parts of cities. I certainly have no idea what it is like to grow up a brown boy, and from this book, I was given valuable insight. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from Mr. Anthony. The narrative was heartfelt and smooth, whilst portraying the strife and danger with the drama that it all most certainly entailed. I took off one star just because I felt it could've been more emotionally developed at times, and is quite short.
I hope to read more from Mr. Anthony in the future.
April 18, 2022
3.5 stars. Grabbed it as an ARC at work.
Anthony doesn't have any big, bombastic stories to tell, but he does a nice job relating his childhood and the people who shaped it. Despite growing up in two very dangerous neighborhoods, Anthony is surrounded by a flawed but important support system. His mom, coaches, brothers, sister, cousin, and various neighborhood role models all encouraged his basketball talent and were pillars of strength for him and helped lift him up.
I'm following this one up with Punch Me Up to the Gods, and holy hell, that support system (particularly one provided by sports) can make a huge difference in a young Black man's life.
Anthony doesn't have any big, bombastic stories to tell, but he does a nice job relating his childhood and the people who shaped it. Despite growing up in two very dangerous neighborhoods, Anthony is surrounded by a flawed but important support system. His mom, coaches, brothers, sister, cousin, and various neighborhood role models all encouraged his basketball talent and were pillars of strength for him and helped lift him up.
I'm following this one up with Punch Me Up to the Gods, and holy hell, that support system (particularly one provided by sports) can make a huge difference in a young Black man's life.
June 14, 2022
(4.5) Learning about Carmelo’s journey from the projects of New York and Baltimore to the NBA was inspiring. Hearing him reflect on his life and the loss of close family and friends reminded me of the weight and trauma that many African American athletes have to go through to “make it out.” Finally, Carmelo’s reflections on playing basketball for a private Catholic school and the racism he encountered while still excelling are worth the book's price. Much respect Melo.
October 20, 2022
I read this not knowing too much about Carmelo Anthony. While this was not the best of reads for me, I did learn a lot about the man. Easy reading, but I did not feel it was as in depth as it could be. The memoir only covers his life up to draft day at age 19. I guess, with me not knowing much of this player, that Anthony would have included some of the experiences playing on a pro team, early mentors that he played with and helped him succeed and more. Maybe once he retires?
***I recieved this book from a Goodreads giveaway, provided by Gallery books. I Thank Gallery Books and Carmelo Anthony for a chance to read and review this book.***
***I recieved this book from a Goodreads giveaway, provided by Gallery books. I Thank Gallery Books and Carmelo Anthony for a chance to read and review this book.***
November 1, 2021
I was always going to give this book 5 stars because Carmelo Anthony changed the sports fate of our city on a beautiful night in 2003 when he won us the National Championship.
I still remember that night fondly, it was one of the best nights of my college life.
I hope there’s a second installment of this book detailing his life in the NBA and beyond yet to come. Carmelo overcame so much adversity and tragedy it really is a miracle he made it as far as he did. This was a great quick read and it was really enjoyable for this Syracuse fan.
I still remember that night fondly, it was one of the best nights of my college life.
I hope there’s a second installment of this book detailing his life in the NBA and beyond yet to come. Carmelo overcame so much adversity and tragedy it really is a miracle he made it as far as he did. This was a great quick read and it was really enjoyable for this Syracuse fan.
December 23, 2021
Very enjoyable read on a basketball player I’ve watched my entire life. Carmelo Anthony’s story is rather humbling and wholesome for someone who has experienced many highs in his professional career.
He retells about many highs and lows throughout his life in a way that felt sincere and genuine and without the dramatics and flare. It almost feels like you’re just sitting with him at the park and having a chat.
I enjoyed that this book ends right when he got drafted into the NBA since that is the part of the story where most people start learning about Carmelo. This book is his life story up until that point which is the side that few people know of.
This was a great read on a man who beat the odds to make a quality life for himself.
He retells about many highs and lows throughout his life in a way that felt sincere and genuine and without the dramatics and flare. It almost feels like you’re just sitting with him at the park and having a chat.
I enjoyed that this book ends right when he got drafted into the NBA since that is the part of the story where most people start learning about Carmelo. This book is his life story up until that point which is the side that few people know of.
This was a great read on a man who beat the odds to make a quality life for himself.
March 4, 2022
I am definitely biased but I love a good rags to riches story. He even flirts with Christianity although it was disheartening to see how poor of an experience he had at his private school. Melo 4 life
May 18, 2025
I am probably not the target audience for this book: I didn’t even know who Carmelo Anthony was before starting it and I don’t care much about sport stars. But this was for a book group so I listened. It was ok. Good on him for being able to go so far in his life and he overcame so much but I never really felt invested.
Lots of uses of the “f-word”; drug use, abuse, dealing; gang wars; murder; etc.
Lots of uses of the “f-word”; drug use, abuse, dealing; gang wars; murder; etc.
January 15, 2024
It was really good read on Carmelo Anthony’s rise from growing up in West Baltimore to instant stardom at Syracuse and in the NBA.
June 29, 2024
I still have a Denver Nugget’s jersey with Anthony on the back. 🏀
April 18, 2023
Way better than Pippens book. Appreciated his vulnerability and this book made me more of a fan. These kids have to go through so much. He has my respect. Mostly personal stories. No complaining like Pippen.
November 18, 2021
I first realized Carmelo Anthony was more than just an athlete (and a remarkable one, at that) and more than just the ex-husband of a Real Housewife (yes, I'm talking about La La) when I saw the documentary I AM MLK Jr. a few years ago. I remember being a bit surprised to see him in such a movie, simply because all I'd ever known about him before then was that he was a buddy of LeBron James and that the NBA had seemed to give up on him when he wasn't part of that splashy in crowd anymore. Boy, was I ever wrong to discount him.
WHERE TOMORROWS AREN'T PROMISED is a harrowing look at where Anthony came from, his early life in Baltimore, the people and things he lost on the way to the draft, and his incisive observations about everything that happened to him on that path from there to here. There's not a whole lot of pro basketball going on in these pages; that's not what his story is about. We already know that stuff. Learning about what he overcame to get to where he is, though, is a revelation, and his eloquence allows us to be there with him for a time.
If ever I needed to be reminded to not judge a book by its cover, Anthony smacked me in the face with it, both in the MLK documentary and between the covers of this memoir. "Poignant" seems a weak word here, but it will have to do.
WHERE TOMORROWS AREN'T PROMISED is a harrowing look at where Anthony came from, his early life in Baltimore, the people and things he lost on the way to the draft, and his incisive observations about everything that happened to him on that path from there to here. There's not a whole lot of pro basketball going on in these pages; that's not what his story is about. We already know that stuff. Learning about what he overcame to get to where he is, though, is a revelation, and his eloquence allows us to be there with him for a time.
If ever I needed to be reminded to not judge a book by its cover, Anthony smacked me in the face with it, both in the MLK documentary and between the covers of this memoir. "Poignant" seems a weak word here, but it will have to do.
October 18, 2021
At first, I picked up this book just because I like this NBA player, but as I read it, it made me think deeply. He moved to Baltimore when he was a child, where he experienced drugs and other illegal activities and murders on a daily basis, but with the help of his brothers and his natural talent for sports, he rose to a position where he could protect himself and his family. That's how I felt about this book.
September 22, 2021
Melo’s new memoir shows that Carmelo knows more than basketball. Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised provides the reader with a wonderful, introspective narrative that gives full force to a story of an athlete overcoming all odds to succeed. The story covers the time Carmelo was raised in a tough neighborhood in Red Hook till age eight, through the time his family moved to Baltimore and his eventual drafting into the NBA from Syracuse University.
We learn about his mother, who was the glue to his family, and how she worked multiple jobs so that Carmelo and his siblings could thrive. We walk with Melo through some of his darkest moments, as he loses loved ones to gun violence and the long arms of poverty.
We are also with him as he overcomes adversity, racism, and the constant pulls of the street. He is protected by friends that sees his potential both as a basketball player and a humanitarian.
I bought this book at the Powerhouse Arena Bookstore, on the release date, and met Melo who signed my book. He seemed down-to-earth, not pompous, and was looking forward to winning a championship with the Lakers.
His book, like his personality, was unlike the prima donna attitude the media ascribes to him. Instead I saw a deeply reflective, much more layered persona, that can be found in his book. Nothing is promised to anyone, but Carmelo strived to be a winner for his Mom, family, and friends!
I highly recommend this thoughtful memoir!
We learn about his mother, who was the glue to his family, and how she worked multiple jobs so that Carmelo and his siblings could thrive. We walk with Melo through some of his darkest moments, as he loses loved ones to gun violence and the long arms of poverty.
We are also with him as he overcomes adversity, racism, and the constant pulls of the street. He is protected by friends that sees his potential both as a basketball player and a humanitarian.
I bought this book at the Powerhouse Arena Bookstore, on the release date, and met Melo who signed my book. He seemed down-to-earth, not pompous, and was looking forward to winning a championship with the Lakers.
His book, like his personality, was unlike the prima donna attitude the media ascribes to him. Instead I saw a deeply reflective, much more layered persona, that can be found in his book. Nothing is promised to anyone, but Carmelo strived to be a winner for his Mom, family, and friends!
I highly recommend this thoughtful memoir!
March 20, 2023
Short read/listen on Carmelo Anthony's life from early days in Red Hook in Brooklyn up until he's drafted by Denver after Larry Brown (then-Pistons coach) gave him a promise Detroit was taking him at #2 - fun little nugget.
I think I was expecting a bit more of a full view of Melo's life with NBA included, but honestly, this first 20 years or so tied into the title well: "Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised: A Memoir of Survival and Hope."
The audiobook is narrated by Melo and I'll be honest, at first I was a bit put off by it. Writers (or basketball players) are great at what they do, but what they do isn't narrate books. That said, I quickly grew to familiar with Melo's voice and his comfort telling his own story. I do think in some cases (memoir/autobiography) the author-as-reader can work better than others.
Melo's story drew me in from his life in the projects in Red Hook with his two older brothers, sister, mom and step dad. His own pops was 6-foot-6, born in NYC to Puerto Rican parents and sadly passed away from cancer when Melo was just two. His life in Red Hook doesn't fit the stereotypical narrative we're usually fed about life in the projects. He lived there until he was eight-years-old and his memories are warm, filled with family, food, social gatherings, and love. We learn later in the book that his three siblings, all older, came from the relationship between Melo's mom and his stepdad. He paints his mom as a gracious hostess who's door was always open to friends and family who needed a place to stay or a warm meal. The most prominent of these travelers, an older cousin who went by the name Luck and because he was closer in age to Melo than his older brothers, became a mentor.
From Red Hook, Melo and fam (minus his older brothers) relocated to Baltimore when he was eight as a compromise between his mom and step dad go further south (his mom was from the south originally) and stay in NY so Baltimore it was, adjacent to the Murphy Homes Projects in West Baltimore.
It's in West Baltimore that Melo's narrative and path begin to show definition. He carves out an identity as an athlete, but builds on the narrative that started in Red Hook as the projects being an epicenter of a rich social life with both opportunities for the talented and for the potential for dangers. Melo's combination of genetics (dad 6-6, brothers and cousin who raised him to play ball) and work ethic (mom instilled/modeled) put him in the latter category of talented kids that the neighborhood leaders were adamant to look out for. There are multiple characters who appear in West Baltimore and quickly identify Melo's talent. They act as mentors, shepherds, guardians both for Melo and towards Baltimoreans who may have a problem with him for whatever reason. It's a powerful role and one that's probably exploited by men in similar positions around this country, but Melo got a luck of the draw in that regard. In his telling, these older guys were critical to his survival with altruistic motivations. He writes/tells of this altruism while simultaneously describing a culture where not crying and not expressing vulnerability were hard coded into the masculine psyche in large part because men/young men were raised to believe anything given came with a cost. It's a sad and real dynamic and one that a young Melo had to navigate through tragedy and loss that followed him from Red Hook to West Baltimore.
There are repeated references to depression, to sadness, to confusion and a complete lack of outlet. In Melo's telling here, it's a cultural, geographical blocker where men and boys can't talk about their feelings, their pain, but as someone who's just a bit older than Melo, I'd layer gender and era on top of it. As a teen, I was depressed and didn't even know it and if I had, I didn't even have the language or outlets to share it.
The theme of depression-without-outlet revealed a big part of Melo's character. As a kid he knew the difference between right and wrong and generally did the right thing while being susceptible mistakes and outside influences - like most kids/teens. The theme beneath this was his ability to learn from his mistakes - both from his own learning (learning how the educational/academic "game" was played at Towson Catholic in Baltimore) and from the old heads in his neighborhood who'd admonish him for doing dumb shit that might jeopardize his obvious talent.
But then there's also the reliability question which inherently accompanies autobiographies. Melo eventually left Towson Catholic (a predominantly white private school) because of a vindictive and likely racist vice principal who, by Melo's telling, had an axe to grind with him from his early days at the school. We're told how Melo stopped asking questions of the theology teacher because, to over-simplify, it was their way or the highway, and learned to go with the flow, make no waves, etc etc. But when Melo decides after his junior season that he needs to get away from the antagonistic vice principal, we find out he has so many detentions (ranging from how he wore his hair to not tucking in the shirt of his school uniform because he was growing too fast to questioning the theology teacher), that the vice principal is going to withhold his transcripts unless he completes the detentions by cleaning the school in the summer, it calls into question just how smooth the flow was going at Towson.
His senior year at Oak Hill in Virginia and his freshman year at Syracuse are somewhat anticlimactic parts of the narrative, but still hold attention and carry insights that highlight his perseverance and the need to adapt to new and different cultures. For example, he mentions that he really enjoyed his year at Syracuse and seriously considered returning for another season, but that his coach, Jim Boeheim, told him he had to get the fuck out and go to the NBA. Given how a freshman Melo dominated college ball, it's a terrifying thought. Then there's the Larry Brown promise to draft him at #2 in the 2003 draft which will always go down in NBA "what ifs" history even without the Brown promise, but with it, the story just gets a bit spicier.
For Melo or basketball fans, this is worth the few hours of your time, just know that you're getting the prequel Melo story and not the NBA version that a lot of folks might be looking for.
I think I was expecting a bit more of a full view of Melo's life with NBA included, but honestly, this first 20 years or so tied into the title well: "Where Tomorrows Aren't Promised: A Memoir of Survival and Hope."
The audiobook is narrated by Melo and I'll be honest, at first I was a bit put off by it. Writers (or basketball players) are great at what they do, but what they do isn't narrate books. That said, I quickly grew to familiar with Melo's voice and his comfort telling his own story. I do think in some cases (memoir/autobiography) the author-as-reader can work better than others.
Melo's story drew me in from his life in the projects in Red Hook with his two older brothers, sister, mom and step dad. His own pops was 6-foot-6, born in NYC to Puerto Rican parents and sadly passed away from cancer when Melo was just two. His life in Red Hook doesn't fit the stereotypical narrative we're usually fed about life in the projects. He lived there until he was eight-years-old and his memories are warm, filled with family, food, social gatherings, and love. We learn later in the book that his three siblings, all older, came from the relationship between Melo's mom and his stepdad. He paints his mom as a gracious hostess who's door was always open to friends and family who needed a place to stay or a warm meal. The most prominent of these travelers, an older cousin who went by the name Luck and because he was closer in age to Melo than his older brothers, became a mentor.
From Red Hook, Melo and fam (minus his older brothers) relocated to Baltimore when he was eight as a compromise between his mom and step dad go further south (his mom was from the south originally) and stay in NY so Baltimore it was, adjacent to the Murphy Homes Projects in West Baltimore.
It's in West Baltimore that Melo's narrative and path begin to show definition. He carves out an identity as an athlete, but builds on the narrative that started in Red Hook as the projects being an epicenter of a rich social life with both opportunities for the talented and for the potential for dangers. Melo's combination of genetics (dad 6-6, brothers and cousin who raised him to play ball) and work ethic (mom instilled/modeled) put him in the latter category of talented kids that the neighborhood leaders were adamant to look out for. There are multiple characters who appear in West Baltimore and quickly identify Melo's talent. They act as mentors, shepherds, guardians both for Melo and towards Baltimoreans who may have a problem with him for whatever reason. It's a powerful role and one that's probably exploited by men in similar positions around this country, but Melo got a luck of the draw in that regard. In his telling, these older guys were critical to his survival with altruistic motivations. He writes/tells of this altruism while simultaneously describing a culture where not crying and not expressing vulnerability were hard coded into the masculine psyche in large part because men/young men were raised to believe anything given came with a cost. It's a sad and real dynamic and one that a young Melo had to navigate through tragedy and loss that followed him from Red Hook to West Baltimore.
There are repeated references to depression, to sadness, to confusion and a complete lack of outlet. In Melo's telling here, it's a cultural, geographical blocker where men and boys can't talk about their feelings, their pain, but as someone who's just a bit older than Melo, I'd layer gender and era on top of it. As a teen, I was depressed and didn't even know it and if I had, I didn't even have the language or outlets to share it.
The theme of depression-without-outlet revealed a big part of Melo's character. As a kid he knew the difference between right and wrong and generally did the right thing while being susceptible mistakes and outside influences - like most kids/teens. The theme beneath this was his ability to learn from his mistakes - both from his own learning (learning how the educational/academic "game" was played at Towson Catholic in Baltimore) and from the old heads in his neighborhood who'd admonish him for doing dumb shit that might jeopardize his obvious talent.
But then there's also the reliability question which inherently accompanies autobiographies. Melo eventually left Towson Catholic (a predominantly white private school) because of a vindictive and likely racist vice principal who, by Melo's telling, had an axe to grind with him from his early days at the school. We're told how Melo stopped asking questions of the theology teacher because, to over-simplify, it was their way or the highway, and learned to go with the flow, make no waves, etc etc. But when Melo decides after his junior season that he needs to get away from the antagonistic vice principal, we find out he has so many detentions (ranging from how he wore his hair to not tucking in the shirt of his school uniform because he was growing too fast to questioning the theology teacher), that the vice principal is going to withhold his transcripts unless he completes the detentions by cleaning the school in the summer, it calls into question just how smooth the flow was going at Towson.
His senior year at Oak Hill in Virginia and his freshman year at Syracuse are somewhat anticlimactic parts of the narrative, but still hold attention and carry insights that highlight his perseverance and the need to adapt to new and different cultures. For example, he mentions that he really enjoyed his year at Syracuse and seriously considered returning for another season, but that his coach, Jim Boeheim, told him he had to get the fuck out and go to the NBA. Given how a freshman Melo dominated college ball, it's a terrifying thought. Then there's the Larry Brown promise to draft him at #2 in the 2003 draft which will always go down in NBA "what ifs" history even without the Brown promise, but with it, the story just gets a bit spicier.
For Melo or basketball fans, this is worth the few hours of your time, just know that you're getting the prequel Melo story and not the NBA version that a lot of folks might be looking for.
November 2, 2021
I’m a big NBA fan. This biography left me wanting. At a slim 190ish pages, it feels like 2/3rds of the bio is missing. Instead, Carmelo Anthony focuses on his upbringing in the streets of Baltimore. Those expecting hardwood stories be warned: Anthony’s collegiate career is barely mentioned and ends right when he’s drafted. An obvious cash grab, Melo should have waited until his illustrious NBA story ended, before publishing this one.
September 30, 2025
I’m tempted to get cutesy and declare that this book reminds me of Carmelo’s basketball style: he sets up for a fundamental shot and makes it, but he doesn’t bother to offer a defense of the choices he’s made.
I’ve respected ’Melo for years, ever since – at least as I recall it – he was the first NBA star in the post-Jordan era to take some controversial political stands. There’s a great tradition from before Jordan (Kareem is the exemplar but there were many others) and recent players like Chris Paul, Jaylen Brown, and others have been impressively outspoken, but I remember ‘Melo finding a voice when others didn’t.
He may be on a list with Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and Patrick Ewing as great players who couldn’t win the big one, but he’s still a no-bout hall-of-famer – a top-ten all-time scorer and deservedly beloved player.
What he offers here is, in fact, a memoir. Too many celebrities confuse memoir with autobiography, with the difference being that memoir is focused on a particular experience or set of experiences and is organized around a thesis rather than a rehash of a life in full.
What ‘Melo offers here is an overview of his life growing up in poverty, first as a kid in New York housing projects and then as a teenager in Baltimore. It’s a no-holds-barred account, one that holds to its thesis, eloquently put in the title.
Too many people in ’Melo’s world didn’t get their tomorrows. His father, whom he idealizes in his imagination, was a Puerto Rican political activist who died of cancer before ’Melo could really know him. His cousin, Luck, who grew up with him, was shot and killed in an argument over a woman. His stepfather turned to heroin when his diabetes got debilitating, and he died early as well.
I can imagine someone else telling a similar story as a plea toward pity or perhaps as a flex on ‘I got through all this.’ More impressively, ’Melo seems to realize that he has a platform for sharing a story with an audience that might not otherwise know it. He’s aware that a lot of ‘us’ – read that as white people from comfortable homes – can’t or won’t hear this story from someone else.
But this is ’Melo, a guy we’ve put on posters and cheered for. A guy who’s just scored a substantial contract to do one of the major new studio shows.
So he tells a story of poverty and making-do with little. He tells of what it was like when his athletic gifts lifted him from ‘regular’ schools into more and more elite ones where teachers and principals either gave him slack for his skill or a hard time for being different.
There’s a compelling stretch where he talks about getting a series of detentions for not having his shirt tucked in at the fancy Catholic school that recruited him. How could he keep it tucked, though? He grew almost five inches between his first and sophomore years, and his mother – who comes across as a generous and loving heroine – worked multiple jobs to keep food on the table (not just for ’Melo but for anyone in need). How could they afford clothes that fit him?
I’m not calling this the sort of nuanced memoir I want from someone like Patti Smith, but it’s a book that knows what it’s doing. There are moments when I think I can feel the voice of his collaborating author rather than ’Melo’s, but I felt compelled to read this through to the end, enjoying it more and more as I read – enjoying it not necessarily for the story, though it is nice to see him ascend to the second-greatest player of his moment (darn that Lebron!), so much as for the sense that he finds his purpose.
He comes from a tough world, and he’s done much of what he can to make it less tough for some who have followed. From his platform he’s showing us that we all have more to do.
I expected to hear about his NBA career, but it doesn’t feel absent here. As it is, he does such a good job with this one that I’d be interested in his next memoir, the story of how he adapted from this experience into life as a wealthy and glamorous celebrity.
I’ve respected ’Melo for years, ever since – at least as I recall it – he was the first NBA star in the post-Jordan era to take some controversial political stands. There’s a great tradition from before Jordan (Kareem is the exemplar but there were many others) and recent players like Chris Paul, Jaylen Brown, and others have been impressively outspoken, but I remember ‘Melo finding a voice when others didn’t.
He may be on a list with Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and Patrick Ewing as great players who couldn’t win the big one, but he’s still a no-bout hall-of-famer – a top-ten all-time scorer and deservedly beloved player.
What he offers here is, in fact, a memoir. Too many celebrities confuse memoir with autobiography, with the difference being that memoir is focused on a particular experience or set of experiences and is organized around a thesis rather than a rehash of a life in full.
What ‘Melo offers here is an overview of his life growing up in poverty, first as a kid in New York housing projects and then as a teenager in Baltimore. It’s a no-holds-barred account, one that holds to its thesis, eloquently put in the title.
Too many people in ’Melo’s world didn’t get their tomorrows. His father, whom he idealizes in his imagination, was a Puerto Rican political activist who died of cancer before ’Melo could really know him. His cousin, Luck, who grew up with him, was shot and killed in an argument over a woman. His stepfather turned to heroin when his diabetes got debilitating, and he died early as well.
I can imagine someone else telling a similar story as a plea toward pity or perhaps as a flex on ‘I got through all this.’ More impressively, ’Melo seems to realize that he has a platform for sharing a story with an audience that might not otherwise know it. He’s aware that a lot of ‘us’ – read that as white people from comfortable homes – can’t or won’t hear this story from someone else.
But this is ’Melo, a guy we’ve put on posters and cheered for. A guy who’s just scored a substantial contract to do one of the major new studio shows.
So he tells a story of poverty and making-do with little. He tells of what it was like when his athletic gifts lifted him from ‘regular’ schools into more and more elite ones where teachers and principals either gave him slack for his skill or a hard time for being different.
There’s a compelling stretch where he talks about getting a series of detentions for not having his shirt tucked in at the fancy Catholic school that recruited him. How could he keep it tucked, though? He grew almost five inches between his first and sophomore years, and his mother – who comes across as a generous and loving heroine – worked multiple jobs to keep food on the table (not just for ’Melo but for anyone in need). How could they afford clothes that fit him?
I’m not calling this the sort of nuanced memoir I want from someone like Patti Smith, but it’s a book that knows what it’s doing. There are moments when I think I can feel the voice of his collaborating author rather than ’Melo’s, but I felt compelled to read this through to the end, enjoying it more and more as I read – enjoying it not necessarily for the story, though it is nice to see him ascend to the second-greatest player of his moment (darn that Lebron!), so much as for the sense that he finds his purpose.
He comes from a tough world, and he’s done much of what he can to make it less tough for some who have followed. From his platform he’s showing us that we all have more to do.
I expected to hear about his NBA career, but it doesn’t feel absent here. As it is, he does such a good job with this one that I’d be interested in his next memoir, the story of how he adapted from this experience into life as a wealthy and glamorous celebrity.
August 12, 2024
Carmelo Anthony’s memoir, Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised, is to me a literary equivalent to one of the more life changing film experiences I know, Hoop Dreams. Now, I have to be truthful and say that I personally don’t think it’s in that realm, but that’s no insult. Hoop Dreams is spectacular. This book is good. There’s no shame in that. What this book accomplishes is what I imagine it set out to accomplish, so there’s pride and fulfillment in that as the reader and Carmelo alike. I think this is a fantastic educational resource for those interested in what the life of an athlete, who was always a good athlete, can look like well before the cameras and money. Funny enough, for Carmelo the camera came a substantial amount of time before the money did. From selling candy, to begging a man at a hotel desk for a room because of lack of funds while simultaneously being in TIME magazine, this is life before the now universally controversial and indisputably profitable world of NIL.
Parts of Carmelo’s memoir can serve to be a bit self indulgent, but not in the way you make think. While his upbringing and his personal experiences, especially those in high school, can be attributed to racial bias and politics he doesn’t deserve to be subjected to, I’d argue there’s a proportionate amount of either over or underthought ideas that strike me as half-baked and easily dismissed instead of intellectually thought of. That was surprising, considering I felt like at other points Carmelo thinks tremendously in depth about things, arguably at a philosophical level.
One thing about Anthony’s book that I cannot deny is that when he wants to, he can certainly transcend that surface level thought process that irked me occasionally. These instances tend to be in accordance with times in which the gap between races or cultures may be a genuine explanation for the way an interaction happens. The best example passage comes when he’s exploring the difference in the way people like him, who come from where he comes from, who have seen the things he’s seen and experienced the loss he has perceived religion and God compared to the majority of the people in his new Catholic private school. He writes, “How could a teacher just dictate the great truths and accept them blindly?”. That’s an extremely valid point of view.
Overall, a short (less than 200 pages) and serviceable read. For a sports fan like myself who is overly familiar with the author, it was interesting and intimate to get a glimpse inside the mind of someone I’ve watched play basketball hundreds of times but I knew little about outside of his time in the NBA and Syracuse. Frankly, I thought Carmelo was a New York kid through and through. I didn’t know many of his formative years were spent in West Baltimore. Great for a basketball fan, and I’d argue just as great for someone interested in psychology and the way we deal with things as humans.
Parts of Carmelo’s memoir can serve to be a bit self indulgent, but not in the way you make think. While his upbringing and his personal experiences, especially those in high school, can be attributed to racial bias and politics he doesn’t deserve to be subjected to, I’d argue there’s a proportionate amount of either over or underthought ideas that strike me as half-baked and easily dismissed instead of intellectually thought of. That was surprising, considering I felt like at other points Carmelo thinks tremendously in depth about things, arguably at a philosophical level.
One thing about Anthony’s book that I cannot deny is that when he wants to, he can certainly transcend that surface level thought process that irked me occasionally. These instances tend to be in accordance with times in which the gap between races or cultures may be a genuine explanation for the way an interaction happens. The best example passage comes when he’s exploring the difference in the way people like him, who come from where he comes from, who have seen the things he’s seen and experienced the loss he has perceived religion and God compared to the majority of the people in his new Catholic private school. He writes, “How could a teacher just dictate the great truths and accept them blindly?”. That’s an extremely valid point of view.
Overall, a short (less than 200 pages) and serviceable read. For a sports fan like myself who is overly familiar with the author, it was interesting and intimate to get a glimpse inside the mind of someone I’ve watched play basketball hundreds of times but I knew little about outside of his time in the NBA and Syracuse. Frankly, I thought Carmelo was a New York kid through and through. I didn’t know many of his formative years were spent in West Baltimore. Great for a basketball fan, and I’d argue just as great for someone interested in psychology and the way we deal with things as humans.
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