Earvin Magic Johnson: Champion and Crusader

by Ted Gottfried

Examines the life and work of the star of the Los Angeles Lakers who became a crusader for AIDS education and treatment and established himself as a business leader after his retirement from the team.

128 pages, Library Binding

First published March 1, 2001

Reviews

[Joshua Maldonado]

This book Earvin "Magic" Johnson by Ted Gottfired is one of the best books I have read in a while. Not only does it talk about one of my favorite basketball players, but talks about how he fought Aids and HIV. He was one of the best basketball players of his time, but he started off on a rough start, but gradually got to where he was or even better. He had Aids and had to dropout of basketball, but he was inspiring other people not to make the same mistake as him because that is who he was. He has many enterprise or places under his name such as movies,hospitals and buisnesses. I would recommend teens to read this book even if he does not like basketball. I give this book a solid five star ranking.

[Karlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 128 page book, was an easy read, but definitely told the whole story of Magic Johnson's life. After being born into a struggling family, Magic had to work hard to maintain his life. He had many dreams, but one of his main dreams was to become a professional basketball player. He grew up watching the Lakers with his dad , especially Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, and by watching them, he tried to improve his skills. After being famous for his skills showcased in his high school career, Magic got a scholarship to Michigan State, and after that a contract to the Los Angeles Lakers. His LA career was striving, but once he tested HIV positive, that was the point when he decided to retire from the game of basketball. Ever since then, Magic has been trying to increase the people's knowledge of the deadly disease, and he has started a business for that reason. Magic has definitely had some ups and downs, but he will always be remembered by basketball fans around the world as one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game.
The author Ted Gottfried, does a really good job describing every aspect of Magic's life, from his days in high school, to his pro years, and to the present time. With all the quotes and pictures distributed throughout the book, it makes it much easier to understand what Magic's life was like.
Being the big basketball fanatic I am, i really liked this book, and it also let me expand my knowledge on one of my favourite players of all time. This would be a good book for any basketball/players. It is not a challenging book in the end, but gives a lot of good and detailed information on the amazing Magic Johnson.