The PRISON in Glass
The heart of my story is about my struggles to play professional basketball in the NBA, and how I've found a new purpose in life after my dreams were shattered. How does a Black man accept failure when society has placed him in a prison made of glass, seeing himself only as he imagines others see him, expecting him to conform to predetermined expectations and stereotypes? How does a man who has spent his entire young adult life face the reality that the foundation of his identity has been a facade? Will he succumb to the pressure to live up to extraneous judgements, or will he carve his own path to freedom? My memoir is more than just a story about a Black kid from Maryland who dreamed of playing in the NBA. It's also about self–discovery and redemption. It's about going against the norm and looking inward.It's a social commentary about systemic racism, America's failed educational system,and how society tells Black and Brown kids that their success will only be through physicality and not intellectualism. This prison in glass must be shattered for all people to discover their potential and attain true liberation in their lives.
-- Brian Freeman