The book Shaq Talks Back is an autobiography book by Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal.  “I was born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 6, 1972, to Lucille Harrison”. (O’Neal 5)  According to Shaq, his mother was as loving and sacrificing as a mother could be.  When Shaq was five, he states that “my brothers and sisters were Harrisons and my last name was O’Neal” (Shaq 7).  This revealed that he had a biological father, and meant that he was different from the rest of his family.  His mother had named him “in an Islamic book of names”, and in the book, “Shaquille means ‘little one’ and Rashaun means ‘warrior’” (Shaq 10).  He may have turned out to be 7 feet tall and over 300 pounds, but to his mother, he was her little warrior.  In the beginning, Shaq talks about his childhood, when he says, “I had to stop trick-or-treating when I was eleven years old” (Shaq 5), how people freaked about his height.  People would make fun of him, and as he grew up, he got used to it, and got a sense of humor himself.  With height issues during his childhood, he wasn’t exactly a normal student, either.

Shaq was always moving from one place to another and switching to new schools.  When Shaq was ten, he had “all Fs on my report card” (Shaq 17), he ran away, but after a talk with his father, “I started to change.” (Shaq 17)  His father, Phil Harrison, made a big impression into Shaq’s life, even though he wasn’t his birth father, and made part of the great basketball player he is today.  When he graduated from high school, Shaq went to “Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University or LSU” (Wikipedia).  LSU was the place where he first met Dale Brown, the basketball coach at that time, who led to his NBA career.  Later on in life, he married “Shaunie Nelson on December 26, 2002” and had “four children (Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah)” (Wikipedia).  They were the support of his career until few years later, when they divorced, but that didn’t stop Shaq’s accomplishments.

 Being on the NBA basketball team with gigantic as an advantage, Shaq had a lot of advantages in helping him reach his goals.  On June 19, 2000, Shaq cried with happiness as people chanted “’MVP! MVP!’” (Shaq 1).  It was definitely an important memory because he was able to let his feelings out.  From other references, “O’Neal has been training in MMA for the past 10 years in the off-season” (Wikipedia).  Even with his rich basketball life, Shaq had other hobbies and doesn’t seem like an arrogant person.  Shaq became who he is and didn’t lose track of his dreams, and it’s all thanks to his past experiences, some painful, but valuable.

 Shaq was biased, he was treated as a giant, but he is no different than anyone else.  To teach Shaq how to catch a football, Shaq’s dad says “’Don’t catch the ball when I throw it’” (Shaq 8), and according to Shaq’s memories, “he threw it, and the ball hit me in the face” (Shaq 8), but for Shaq’s achievements,

“’you see that?  That’s the worst thing it can do to you.  It’s gonna hurt for a second, but it ain’t gonna hurt bad.  Don’t be scared of the ball.’” (Shaq 8).

Like any other kid can be, he was scared of the ball, but with this experience, he was able to learn to face his fears, and become what he is today.  “When you’re 7’1” and weigh 330-something, you’re supposed to be big and strong” (Shaq 1), but as real as anyone can be, “I needed to let it out.  I needed to show people how I was feeling” (Shaq 1).  Shaq was not afraid to be himself even with everyone else watching him.  He had a lot of things to write about, but it was very interesting to see his perspective, and how his life was.

 Shaq’s autobiography gave readers a sense of what he was like and how his life turned out to be.  In Shaq’s early lifetime, he was always beaten physically by his father, “and I don’t think I understood it at the time.  But looking back, now I know why he did it.” (Shaq 20).  Shaq’s punishments may be painful, but it got him thinking, and set him in the right path.  “Phil was trying to teach me about life’s lessons, trying to straighten me out.” (Shaq 20).  People may wonder how he was set to this path, and it seems like the fact was, his father.  With great role models like his parents, Shaq became an inspirational basketball player, with a good heart.

  From a quote of what Shaq said, it made all the difference in the world.  From one of the quotes online, it said “I’m tired of hearing about money money, money, money, money. I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok. 2000 -Shaquille O’Neal” (Quoteland).  With society worrying about money and social classes, what he said was different from everyone else.  “Music is an important part of my life, whether I’m rapping with a band or just listening at home” (Shaq 148.9 Picture 11).  With a busy schedule, Shaq is still able to fit simple things into his life, and let people feel equal.  With good intensions and strong emotions, Shaq is a great role model to look towards.