Love, Lies and Basketball
Love, Lies and Basketball
They come in threes… Kendra Michael, a WNBA all-star basketball player, one of the best there is, seemingly with the perfect life and an almost perfect partner throws it all away for an untamed ego, commitment issues, infidelity, lies and betrayal. Now faced with the loss of her family—Simone and their 18-month old daughter, Kendra appears to be heading down a destructive path on and off the basketball court. Will Kendra finally learn the true meaning of love and commitment as she fights to win Simone back? Or will it be too late? Simone Lloyd, the loving and committed partner of Kendra is coping with the recent death of her father. Depressed and saddened, Simone falls deeply into the doldrums when she later learns about another of Kend
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Love, Lies and Basketball,
LOVE, LIES AND BASKETBALL – BOOK REVIEW
By: Wanda “Penny” Seay
Author: Rita Rashad
Format: Paperback -352 pages
Publication Date – December 2011
Publisher: Inkwell Diaries and Press
In the midst of March Madness, while cheering for my favorite women’s basketball teams, I decided to revisit a new novel by Rita Rashad. This is her second creative work in a trilogy that she calls “love series”. Her book, Love, Lies and Basketball details the intimate life and loves of three main characters. Ms. Rashad’s first book was, Love At Half – Court and the final book due out this summer is, Love Don’t Cry.
The reader is thrust into the fast paced world of Kendra Michael, a star WNBA player, her life partner Simone and her best friend, Pete. Kendra loves Simone but struggles with honesty, an untamed ego and lust. Those traits cloud her judgment while leading her down a rocky path of self-destruction. In the meantime, Simone adores Kendra but is fed up with her constant cheating. Last but not least, we meet Pete. He struggles with his own issues of sexuality and child abuse, on his quest to find a man that loves him unconditionally and is not afraid of commitment. However, Pete’s “down low” lover is using him to satisfy his craving for men. And this shadowy person believes that what’s done in the dark should stay in the dark until his secret is discovered accidentally.
Ms. Rashad slam dunks the reader with characters that are genuine. For example, when Kendra is enticed by a “Nia Long look-alike” named Shelby, we can envision her in all of her smooth bronze beauty. The dialogue flows easily and naturally like a cascading waterfall.
This is not a gay love story. It is a universal story about love, forgiveness and the temptations that come from being in the limelight of professional women’s basketball. In addition, the author explores the acceptance of the gay lifestyle in the black community. And she emphasizes the love of self, family and friends. In other words, we all want the same thing in life regardless of gender.
The setting was in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. I could picture the quiet neighborhood of Potomac, MD where Kendra and Simone lived with their young child, Sanaa and the meticulous manicured lawns and beautiful homes sprawled over acres of land.
Love, Lies and BasketballMs. Rashad was equally comfortable, speaking in the voice of Pete as well as Kendra. That alone lets me know that she has more delightful tales in store for us in the near future. The central theme that I heard throughout the book was that honesty is the best policy in life and love because lies and partial disclosure may derail the relationship train. I found solace in this book between unlimited basketball games, play-by-play commentary, and watching college students play the best sport there is in America. I recommend this book to all, not just lovers of basketball or sports aficionados. We all could learn a great deal from Ms. Rashad’s powerful message.
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