I must admit even though I grew up watching basketball (and pretty sure, I have seen him play in person). I didn't really know who Lamar was until Keeping Up with the Kardashian's. While he was married to Khloe and on the show I liked him. I knew about their divorce and him being in a coma. I hoped he would pull through. I hadn't thought much about him since I knew he left the hospital, but once I saw this I knew I needed to read it.

Lamar was open and honest throughout this book. He shared his lowest of lowest and highest of highs with us. He wasn't afraid to show the darkest parts of him. I think the book was a good read. If you are a fan of Lamar....from his ball days or knowing him from Khloe this is a good read. I do hope he continues to stay sober and wish the best for him.

Thank you to BenBella Books and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Thank you to BenBella Books and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I didn't know much about the author previously to receiving this book. I am not a big sports fan and never watch basketball. However I did enjoy this book. I felt that he was really transparent with his life growing up as well as his struggles.. I found this book really insightful.and sad but inspiring at the same time.

I've only heard of the author after he was in a coma. I'm not a sports fan, but I enjoyed this book. He talks about his early years, his upbringing, as well as everything that has happened in his life. He is very honest and transparent, his struggles. This was a good and emotional read

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions

This book was an interesting insight into Lamar’s life: from his childhood and all that he went through to his achievements becoming a great basketball star and all of the pain and troubles that he went through along the way. The only thing I would say is that I would have liked it if he went into more details about some things but it was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so intrigued by this book because I knew a little bit about Lamar Odom’s life already, how he went through various struggles and came out a better person. This read was a little too detailed for me when it came to stats of basketball and the ongoing dialogue between players and whatnot, but I could see how some people would really appreciate that. I skipped over some of that and was more interested in life experiences, his relationships with his family and friends and his new found relationship with Jesus. Overall, it was a very entertaining read and I gained some more respect for Lamar.
Side note: I could have done without some of the profanity, but I guess that was to be expected.

This is a great book written by Lamar about his struggles on and off the court, in relationships and with addiction. It takes courage to be open about your struggles and I applaud him for sharing with the world. Some people think the grass is greener for the wealthy, but this just shows that they struggle, and have the same problems as the rest of us. Good book overall.

This book was recieved as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. My fault for not truly knowing that’s the book would fully be about. Predictable and honestly it was a struggle to keep my interest. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Very interesting to learn a little bit more about Lamar. There was an underlying sadness to the entire book. He shares stories with other celebrities and does so in a very respectful way. I was nice to hear that Lamar has hope for the future and has learned a lot on his journey.

Open raw real intimate a life of brilliant high moments and truly low lows.Hoping Lamar is healed really enjoying the happy healthy life he deserves.#netgalley #benbellabooks.

In this updated version of his story, Lamar talks about his life after the Kardashians and how it has evolved. He has dedicated his life to God and vowed to be a better father to his children after all her has put himself and them through. It was insightful as an outsider to see where he came from and his rise from nothing into superstardom after making it to the NBA and dating famous women, including of course, Khloe. But he is much more than his addiction and his fame and I enjoyed reading about his life. I’m sure most don’t know his whole story, just his scandals, and it was refreshing to see his honesty about what went down from his perspective.
Thanks to BenBella Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my review.

The incredible story of Lamar Odom.

Working his way from nothing to NBA superstar.

His constant pull towards drugs and alcohol.

The scary way he would hide his addictions.

Then it touches on the love of his life, Khloe. I really rooted for the 2 of them. They were so cute on KUWTK and then when they had their own reality show.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this title.

I just reviewed Darkness to Light by Lamar Odom; Chris Palmer. #DarknessToLight #NetGalley

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, BenBella and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Raw, transparent and honest. A look at a life few will understand, know, fathom. A journey none would ever want to experience.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary eBook copy in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Lamar Odom “From Darkness to Light” - what a read, what a life.

In telling his story we start near the beginning in Queens, New York. Lamar describes growing up with his mother and grandmother close by while his father dealt with his fair share of addiction issues. In an attempt to deal with challenges of life Lamar was able to find solace with a basketball and went on to become a sought after player in his youth with the world at his feet despite his childhood. It all seems to go downhill with no brakes after his mother passed away when he was still a teenager.

Odom goes on to speak in depth about his heartbreak as he was being scouted and trying to figure out his place in the world of basketball. He goes into quite a bit of detail about coaches, friends/teammates he made along the way as well as his career accolades. Intertwined in this dream coming true Lamar begins to share with us the pain and soon to come drug addiction that both began to surface and he tried so hard to hide throughout it all. Not only did he lose his mother, he lost cousins/friends before the age of 30 as well as losing a son, Jayden.

While the basketball aspect is a massive part of this book even a casual fan of the sport should absolutely give this book a read. It was quite humbling to read about someone else’s life with such honesty without going into all of the private details. It was such a heart wrenching, honest, and humbling read and possibly one of the first books in awhile where I was fully on the ride with him - absolutely rooting for him. I actually read this book in roughly 4-5 hours as I could not put it down.

I appreciate Mr. Odom’s courageousness in sharing with the world his struggles. Fame, money, or what have you, no one is immune to what life can dish out. If you have ever wanted to read a story about a man who felt like the underdog, who felt pain and came out on the other side choosing to be better regardless - this is absolutely the memoir to read. It’s praises are being sung in the reviews here but anyone reading review and considering buying the book themselves - I highly encourage you. It was by far one of the hardest to put down books I have read in years.

This biography was not terribly exciting. I was hoping it would have been more riveting. Clearly Lamar is no author, but I suppose he did the best he could. There were times when I was bored. Sometimes I would put it down and thought I wouldn't pick it up again. But I made it through. The last five chapters were by far the very best. They captured my attention completely, and I think they had the intended effect. If the rest of the book read like these chapters it would have been a winner. Would I recommend it for a book club? I'm not sure. I don't know if it would capture reader's attention. Though I struggled through, the final chapters were a nice reward.

I really enjoyed this book by Lamar Odom. It was very well written and I would definitely recommend this to anyone.

The reason I chose this book is because for a brief stint years ago I watched "Keeping up with the Kardashians". It was at the specific time that NBA basketball star Lamar Odom had a whirlwind romance with Khloe Kardashian, culminating in their star-studded wedding within a month of knowing each other. I was cheering them on that marriage would work for them. I even watched the spin-off show focusing on these newlyweds. It seemed like they had it all....gobs of money, a mansion in California, Lamar playing for the Lakers, etc. But years later they were going through divorce and Lamar nearly died. He found himself at a sleazy porn ranch in the desert where he OD'd. Famously, Khloe and the Kardashians bolted to his side holding court at the hospital where his life precariously hung in the balance. Khloe halted the divorce proceedings while things played out, so that she could make all decisions regarding his care. At one point it was almost certain Lamar would die, when he miraculously awoke from the coma. It was said Lamar would have to learn how to do things again like brush his teeth, but he defied all odds and made almost a 100% recovery. However, Lamar suffered several seizures and strokes while in a coma, so when he tried playing professional basketball again, things didn't work out.

I don't know a thing about basketball and actually hate watching or learning about sports- period. Even so, this heartfelt memoir held my interest, and I finished it quickly. It usually takes me about a week to finish a book, but this was a page-turner. The writing style was intimate and free-flowing, as if Lamar was just talking to you. The core of his story was growing up in Queens, New York, and the impact his family life had on him. His parents were married only for a short time and Lamar wound up being raised in his grandmother's house where his mother Cathy shared her old childhood room with him. Then his mother got a job in a prison. She died young from cancer, and Lamar never got over it. His father Joseph was a Vietnam veteran who got addicted to hard drugs during the war. He was mostly absent from his life. Lamar's salvation (and sometimes curse) was his height and basketball talent. Even though I am sports illiterate, the trajectory of his career was easily digestible and interesting to read about. Lamar rose in the ranks at the same time as other famous basketball players such as Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Ron Artest and others. Kobe Bryant was such a great influence and friend that he considered him a brother.

Reading this book, I couldn't help but like Lamar and sympathize with his struggles, while at the same time fretting about his lifestyle. He regularly used weed, and eventually dabbled in ecstasy and worst of all- cocaine. The millions he earned as an NBA player fueled his addictions. He regularly enjoyed parties where drugs and hookers led to orgies lasting into the wee hours. This destructive behavior was very disheartening to read about. There were surprise drug tests during his career which he sometimes falsified. Other times, he was caught and his employer, team and friends were very disappointed in him. The day after the biggest victory of his career he very nearly missed the parade after hard partying all night. He ruined every romantic relationship due to his rampant sex addiction.

The book was originally released in 2019 but was recently updated. Perhaps he is capitalizing on his current participation in the cast of "Big Brother: Celebrity Edition". Lamar expands upon his grief over the death of Kobe Bryant and attendance at the funeral, giving speeches around the country following rehab and becoming closer to God (assisted by his adult son and daughter), and is very honest about his faults and trying to take life one day at a time. This was quite an interesting and enjoyable book written by an imperfect man with a genuine delivery.

Thank you to the publisher BenBella Books for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.