Centered: Autism, Basketball, and One Athlete's Dreams

Product Description
"They don't know me. They don't know what I'm capable of." Diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder, a form of autism, as a toddler, Anthony Ianni wasn't expected to succeed in school or participate in sports, but he had other ideas. As a child, Ianni told anybody who would listen, including head coach Tom Izzo, that he would one day play for the Michigan State Spartans.
Centered: Autism, Basketball, and One Athlete's Dreams is the firsthand account of a young man's social, academic, and athletic struggles and his determination to reach his goals. In this remarkable memoir, Ianni reflects on his experiences with both basketball and the autism spectrum. Centered, an inspirational sports story in the vein of Rudy, reveals Ianni to be unflinching in his honesty, generous in his gratitude, and gracious in his compassion.
Sports fans will root for the underdog. Parents, teachers, and coaches will gain insight into the experience of an autistic child. And everyone will triumph in the achievements of Centered.
Review
Both authors did an amazing job in writing a book that is a definite resource for parents, students, schools, hospital workers and everyone to understand Autism Spectrum. -- Fran Lewis ―
Book Pleasures\nIf the general reader is deeply moved by Ianni's story, parents of autistic children, and the children themselves, will find Ianni's story a source of boundless, manifold inspiration. -- Alan Moores ―
Booklist (starred)\nAn exceptionally well written, inherently fascinating, impressively candid, memorable and inspiring memoir. Centered: Autism, Basketball, and One Athlete's Dreams is especially and unreservedly recommended, especially for community, college, and university library Contemporary American Biography collections. -- Able Greenspan ―
Midwest Book Review\nCentered is both a captivating triumph of the human spirit and a testament to people behind the scenes who guided Ianni in his journey without a roadmap or manual for how to help him. -- Brenda Ortega ―
MEA Voice
Review
Enlightening. Uplifting. Motivating. Just a few words that come to mind while poring through the body of work that is Centered. Anthony Ianni's story is one that demonstrates how we can all walk into our purpose despite the limitations that others may try to place on us. Ianni teaches us that there's only one person who can hold us back from our goals and dreams. That person being the one who stares back at you in the mirror. -- Al Martin, host of "Current Sports," WKAR-TV / Radio
About the Author
Anthony Ianni played basketball at Michigan State University from 2009 to 2012 and was the first Division I college basketball player known to be on the autism spectrum. He now tours the country as a motivational speaker. He lives with his wife and two sons in Livonia, Michigan. Rob Keast grew up in Lapeer, Michigan. He studied journalism at Michigan State University. Rob has written for newspapers in Michigan and Illinois, and he has taught English in Tokyo, Japan. Since 2004, Rob has taught high school English in Wyandotte, Michigan. Rob has a teenage daughter.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Kids push each other's buttons. That's a fact of childhood. Sometimes they mean to and other times they don't. Either way, this posed a real problem for me. First, I had so many buttons. There were a million ways to upset me: Have a toy I wanted. Say something I disagreed with. Refuse to play with me. Second, once the button was pushed, I wigged out. My thrashings and wailings could shake walls.My grandparents hosted Easter every year at the farmhouse in Morenci. One tradition we had was an Easter egg hunt. My grandma wrote a specific grandchild's name on each egg―about fifteen or so for each of us. The plastic eggs contained candy, chocolates, little bouncy balls, quarters, or folded up dollar bills. Every year, my dad and my uncles took the eggs outsid