Darkness to Sunlight: The Life-Changing Journey of Zaid Abdul-Aziz ("Don Smith")

by Abdul-Aziz Zaid and Zaid Abdul-Aziz

They say you "can't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes." When you start with a boy's size 6 and end up in a man's 16 shoe, you better be prepared for an extraordinary trip. The... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0977886107
• ISBN13: 9780977886104
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: Sunlight Publishing
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Having the size and skill to succeed never guarantees one will.

Having the size and skill to succeed never guarantees one will. "Darkness to Sunlight: The Life-Changing Journey of Zaid Abdul-Aziz" is the story of a man who formerly went by the name of Don Smith. It follows his life from a fledgling kid in Brooklyn to the NBA Hall of Fame, and recounts all of the racial, professional, and spiritual obstacles he overcame along the way, all to become the legend that he is known as today. "Darkness to Sunlight: The Life-Changing Journey of Zaid Abdul-Aziz" is highly recommended for community library biography collections.

A Gift for Our Human Family

I was called to read Darkness to Sunlight after meeting Zaid and his beautiful family. I was drawn to read about his life story not because I am a basketball fan, but becauase of his deep-hearted spirit. Our human family needs more stories like this one. That a woman like myself with no interest in sports would find this book a pleasure to read speaks volumes. His story is inspirational, accessible, enjoyable, and timely. I look forward to enjoying this book in movie form. It will do much to help bridge understanding between Muslim and Christian faith communities. Thank you, Zaid, for writing this book. Lisa Iversen, MSW, LCSW

Great read for basketball fans

Zaid's story is uplifting,interesting and an easy read. Basketball fans who want to know more behind one of the game's most unselfish players should read this book. Zaid's life story is much different than the stories of the NBA players of today. He was a great defensive player, leaper and rebounder who has been unnoticed by many.

A compelling story about an NBA star's life journey

Zaid Abdul-Aziz (formerly Don Smith) was a stand out basketball player at Iowa State, and played for several years in the NBA, including several years with the Seattle Supersonics. However, the book is really about his life journey from the rough neighborhoods of Brooklyn to life in the NBA and beyond. The book is written entirely in first person narrative, and reads in a manner which gives the reader the experience of sitting down with Zaid over a cup of coffee and hearing the stories. As such, it can be at times a bit choppy from an editing standpoint, but is wonderful in how it captures the mood and tone of the experiences. Of particular importance are the depictions of how Zaid struggled with racism, specifically in nearly 100% white Iowa, and how this struggle defined many of his views to this day. I was personally very struck by how Zaid viewed these experiences, and how he handled the vast contrasts between his home in Brooklyn and the corn fields of Iowa. He managed to steer clear of many of the challenges with drugs and gangs that derail way too many lives then and now. The emotions of these times were depicted exceptionally well. A story in Sports Illustrated in 1969 brought much of these issues to the public eye and helped raise awareness for race issues in sports. The chapters about his life in the NBA were great. The politics of the NBA are not often discussed, but are depicted well here. Zaid was a truly under-rated player whose rebounding skills and scoring touch would earn him millions if playing today. He averaged numbers that would rank him in the top 3 of rebounders in today's game, and he put up headline kind of numbers against some of the all-time greats. The story has a personal touch for me. I met Zaid when I was about 5 or 6 years old. My father went to Iowa State when Zaid was there and reached out to him when he came to town to play Seattle, and when he was a player here. It was a fascinating realization for me that in an ironic twist, while Zaid was experiencing life as a minority, he was in fact the only African American person I knew for many years, and he formed many of my perceptions as well. I still remember him coming over to the house for dinner on several occasions and playing basketball with my brother and me in the back yard. When he was with the Houston Rockets we went to see him play and he had all the Rockets sign my cast for my broken ankle after the game. As a young child and an NBA fan, I felt quite special to count a real NBA player as a friend. I really appreciate his views about people and about life. While he did not get the credit he deserved in the NBA, his attitude today serves to show that life is indeed a journey. His views on theology and his faith are interesting to read as well. While I do not agree with him on several key theological areas, the story of how he came to his faith and what he experienced by being an NBA star and making this change in the public eye were powe