Michael Jordan has forever made an impact on men’s basketball as the best player ever to touch the court. In women’s basketball a six foot five hard working woman claimed that title and has been proclaimed by many to be the “Michael Jordan” of women’s basketball. Lisa Leslie is the name to be remembered and honored for doing just that. She came from nothing as she started her career playing for USC, and with hard work she was honored by being asked to play in the first season of the WNBA. She accepted this honor and occupation without knowing how much that step would change her life forever. Her face has been seen as a model, a role model, supporter of certain advertisements, and of course on the court. She has certainly earned the title and has proved herself by receiving three gold medals in the Olympic games, being awarded three times with the title of MVP of the WNBA, and not to mention making history as the first woman to ever dunk in professional ball. Her autobiography, Don’t Let the Lipstick Fool You, tells her whole story from her childhood, to struggles, her hard work, her success, and who she has become today, surprisingly though the book is an extreme disappointment.


The book first grasped my attention because of the love and passion that radiated from Lisa Leslie every time I watched her play ball. Initially the book filled me with excitement because it was the story I knew so well, but it was told by the woman I admired herself. However as I ventured farther into the book I became disappointed with my discoveries. The book contained several interesting facts and insights, but it gave many unnecessary mind-numbing details. These details included things such as; boring endless practices, days or events that were irrelevant, and other such things. The book also let important or exciting moments linger for too long. For instance, the first time she played basketball is significant to her story, but was too strung out. The author’s writing and style was too dry and repetitive for my taste.


The book does have one major plus, it presents many facts and statistics throughout the story. These facts consist of playing at USC, records she broke, people she played alongside, etc. However all of these facts can be found anywhere Lisa’s name is mentioned. They don’t give you a reason themselves to buy or enjoy the book. This made me form the opinion that the book lacked originality.


Some might say reasons to buy her autobiography are because you hear it from her perspective for the first time. Hearing it from Lisa’s own words does provide details and opinions other sources can’t. This would be an immense aspect if she was capable of projecting such things in an interesting manner. I found her descriptions to be weak and lacking sufficient details. Her writing was also poor when it came to examining how well she kept her audience intrigued. Unfortunately with her pitiful, unskilled writing the advantages and key selling points of her book were out-weighed.


Don’t Let the Lipstick Fool You contains essential information about Lisa‘s career, along with her personal story that will inspire many. Nevertheless her writing throughout the feature was monotonous. The book also contains excessive details that take away from the main point. The facts that were presented aren’t magnificent either because they can be acquired anywhere. In conclusion Lisa Leslie’s autobiography is not a pleasant read, and with that statement I would recommend anyone that is pondering on whether to read or by the book to save their time and money.