Life Is Not an Accident: A Memoir of Reinvention

I found this book by visiting the Breakfast Club and watching Jay's interview with the crew.It was very humbling to watch this man speak on the most disappointing aspect of his life with such fervor and honesty. It prompted me to buy his book in which I read in 2.5 days. Phenomenal read.Written from a man who searched to find his way in life and gravitated to the pasttime many young black boys seek. Sports - Basketball in particular. Basketball helped cement a future for this young phenom to be successful and provide for his family. A memorable quote by his father stands out to me as they visited Duke University and listened to Coach K spiel for him to go to Duke."Do you want to be a king among men or a King among Kings?" This quote really stands out as this should be a question asked of every boy reaching manhood. I believe this was probably one the greatest questions Jay was asked and it determined his trajectory into the Pros.Being one of the best ball players in the 2002 draft, He was flying on cloud 9 in the pros until that fateful day of his motorcycle accident which changed the course of everything. It reminds me of a meme I posted on FB. "The things you take for granted will eventually be taken away." How so true in Jay's case, but what he received was so much better... A second chance at making life better.I tip my hat to Jay as many of us live with our disappointments internally, Jay must continually live with his to the world as he is constantly reminded of a decision gone bad.I can definitely relate as I made quite a few bad decisions in my life.Excellent book, excellent read. A MUST BUY.

A strong memoir with a message of lived experience, choices, loss, what was found, maturity, and direction for an actual life beyond basketball. Jay Williams stumbles every so often in his choice of prose, but has a powerful voice that comes through and finishes strong. A book worth everyone's time.

In 2002 I was fortunate enough to meet Jay at a local restaurant in NJ right after his last season at Duke and shortly before he left for Chicago. My son was 11 at the time and I was raising both my children to be as big if not bigger college basketball nuts as I was. Jason and I along with some of his buds who's dad owned the establishment we were in had a nice chat and I asked Jay if I rang my son up if he would chat with him. Jay being the gentlemen that he was and is graciously said yes. When I got my son on the phone I said "hey buddy! who is the greatest guard ever to play at Duke?" The reply came quickly "Jason Williams dad!" I replied "well hold on here he is" Jay proceeded to have a ten minute conversation with my boy that no doubt made me the greatest dad on the planet. I appreciated Jay for doing that as much as I appreciated watching him his 3 years at Duke running the court. Like all others who knew of jay and his future we were devastated to hear the news of his injuries resulting from that fateful day in Chicago and like all of us were so grateful to see his return to the world of college basketball as a broadcaster. "Life Is Not An Accident" is a brutally honest, inspiring account of those events. In the same vain as Jimmy V and Stuart Scott jay articulates the "never give up attitude" fortunately we are still graced with his presence and look forward to many more years of seeing him get body surfed up the stands on the hands of UVA students after picking Hoos to beat UNC. Thanks for the book Jay and thanks for persevering and continuing to add to the sport we love. We look forward to 2016-2017 season.

Long time Duke fan here. J Will will always be Jason to me. I really enjoyed this book. I knew Jason was trying hard to be able to play in the NBA after his accident, but I had no idea the tremendous effort that he took and the hard work and sacrifice that he made. His injuries were just too much for him to be able to overcome and play in the NBA again. When Jason played at Duke, he was in my opinion the fastest player ever at Duke, with by far the fastest first step of anyone. He was a great player and has worked hard to become a great analyst. It was also interesting to read about the drinking, marijuana use, and womanizing done by many players. I guess that is why many of them end up with little money after their careers. This is just a great book about determination and struggle that I really enjoyed. He is one of my favorite players to play at Duke and definitely was my son's all time favorite (he wore his number in high school and partly through college). Way to go Jason! A great book on determination and reinvention.

Great book about Jay Williams career in college basketball and early NBA career after his motorcycle wreck.

I thought that this book was focused on the psychological/emotional angle of Jay's accident and recovery but I was wrong. So much of the book is about technical basketball things that unless you are a player or coach it will just go over your head. The first 122 pages were about games, play calling, recruiting, agents and that sort of thing. After that was a lot of medical terminology regarding his injuries and rehab and the occasional mention of his addiction to oxycontin (which he never addressed in detail). Very briefly and vaguely did he mention his emotions or psychological journey to where he is today. I am disappointed because it just wasn't what I was expecting.Also, beware that there are some curse words present. I was shocked because this is the first non-fiction book that I have read that contained curse words. I had also never viewed Jay as someone who cursed or who would do some of the things mentioned in the book but again I was very wrong. He is correct in the book when he commented that the way the media portrayed him was very different to the real Jay Williams.

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Great item description and great value, along with fast shipping! Highly recommended! : )

Jay’s accident is well-documented, but only reading this book we can truly understand what he went through. Amazing life story

A very inspirational and well written book. Thanks for sharing your story and what you learned from it!

I heard Jay Williams speak on Inside Quest with Tom Bilyeu about 3 weeks ago. I had hit an all time low in my life and was seeking guidance through my troubling times. After listening to Jay's interview, I thought I would give his book a shot. Jay is completely raw and open throughout the entire book. While I know nothing about basketball, the principles which can be drawn from his writings are universally applicable. Jay has inspired me to appreciate how far I have come in life, to seek professional help (for the first time in my life) and to continue to move forward attacking each opportunity as it presents itself. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is going through a troubling time in their life or to anyone who is looking for an excellent book to lose themselves in.