NBA great teams up with writer and OCC instructor for a new kids book.
by Chris Sanchez, Views Editor for Coast Report Online
opens IMAGE file Orange Coast College English instructor Raymond Obstfeld (left) and NBA all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sign their newly released book “What Color is my World?” during a signing event at Barnes and Noble at the Irvine Spectrum. Photos by Lindsay Peters.
When English professor Raymond Obstfeld began to write at the age of 14, he would have never imagined he would one day be co-writing a book with the NBA’s all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar not only once, but twice.
The Orange Coast College professor who has written more than 40 books and written several screen plays, first worked with the NBA legend on a book about the Harlem Renaissance titled “On the Shoulders of Giants.”
The book went on to become a New York Times and Los Angeles Times Best Seller.
In what could be considered a testament to the power of networking, the two originally met through Kareem’s manager, Deborah Morales, who was a former student of Obstfeld.
“The duo’s latest collaborative project, “What Color is My World?” marks their first entry into the children’s book genre. The book was written to shed light on African-American inventors whose inventions have gone uncredited and could possibly lead to a series of books that examines the contributions of other cultures, the authors said.
“I thought it was a good idea because when I was a kid, history books only dealt with black Americans on the issues of slavery and civil rights and there’s so much more to the picture with regard to what black Americans have done in America,” Abdul-Jabbar said.
Obstfeld said he co-wrote the book with his own children in mind and even used them as inspiration for characters.
“It’s important to me because my kids are in school and I look at some of the stuff they read and I want them to know more. I’m sometimes surprised that they don’t know about these people. [These inventors] are lost and they shouldn’t be lost. They were overlooked and it’s important to us that we get them back in the forefront,” Obstfeld said.
Abdul-Jabbar said the concept for the book came from his 1996 book “Black Profiles in Courage” that featured African-American inventor Lewis Latimer, who developed the filament for the light bulb.
“I thought it was a perfect subject for a children’s book because a lot of these inventions are a key to what modern life is all about,” Adbul-Jabbar said.
The English professor said he enjoyed working with Abdul-Jabbar because of their shared scholastic interests.
“It’s a dream collaboration for me because we have the same interests in history. Kareem is extraordinarily knowledgeable in history and that made it a lot more fun,” Obstfeld said.
Abdul-Jabbar said he enjoys contributing to those in a position to educate.
“The feedback I get from teachers and people like that really makes me feel good because the information getting disseminated in that area is really a good thing for everybody,” Abdul Jabbar said.
Parents, children, and basketball fanatics turned out for the book signing held by the authors at the Barnes and Noble bookstore at the Irvine Spectrum Sunday.
Gigi Smith of Diamond Bar waited in line to get her copy of the book signed for her two nieces.
“There’s an amazing amount of information in this book that no one ever talks about and it has to do with things that are important now. Like, a black man invented the Super Soaker. My kids play with Super Soakers, so that’s really fantastic. It’s stuff that they really need to know,” Smith said.
Lake Forest residents Eric Martinez and his 11-year-old son Andrew got a copy signed by the authors for his wife Melissa Martinez, who teaches at El Moro Elementary in Laguna Beach, for her to keep in her classroom.
Andrew, who had already read the book, was hard-pressed to pick his favorite inventor until his father reminded him that if it were not for African-American inventor George Crum, there would be no potato chips for them to enjoy during the Super Bowl later that afternoon.