Q Mack: Dare to Be Different

Sylvia Pantaleo is an associate professor of education, specializing in
children’s literature, at the University of Victoria. She is the
coauthor of Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary
Classroom.

Quincy Mack is a professional basketball trickster and motivational
speaker. He travels to schools and presents workshops, using his
basketball tricks to capture the interest of his audiences. In Dare to
Be Different, Mack uses a conversational style to communicate many
important messages to his readers. By using personal examples from his
own life, he conveys “life messages” such as “The biggest choice
anybody has is the choice of attitude” and “If you want results, you
start with an end in mind and then take it one step at a time.” There
are two additional chapters titled “It’s Showtime, Baby!” and
“The Little Known FAQ.” In the former, Mack details the chronology
of his career, and in the latter, he provides answers to frequently
asked questions.

The personal stories in the book contribute to the sincerity of the
didactic messages. However, the repetitive style in each of the 10
chapters becomes tedious, and additional content editing would have
improved several of the narratives. Not a first-choice purchase.