A Game of Character

“The First Lady’s brother looks back on the childhood that shaped them”
-People

“A celebration of the people who’ve shaped Robinson’s life”
-espn.com

“Robinson’s book covers life and business advice transmitted through stories of sports and family life. Robinson recounts the genuinely charming story of a truly strong family.”
-Boston Globe

“If you cherish your dad, or deeply miss a father who has passed away, you will love the way Robinson describes Fraser Robinson throughout the book, the father who called him “Cat.””
-Oregonlive.com

“Craig Robinson chronicles his childhood with Michelle and their parents’ first impressions of Barack Obama. The book is sprinkled with life lessons on how these siblings excelled and how Craig Robinson, when confronted with challenge – including a rocky academic start at Princeton University and a first marriage that ended in divorce – picked himself up.”
-Chicago Tribune

“Craig doesn’t profess to know the specifics of politics the way he knows the X’s and O’s of basketball. But I think what he does understand is the need to wake up every morning doing your best and having a positive attitude. And him communicating that to me was always very helpful.”
-President Barack Obama

“He’s smart as a whip.”
-Bill Grier, Head Coach of the University of San Diego basketball team

“He helped elect a president.”
-The New York Times

“Craig’s understanding of character and his sound judgment for how to win on any court, clearly learned in the extraordinary household where he grew up, are unsurpassed. The lessons he shares in this book provide a playbook for success that can be applied by anyone. It’s been a joy to witness his remarkable journey.”
-Bill Carmody, Men’s Basketball Coach, Northwestern University

“Robinson lays out enough family history to keep Obamaphiles sated – he mentions Michelle about every 10 pages – while using most of the book to relate his philosophy of life, love and, above all, basketball.”
-Washington Post

“A Game of Character offers insight into the challenges faced and overcome by a tightly-knit family that just happened to become famous. The book attempts to depict the origins of the emotional fortitude, moral character, and empathy shown by Mrs. Obama and shared by Mr. Robinson, while providing a timely example of hard-won success through adversity.”
-thegrio.com

“For many years the role of family historian-the ‘keeper of the family lore’ as Craig puts it-had belonged to his father, my late husband, Fraser Robinson. Without Fraser here to keep those stories alive, they were in danger of becoming lost and Craig was determined not to let them go, but instead to take up his father’s mantle of storyteller, motivator, and philosopher-in-chief. Craig has risen to the challenge with A Game of Character, a book that not only pays tribute to his parents (and to all parents, teachers, mentors, and coaches, for that matter) but also honors a beautiful brother-sister relationship and all sibling, family, and community relationships.”
-Marian Robinson (from the foreword)

Craig Robinson grew up on the Southside of Chicago with his younger sister, Michelle, and his parents, Marian and Fraser Robinson. He played college basketball for Princeton under the legendary Pete Carril, where he was a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year. After playing professionally in Europe, Craig made an about-face, entering the competitive field of finance. With his MBA from the University of Chicago, his meteoric rise landed him a partnership in a promising new venture. But another dream beckoned, and Craig left the financial world to become a basketball coach. Prior to joining Oregon State, Craig spent two years as the head coach at Brown, leading a revival of the Bears’ program. He won more games in his first two years than any other head coach in Brown’s basketball history and was named Ivy League Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year by Basketball-U.com. Before Brown, Craig spent six seasons with the Northwestern Wildcats under head coach Bill Carmody, where he developed and implemented his local, national, and international recruiting technology. Craig Robinson currently lives in Oregon with his wife, Kelly, and his children.

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