I Should be Dead by Now

Dennis Rodman is one of the most interesting popular culture figures of the current generation, in addition to being one of the biggest attention-whores, so it comes as no surprise that he has authored two books. I Should be Dead by Now has more of an angle on his post-basketball life, including the end of his career, than does Bad as I Wanna be, his first book. Rodman struggles with faithfulness, alcoholism, and many philosophical issues in the book, and when he takes a serious tone, the book is actually quite more than simple entertainment. At points in the book, sections called "Reality Check" highlight important points and nail them into the reader's head. It seems that Rodman doesn't want us to make some of the same mistakes as him--the all-night partying, failed relationships because of polygamy, and not realizing family is important, among others--and opens up to us as a result. His wild stories definitely provide the entertainment aspect, however, as he relates many of his trysts with women, booze, and bizarre adventures along the way. If ever there were a candidate for a reality show before reality television became big, Rodman in about 1997 or so would have been it. He is one of the few popular culture figures that transcends not only the game he plays (basketball), but social issues as well (gender, sexuality, etc.), and that definitely comes across in an entertaining, insightful book.