Most Popular Books by Raymond Obstfeld

Theo Rollins is starting eighth grade six inches taller, and his new height is making everyone expect more from him. Coach Mandrake wants to transform him from invisible science geek into star basketball player, even though Theo has little experience with the game. When Theo tries to hone his skills by playing pick-up ball in the park, kids are eager to include him at first; then they quickly see that he has no control of his gangly body. A girl named Rain even dubs him "Sasquatch." To make matters worse, all his time spent on training is starting to hurt his science club''s chances of winning the "Aca-lympics," the school''s trivia competition. Just when Theo thinks he can''t handle any more pressure, he''s accused of stealing. Can he find the real thief before he is kicked off the basketball and science club teams, or will his attempt at sleuthing be yet another air ball? Loosely based on challenges that NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar faced while growing up, Sasquatch in the Paint is a slam dunk for fans of basketball action and absorbing mysteries

A New York Times and Washington Post Bestseller Bestselling author, basketball legend and cultural commentator Kareem Abdul-Jabbar explores the heart of issues that affect Americans today. Since retiring from professional basketball as the NBA''s all-time leading scorer, six-time MVP, and Hall of Fame inductee, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has become a lauded observer of culture and society, a New York Times bestselling author, and a regular contributor to The Washington Post, TIME magazine and TIME.com. He now brings that keen insight to the fore in Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White, his most incisive and important work of non-fiction in years. He uses his unique blend of erudition, street smarts and authentic experience in essays on the country''s seemingly irreconcilable partisan divide - both racial and political, parenthood, and his own experiences as an athlete, African-American, and a Muslim. The book is not just a collection of expositions; he also offers keen assessments of and solutions to problems such as racism in sports while speaking candidly about his experiences on the court and off. Timed for publication as the nation debates whom to send to the White House, the combination of plain talk on issues, life lessons, and personal stories places Writings on the Wall squarely in the middle of the conversation, as many of Abdul-Jabbar''s topics are at the top of the national agenda. Whether it is sparring with Donald Trump, within the pages of TIME magazine, or full-length features in the The New York Times Magazine, writers, critics, and readers have come to agree on what The Washington Post observed: Abdul-Jabbar "has become a vital, dynamic and unorthodox cultural voice."

While twins Ella and Herbie help the handyman Mr. Midal work on their new home, he tells them about such inventors as Granville Woods, Dr. Henry T. Sampson, and James West, giving them a new view of their heritage as African Americans.

Writing page-turning fiction depends on your ability to create rock-solid, believable scenes. Scenes act as dynamic structures that thrust both your characters and readers forward through conflict, baiting them with goals that may–&break;In Novelist''s Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes, Raymond Obstfeld leads you through the creation process, examining all the elements that go into making scenes successful, cohesive and compelling. Tackling topics like finding a scene''s "hot spot," identifying its dominating purpose and avoiding a cliched ending, Obstfeld provides essential reading for novice and novelist alike. Using examples from film, short stories, and best-selling fiction, he documents why and how scenes work. You''ll learn: &break;&break; what is (and isn''t) a scene&break; how to make scenes memorable&break; how to use point of view&break; how to focus on character, plot and theme&break; how to make scenes pay off&break; how to structure a scene&break; how to use setting&break; how to revise a scene&break; the importance of first impressions &break;&break;Every page of Novelist''s Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes opens a new window of opportunity for writers by offering valuable insight, articulate advice and expert examples. It''s a reference, a road map and a romp, all rolled into one. So go on–make a scene. And make it unforgettable.

A sweeping look back at the protest movements that changed America from activist and NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with personal and historical insights into lessons they can teach us today “A compelling case for standing up for justice at a time when everything, it seems, is on the line.”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr. For many, it can feel like change takes too long, and it might seem that we have not moved very far. But political activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar believes that public protest is a vital part of affecting change, even if that change doesn’t come “right now.” In We All Want to Change the World, he examines the activism of people of all ages, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds that helped change America, documenting events from the Free Speech Movement through the movement for civil rights, the fight for women’s and LGBTQ rights, and, of course, the protests against the Vietnam War. At a time in our history when we are witnessing protests across campuses, within the labor movement, and following the killing of George Floyd, Abdul-Jabbar reminds us that protests are a lifeblood of our history: “Protest movements, even peaceful ones, are never popular at first. . . . But there is a reason protest gatherings have been so frequent throughout history: They are effective. The United States exists because of them.” Part history lesson and part personal reminiscences of his own activism, We All Want to Change the World will resonate with anyone who recognizes the need for social change and is willing to do the work to make it happen.

From a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and New York Times bestselling author, this coming-of-age story follows Chris Richards after a basketball game goes wrong and leaves him searching for answers about his brother’s strange behavior. Chris Richards has always looked up to Jax, his older brother and his parents'' "golden child." Lately, though, Jax has been full of surprises. First he dropped out of law school; then he started hanging out with some shifty-looking friends. One day Jax asks Chris to recruit his best middle school teammates for a pick-up basketball game in the park. Chris doesn''t think much of it until the wrong team wins and Jax goes ballistic. It turns out that Jax bet on the game, hoping to earn enough money to repay a debt to someone who doesn''t forgive easily. While Chris tries to walk a thin tightrope between helping his brother and staying out of trouble, his friend Theo does some behind-the-scenes detective work to learn what Jax has been up to. The day Chris is roped into a police investigation is the day he realizes he made the wrong play.

The irreverent, outrageous novels of Raymond Obstfeld - written under the pseudonym Laramie Dunaway - five readers everywhere something to laugh about. Each book, his wisecracking, exuberant characters plunge head and heart first into grim modern realities that are twisted just enough to become a little bit naughty and a whole lot of fun.

In search of the purloined Apocalypse Handbook, Mycroft Holmes and Lark Adler criss-cross the United States, facing danger and intrigue at every turn. But what does the latest heist of Jesse James and his band of outlaws have to do with their quest? What secrets is Lark hiding in her past? And what traumas and triumphs have shaped Mycroft into the man he is today?

Theo and the rest of the Streetball Crew have to find out who is pulling the pranks at basketball camp.

A high school student whose promising basketball career is in jeopardy discovers the triumphs and hardships of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar''s life as a social justice advocate in this stunningly illustrated graphic novel. Monk Travers is the star basketball player on his high school team. Confident about his future as an NBA player, he doesn’t see the point in caring much about school, let alone his community. But his world is about to change—big time! After getting caught graffitiing his team''s rival school, Monk comes to the awful realization that his actions have put his place on the team—and his future—in jeopardy. Fearing the worst, he’s taken by surprise when his coach offers him an unorthodox way to atone: completing a report on the life of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Monk is ecstatic. He knows all Kareem’s records and stats. He smugly announces that the project will be a snap, but his excitement is short-lived when coach tells him that the project is not about Kareem’s basketball career—it’s about his life as an advocate for change. As Monk grudgingly begins his research, he discovers a history of struggles, conflicts, frustrations, and violence that he’d never been aware of, awakening a passion for social justice that rivals Kareem’s own.

Every writer struggles with spots that "just aren''t working"in their manuscript. No other book on the market approaches works like Fiction First Aid does, which quickly shows how seemingly fatal errors can become both manageable and fixable. Novice and more experienced writers alike will appreciate the book''s techniques for identifying and revising weaknesses in their work. Fiction First Aid shows how to repair those wounded manuscripts through easy-to-follow steps, patterned after those found in your typical first-aid manual: 1) Diagnose the problem 2) Suggest specific remedies 3) Prescribe therapies to avoid the problem in the future It couldn''t be any easier! Raymond Obstfeld is the author of 27 novels in a variety of genres, including mysteries, suspense thrillers, and mainstream novels and The Novelist''s Essential Guide to Creating Scenes. He has also sold ten screenplays, thirteen books of nonfiction, numerous short stories, poems, and nonfiction articles. He resides in Tustin, California, and heads the writing program at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.

When eighth-grader Chris''s older brother Jax is caught betting on the pick-up basketball games that Chris and his friends play, Chris becomes involved in the police investigation.

Mycroft hits the USA in search of the Apocalypse Handbook - but an encounter at the New York docks leaves him battered and bruised at the hands of impossible superweapons ¨C and that''s even before he follows the trail out West, where an unexpected face boards his train, with robbery on his mind! And introducing... Lark Adler!

Mycroft Holmes: rake, adventurer, intellectual; deductive mind without peer! Thrust into the greatest quest of his young life, Mycroft is forced to battle a monstrous abombination in the bowels of Buckingham Palace, as a courtly conspiracy threatens the world with steampunk weapons of mass destruction! With only his wits to aid him, Mycroft is soon set on a globe-trotting mission to reclaim the plans for the weapons ¨C before they fall into more nefarious hands!

Basketball legend, novelist, and superstar polymath Kareem Abdul-Jabbar brings his take on Sherlock Holmes'' older brother to comics at last! An all-new adventure set in the world of the bestselling Mycroft novel, The Apocalypse Handbook sees the diffident, brilliant Mycroft pulled into a globe-spanning adventure at the behest of Queen Victoria and a secret organization at the heart of the British government. A madman is on the loose with civilization-destroying weapons, each two hundred years in advance of the status quo. Can the smartest man in England set aside his idle, womanizing ways for long enough to track down the foe that may be his match?

Masked Dog by Raymond Obstfeld released on Jun 24, 1986 is available now for purchase.

Theo Rollins is starting eighth grade six inches taller, and his new height is making everyone expect more from him. Coach Mandrake wants to transform him from invisible science geek into star basketball player, even though Theo has little experience with the game. When Theo tries to hone his skills by playing pick-up ball in the park, kids are eager to include him at first; then they quickly see that he has no control of his gangly body. A girl named Rain even dubs him “Sasquatch.” To make matters worse, all his time spent on training is starting to hurt his science club’s chances of winning the “Aca-lympics,” the school’s trivia competition. Just when Theo thinks he can’t handle any more pressure, he’s accused of stealing. Can he find the real thief before he is kicked off the basketball and science club teams, or will his attempt at sleuthing be yet another air ball? Loosely based on challenges that NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar faced while growing up, Sasquatch in the Paint is a slam dunk for fans of basketball action and absorbing mysteries.

In his first memoir written especially for young readers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will focus on his relationships with several important coaches in his life - including his father, his high-school coach and Coach Wooden - as he tells the story of his lif