*We spoke with Dr. Lucille O’Neal, mother of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, about the re-release of her memoir, “While I Have Your Attention.” With over five decades of life experience, Dr. O’Neal reflects on the challenges and triumphs of raising her children and overcoming life’s hurdles.
Dr. O’Neal’s updated memoir dropped October 1 and includes a heartfelt foreword by her son Shaq who said, “I am what I am, and I have what I have, because of Lucille O’Neal’s DNA running through my veins.” The book is filled with lessons on resilience, faith, and the power of new beginnings. In our conversation with Dr. O’Neal, she shared insight into her journey as a mother, navigating both personal struggles and family success.
“I got inspired to bring this second refresh from HarperCollins,” Dr. O’Neal said of the timing of the book’s release. “They extended an invitation for me to do a refresh. My first memoir was written in 2010 and it was called ‘Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go.’ So they felt that message and that memoir was good enough to do the refresh, but I’m inspired so much by my children,” she explained. “I have 16 grandchildren. I have three great-grandchildren. I have a host of friends and relatives and I’m inspired by the people that I meet. I love to be able to encourage them and I get so much encouragement coming back to me. I’m inspired by what’s going on in my life right now. I’m so happy. I’m in a very happy place and I thank God for that.”
Here’s the official book synopsis: “In the book, Dr. Lucille O’Neal shares her remarkable life story and bares it all – from the vulnerable struggles and disappointments to her fondest memories and proudest accomplishments. Her fierce determination to overcome every setback and stereotype along the way carried her through her toughest moments including teenage pregnancy, the grip of drug addiction within the family, and the pain of divorce. Through it all, Lucille prevailed and stepped into hope and a renewed faith. And in her 40s, after successfully raising four children, she fulfilled her personal dreams of completing her higher education, becoming a public speaker, and organizing for charitable causes close to her heart.”
During our interview, we asked Dr. O’Neal about the most challenging aspects of writing about her personal experiences in her memoir, and whether revisiting those memories for the re-release was a transformative process for her.
“I told my kids a long time ago, I said, I wanna write a book one day,” said. Dr. O’Neal. “We write books and we write memoirs so that we can share a part of our lives. But in my life, a lot of things I was ashamed of. I told my kids, I said, ‘You’re gonna read some things in this book that you didn’t know anything about.’ I warned them before it came to print, but they said, ‘Mommy, it’s okay.’ We try to be perfect. We wanna be perfect in everybody else’s eyes, but we are not perfect,” she explained.
“We go through some things so that we can be a witness to help somebody else that’s going through the same thing. So when I made up my mind, I’m just gonna put it all out there… Nobody wants to be called a drunk. So I’m gonna tell you that I was a drunk before I let you say that I was a drunk. It’s my truth and we gotta be truthful.”
Dr. O’Neal said penning her memoir allowed her to unload “some of those feelings that I had of being shameful.”
Watch our full conversation with Dr. Lucille O’Neal in the video below.
“While I Have Your Attention” is available for purchase here.
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