Dennis Rodman is for the children (Andrew D. Bernstein/ Getty).
Dennis Rodman is known for many things: historically fantastic rebounding, ridiculous action movies in which Jean-Claude Van Damme fights a tiger, wedding dresses, etc. What he's not known for, though, is being anything close to family-friendly. He likes to shock people, and for the most part that does not include imparting valuable life lessons to the children of the world.
So it may shock you to learn that Dennis Rodman has a real children's book available for purchase (although it's only on Amazon.com via an unaffiliated seller). From the Associated Press:
The Hall of Famer’s book, “Dennis The Wild Bull,” came out today, and fans will immediately recognize Rodman’s influence. The large red bull on the cover has flowing red hair, two nose rings, a tattoo and red stubble under his chin. [...]
“More than anything, I just want little kids today just to understand: Ain’t no matter what you do in life -- be different, rich or poor, man -- guess what? It’s OK to be who you are pretty much and you’ll be accepted,” Rodman said. [...]
The author, whose previous works include titles such as “Bad as I Wanna Be” and “I Should Be Dead by Now,” chose a different audience this time. He said even now, he is recognized by children who never saw him play, and those are the ones he wanted to reach.
“For a guy like me to be very eccentric, to even go to extremes to write a children’s book with all the wild things I do and make it believable was pretty much incredible,” Rodman said.
Co-written with Dustin Warburton, the book tells the story of Dennis, a bull who is taken away from his family and forced to live with other bulls in a rodeo. Though he looks nothing like them, they come to accept him and they all become friends.
I think it's wise that Rodman chose a different audience and lesson for this book, because a children's book with a Rodman-esque title like "All Your Dreams Will Be Crushed" or "Let Me Show You My Piercings" probably wouldn't sell very well. Then again, maybe I don't understand the today's kids.
This venture is a big change from Rodman, who these days finds himself in the news for stories involving coaching a topless women's basketball team, a crazy birthday party held two months after his actual birthday, and failing to pay child support. You could be forgiven for thinking he's not the best role model for children, no matter his message.
The message, though, is pretty good, and we hope that kids all over the world learn the importance of being comfortable with themselves. Whether or not they need "Dennis the Wild Bull" for guidance is a separate issue.