The book, co-authored with writer Michael McKinley, tells O'Ree's story from his upbringing in Fredericton, New Brunswick, to his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 in the Builders category.
The new book also provides historical context and personal insights about the man who overcame racial prejudice and blindness in his right eye -- the result of an injury sustained in junior hockey -- to become the NHL's first Black player when he joined the Boston Bruins on Jan. 18, 1958, for a game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Forum.
It's the latest of several books written about O'Ree, including an autobiography O'Ree wrote with McKinley in 2000 that was aimed toward a younger audience.
But O'Ree said this one was tougher to write because it delves more into his life and some of the racially painful episodes that occurred on his path to the NHL, as well as during some of the 45 games that he played with the Bruins between 1958-61.
"This was a lot harder because it really goes in depth in my life starting from when I was born in Fredericton, growing up, the racism and stuff that I was exposed to," said O'Ree, the NHL diversity ambassador. "Mike (McKinley) says, 'How much detail do you really want to tell about your life?' I said, 'Well, just things that happened and things that I've overcome.
"I'm happy with the book. I think if a lot of people get the opportunity to read it, I think they'll say, 'Gee, we've only known him playing hockey, but he was involved with other things, jobs and relationships,' and learn what type of person I am."
