Zondervan has acquired the rights to a memoir by Dr. Bennet Omalu, whose part was played by Will Smith in the football film Concussion. Set to release in fall 2017, the book will be co-written by New York Times best-selling author Mark Tabb (Mistaken Identity, The Sacred Acre).

In the book, Omalu will share his life story, what led to his discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and how he was uniquely positioned to address the concussion issue with the NFL. Omalu’s book will reportedly share never-before-told insight into CTE, along with personal stories and testimony about the important role his faith has played in his work.

David Morris, vice president and publisher of Zondervan books, said much of Omalu’s story had not yet been told.

“There is more to his story than what viewers saw on movie screens,” Morris said. “Dr. Bennet is a man of deep faith and conviction. He wants to share how his faith carried him from a young boy suffering from malnutrition in Nigeria to becoming a highly recognized doctor courageously fighting for victims of CTE. This is a story of overcoming around one of today’s most fascinating topics.”

The book will open with Omalu conducting an autopsy on Mike Webster and not realizing what he had discovered or its lasting implications. His journey will unfold as he remembers his turbulent childhood in Africa and how his faith prepared him, an outsider to American culture, to stage a difficult battle.

Steve Ross, director of the books division at Abrams Artists Agency, commented on the memoir.

“This is a man whose dramatic life journey deserves to be told,” Ross said. “Dr. Omalu is driven by an insatiable hunger for truth and a divine calling to speak out for that what he believes to be right. This book will make a lasting impression, and we are thrilled to partner with Zondervan and HarperCollins Christian.”

Omalu continues to research CTE, an important social and medical issue that is not bound by one sport. Readers will learn more about the disease and how Omalu’s research can help adapt contact sports, especially those played by children, to be safer.

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