Craig Robinson has had a varied career, from investment bank vice-president to playing and coaching basketball, but now he adds author to his repertoire with a memoir about his famous younger sister, first lady Michelle Obama. A Game of Character, due Tuesday, offers family reminiscences of the Robinson family as they struggled and persevered together in Chicago’s South Side.

In his memoir, Robinson discusses the positive influence parents Fraser and Marian had on the young “Miche” and Craig, including advising him to prioritize academics over sports in his choice of college. Craig opted to attend Princeton University, and enjoyed a successful college basketball career before coach Pete Carril advised him to expand his horizons.

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Returning to Chicago for a master’s degree in finance, Robinson met Barack Obama, and sought to gain the measure of the man who had great ambitions – marrying little sister Michelle. Following their father’s observation that a man exposes his true nature on the basketball court, Craig put the future president to the test and ended up giving his blessing.

Far from a tell-all story, A Game of Character offers insight into the challenges faced and overcome by a tightly-knit family that just happened to become famous. The book attempts to depict the origins of the emotional fortitude, moral character, and empathy shown by Mrs. Obama and shared by Mr. Robinson, while providing a timely example of hard-won success through adversity.

Read an excerpt from A Game of Character on the Today Books website.