Attucks

This seriously might make my Christmas card list. This book was SO GOOD! I learned so much about Oscar Robertson, Crispus Attucks, race relations in Indianapolis, and Ray Crowe. This was well written and would appeal to both younger and adult readers. I loved the format, I loved the photos and the newspaper articles, and I love the way it was written. I knew that the Klan had deep roots in Indiana but I never realized how directly it impacted Indianapolis' schools and for HOW LONG. Crispus Attucks had to fight for years to even be allowed to play in the state tournament and once they did Black Hoosiers finally had something of their own to succeed in. At first it was a novelty for whites, but then as Atttucks turned into an unstoppable power house - it became something that they too took pride in. Attucks was an Indianapolis team and for years Indianapolis just couldn't compete with the rest of the state. Like Joe Louis and Rosa Parks; Oscar Robertson and the two time undefeated state champion Attucks team became a rallying cry for integration and better race relations. Eye opening, insightful, and empowering; far more than just a basketball book.

Rebound

A wonderful prequel to the award winning young adult novel, The Crossover. Written entirely in verse, Rebound follows Chuck Bell, the summer after his father's unexpected death when he is sent to stay with his grandparents. Angry and disinterested in everything except comics he is resigned to hate the whole summer but he soon discovers that he loves hanging with his father's family and to his surprise he's actually really good at basketball, a sport he always kind of avoided. The summer is filled with the Harlem Globetrotters, The Boys and Girls Club, comics, lawn mowing, and family. Chuck Bell has no idea how impactful this summer will be on the rest of his life. A slam dunk.

The Crossover

A quick, unforgettable read written in hip hope verse. On the surface The Crossover is about sports, but it's about so much more than that. Josh and his twin Jordan are real ballers. They are the stars of their middle school basketball team and if they weren't twins they would probably hate each other. Their relationship starts to sour when Jordan starts spending more of his time with a new girl then with Josh or basketball. To top it off he's worried about his dad and he wants the basketball championship trophy more than anything. Wonderfully written, appealing to boys and girls of all ages as well athletes, poets, and pretty much everyone. Definitely worthy of the Newbery medal.

25 Greatest Sports Stories in the History of Indiana

A monumental and impressive collection on what makes Indiana special and unique... sports. Lovingly curated and written, this coffee table book compiles twenty five of the greatest sports stories in Indiana (out of hundreds, whittling the list down must have been a nightmare!). When outsiders think of Indiana the first two things that pop to mind are basketball and the Indy 500. Behind that you'll get the Colts and the Pacers and Notre Dame and IU; but the most iconic imagery anyone can muster up about this great state ALWAYS centers on sports. And that isn't a problem, it just makes Hoosiers unique. When the treasury minted new quarters, one for each state; Indiana was the only state that featured a sports symbol, the race car. Even Naismith, the inventor of the game basketball said, "Basketball really had its origin in Indiana, which remains the center of the sport." 9 out of the largest 10 basketball gymnasiums in the world are found in Indiana. No matter where you go in the state, you cannot escape basketball hoops, they're lovingly placed on garages, barns, parks, dead ends, and anywhere they can fit. This collection covers sports heroes, venues, teams, and coaches; from Franklin's Wonder Five to Bob Knight to the Zeller family to the Milan Miracle. It's a wonderful tribute and is a must own for every Hoosier!

Coach Wooden and Me

A heartfelt and moving tribute to the legendary Coach Wooden. Kareem Abdul-Jabar minces no words and puts his heart and soul in these pages. He talks of their ups and downs; Coach Wooden's encouragement, advice, and friendship. Not just for basketball fans, this book highlights how to not only take good advice, but to truly live it. Inspiring and heartfelt this book moved me to wipe my eyes more than a few times. Not only do you learn about Kareem's life, but you learn about Coach Wooden's, most importantly though the reader learns hows their lives intersected repeatedly until a solid friendship had been formed between a 7 hoot tall New York black man and a white hick Midwesterner. A Beautiful read.

The Milan Miracle

This book wasn't what I thought it would be and I think I loved it even more for that. Based off the title I naively assumed that this would be about the 1954 Milan team that inspired the movie Hoosiers, but instead it focuses on Milan High School's current basketball team (2010-2011) and the struggles they face. Since the introduction of the class system in 1998 and even before that Milan, ceased to be the basketball powerhouse that it once was. Bill Riley follows the coach, the team, and the town for one whole season and tells of the ups and downs they face. It's a gripping high school basketball story, one markedly different then the legendary team that most people associate with Milan, but it doesn't make it any less important. Basketball is king in Indiana and books like this are just another reason why it will always remain that way. A wonderful read and I'm not even a sports junkie or basketball enthusiast.

On the Shoulders of Giants

This is hands down a must read! When my uncle suggested I read this, I was skeptical. It didn't look all that amazing. But he finally wore me down and I'm so glad he did, because I enjoyed the shit out of this work!

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar combines history and personal narratives to produce an enriched account of the Harlem Renaissance and how it impacted his personal beliefs, ideologies, and life. Kareem explores three major sections of the Harlem Renaissance: the literary achievements of black legends, basketball, and the roots of jazz. I'm no history expert, but I sure as hell learned a lot more about black culture and history then I ever did in my textbooks or college course in African American History. Sometimes it can be challenging to make historical events exciting, but with all the rich material from this era, Kareem has no problem bringing it to life and showing how it impacted his early years.

A fascinating and eye opening read. A must read for fans of history, civil rights, basketball, jazz, etc. There is something in it for everyone!

Boy21

I didn't even read the description, I saw it was written by Mathew Quick and I started reading. Two hours later I was crying in a bathtub and screaming at my cat. This book is intense. I was quite literally hooked from the very first sentence. I started reading it at dinner and I couldn't put it down, so naturally I took it in the tub with me to continue. An hour later I was crying in freezing cold water and yelling at the kitten to shut up and stop headbutting the door. It was so good I couldn't even stop for a moment to get out of the tub.

This book almost defies description. It's about basketball, growing up in the hood, mental health, family, relationships, integrity, the final frontier, and soo much else. Finley was one of the only white boys in the slummy town he grew up in, but that didn't stop him from playing basketball. His earliest memory is playing basketball in the backyard with the neighbor girl, Erin, and working hard to please his dad and his pops. His whole life has been spent trying to move forward and get out of Belmont, away from the Irish mob and the drugs. But Coach has just asked Finley for a favor. Boy21, has just moved to the neighborhood and Coach thinks that Finley is just the man to help break him out of his shell and play basketball. But will Boy21 stop Finley's momentum or maybe, just maybe, help him realize that looking back at the past doesn't have to be paralyzing. I can barely describe this book without giving anything away. So just read the damn book and message me about it so we can talk and cry together. It's well worth the read!