'Tis the season for basketball. It's been years since I've watched basketball on TV, but I've signed up for YouTube TV and I've actually watched a few games recently. This is an increase of epic proportions so I'm going to really go out on a limb and suggest several basketball books for your March Madness enjoyment.
Sum It Up by Pat Summit - I loved this memoir and found Summit's battle with early onset Alzheimer's so sad. She was an amazing woman and coach.
Standing Tall by C. Vivian Stringer- Stringer was the first black Big Ten Women's Basketball coach, leading the Iowa Hawkeye Women during my childhood. I always have found her fascinating.
Sixth Man by Andre Igoudala- this recent read (about a player I'd never even heard of at that time) was so good. Igoudala is intelligent and interesting and caused me to think about things in a different way.
Playing For Knight by Steve Alford- when I read this book (long ago), I still liked Steve Alford, Indiana's Mr. Basketball. After he became the coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes mens' team, I tried really hard to like him, and think back to this book. Sadly, he didn't live up to who I thought he was.
Above the Rim by Jen Bryant- this picture book tells the story of Elgin Baylor, a black player for the Minneapolis Lakers, who stood up to segregation. My dad loved Baylor as a young boy growing up in Minneapolis, and was driven home from a game by him one day.
Michael Jordan: The Life by Roland Lazenby - this is a chunker and will take a little time, but Lazenby begins with Jordan's childhood. Even though I thought I knew the basics of MJ's life, there are definitely things that were new to me.
Dragon Hoops by Gene Yuen Lang -this graphic novel is a fun basketball story that will appeal to even those readers who really don't care about basketball at all.
The Back Roads to March by John Feinstein - Feinstein is a name that instantly comes to mind when I think about great sports writers. He's written a few books about March Madness. This is his most recent.
Hooper by Geoff Herbach- a young adult novel about a boy who comes to the United States and realizes that basketball is his passport to belonging.
Crossover by Kwame Alexander - a novel in verse that had me hearing the beat of the basketball dribbling as I read. Twin brothers who are in love with the game is the subject of this middle grade book.
It was hard to pick just ten books about this sport I love to watch. I may not be able to play this game, but I certainly love reading about it.
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