- Hardcover: 243 pages
- Publisher: New York University Press (December 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0814757294
- ISBN-13: 978-0814757291
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 16.2 x 2.1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 476 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,921,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In his study of the soaring myths and ugly realities surrounding the world of high school basketball, May (Talking at Trena's) does the math: of the 530,000-odd high school basketball players this nation fielded in 2001, a mere 405 ever played professionally. This works out to a measly .001 probability—a fact that doesn't keep the kids he helps coach in a mostly black, poverty-stricken Georgia neighborhood from dreaming of the big time. More sociology paper than general interest book, May's work has the kind of on-the-ground raw material that most chroniclers of charged subjects (race, poverty, crime and social advancement) would dream of, yet he seems strangely unable to make much of it. After dividing his book into chapters on race, masculinity, sportsmanship and the like, May marches dutifully through each of them, reporting his findings with the utmost of care, never overstating something he doesn't have hard data for. Given literally a front-row seat to the arena where several of society's most potent stereotypes are played out, May retreats from the fray with his stiff, term-paper prose and cautious mien. However, May's commitment to these boys is clear, as he becomes convinced that even though their fantasies of living the American dream are for the most part a dirty trick, it still remains about the best thing going in their sadly limited lives. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"An important addition to the literature of women's studies."-"Publishers Weekly", starred review
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Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Intimate Perspective, Feb 19 2008
By GA-boy - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Living Through the Hoop: High School Basketball, Race, and the American Dream (Hardcover)
May has an uncanny ability to immerse the reader in his intimate dealings with the subsets of society he studies. As a participant/observer in this high school basketball community, May is able to both pose and answer questions that the casual reader would never be privileged to embark upon alone. The end result of this work is to share a rare perspective of the struggles faced by the specific black youth of "Northeast" high school, and of the impact of social elements in the creation and attainment of life goals by youth in general. Great book.
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