Heaven Is a Playground - Softcover

Telander, Rick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803294530 ISBN 13: 9780803294530

Publisher: Bison Books, 2004

Synopsis

In 1974 Rick Telander intended to spend a few days doing a magazine piece on the court wizards of Brooklyn’s Foster Park. He ended up staying the entire summer, becoming part of the players’ lives, and eventually the coach of a loose aggregation known as the Subway Stars. Telander tells of everything he saw: the on-court flash, the off-court jargon, the late-night graffiti raids, the tireless efforts of one promoter-hustler-benefactor to get these kids a chance at a college education. He lets the kids speak for themselves, revealing their grand dreams and ambitions, but he never flinches from showing us how far their dreams are from reality. The roots of today’s inner-city basketball can be traced to the world Telander presents in Heaven Is a Playground, the first book of its kind.

About this title

Review:

In 1974, Rick Telander intended to spend a few days doing a magazine piece on the court wizards of Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant area. He ended up staying the entire summer, become part of the players' lives and eventually the coach of a loose aggregation known as the Subway Stars.

Telander lets these kids speak for themselves, revealing their grand dreams and ambitions, but never flinches from showing us how far their dreams are from reality. The precursor to Ben Joravsky's Hoop Dreams.

About the Author:

Rick Telander is a sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and was named 2002 Illinois Sportswriter of the Year by the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bison Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0803294530
• ISBN 13: 9780803294530
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224