Dragon Hoops
Ratings12
Average rating3.9
In his latest graphic novel, Dragon Hoops, New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang turns the spotlight on his life, his family, and the high school where he teaches. Gene understands stories—comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins. But Gene doesn’t get sports. As a kid, his friends called him “Stick” and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men’s varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that’s been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships. Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he’s seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. What he doesn’t know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons’s lives, but his own life as well.
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Teens (and adults) will LOVE this book! He covers the history of men's and women's basketball while serving an exciting through line story of the Bishop O'Dowd High School 2014-2015 baseketball season (I teared up at the last game, he builds such realistic excitement and emotion), offers a window into many of the main high school player's lives, and frames the story with his own meta-moments about his writing process (not sure as many kids will connect to this piece but some will and adult readers definitely will) and how his storyline decisions and who/what he includes will affect the reader. The only downside is it's a brick of a book, at 430+ pages hardback, and that visual thickness might initially put some kids off, but booktalking this will be an easy sell and kids will definitely feel accomplished that they've tackled such a thick book, and then spread the love on to other kids! Will definitely need to purchase multiple copies.
Fantastic! Highly recommend if you are interested in basketball, comics, high school stories. Heck, just read it regardless.
Gene Luen Yang tells the true story of the attempt of the basketball team at the high school where he works to win the state championship in this new graphic novel, Dragon Hoops. In the process, he also explores racism in sports, the history of basketball, and the individual struggles of those on the team. And he somehow manages to also intertwine the story of the basketball team with his own personal struggles to combine his work as a teacher with that of his work as a graphic artist and his desire to be a good dad and husband.
Man, I loved this story! I want to tell someone to go read it. Now. Would you do that for me?
