Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang. 448 p. First: Second/ Macmillan Publishers, March, 2020. 9781626720794. (Review of finished purchased copy.)
Fact Friday features Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang. Again, astute observers will recall that I featured Mr. Yang in a Friday Focus post and book talked the book there along with some of his other books. Dragon Hoops is part-autobiography and part-history of basketball and totally fantastic. Mr. Yang taught for seventeen years at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Northern California. Gene Luen Yang, a self-professed nerd had no interest in basketball, rarely set foot in the athletics building on campus and rarely crossed paths with Lou Richie, the storied coach of Dragon basketball. He himself is an O'Dowd alum and went to state with his much beloved coach and mentor. But as much as the Dragons dominated California basketball, the team never clinched a title. Gene Yang was looking for a story idea for his next graphic novel when he heard a rumor that the 2014 team had a great chance at going all the way. He began shadowing Richie and his team and grew to appreciate the game, its history and the players.
Dragon Hoops is hefty, weighing in at over 400 pages. They do fly by thanks to great storytelling and superb art. If you are a fan of basketball, check this book out.
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