Shot Clock: A Review

DUH SPOILERS

Hello everyone, I’m back with another sports book blog review! This review is on Shot Clock, which follows a teen basketball statistician Tony (or Tone), and his season on a Milwaukee AAU basketball team. I have the impression that everyone on this 14 and under roster (including the statistician) would cook anyone from Uni, considering they end up in the national tournament, and that this book is written by a former NBA player (Caron Butler).

And I’m telling you, the odds were stacked against them. The team was affected by the death of Dante, one of the top high school prospects in the nation and a team member’s brother before the season started. He was shot by a white cop, and being African-American, this incident shows all the signs of racism. Much of the book is spent trying to get the cop in jail for his wrongdoing (Dante was innocent). Also, Tony’s mom seems to have a form of depression or something, because she leaves the house to “get better” for months on end. And finally, the team’s best player switched teams to their cross-town rivals after getting his ego hurt.

Despite all the odds, the team managed to come out on top. And I think the ending is predictable but satisfying. It’s halftime of the national championship against their cross-town rivals, and multiple players are injured. Tony has to step in so they can run 5 players. At the very end, Tony hits the game-winning shot to make his team the national champions. If you like lots of actual basketball gameplay and statistics, then I recommend this book to you. One of my favorite scenes is tryouts, where Tony talks a lot about his own and other players’ stats. I also enjoy Tony’s game style. He isn’t focused on hitting threes or driving for layups, but passing is his strong suit. I think that goes to show how selfless he is as a player and person. So if you like a good sports book and easy read, I recommend Shot Clock for you!

Luke

1960

 Hello Everyone!

Today I want to talk about yet another nonfiction book. I recently finished a book called Countdown 1960  by CNN news anchor Chris Wallace. This recently published book focuses on the Year 1960 as hinted in the title but also relates it to modern-day society. 

In the year 1960, a lot was going on within the United States but the main focus was the presidential race. It all starts on January 2nd when John F. Kennedy announces that he is going to be running for President. The book goes through a lot of decision-making that went into Kennedy's run to the Whitehouse such as his selection of Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate. 

Although wanting to give a historical background, Countdown 1960 doesn't just focus on the surface politics of the presidential race. Wallace introduces influential characters at the time such as civil rights activists, Hollywood actors, and other world leaders. He uses these characters to further explain the significance and show the many factors impacting the election of 1960. I feel he does a good job of using these important figures as a way to add analysis to the book about the election.

I definitely enjoyed reading this book although there are many books out there about this topic and nothing major stood out to me about Countdown 1960 compared to what other books about this topic have presented me. I would recommend this book if you are interested in history as I think it is an informative read. Furthermore, if you are interested in history books this book is part of Chris Wallace's "Countdown" series which includes Countdown to Bin Ladin and Countdown 1945. I haven't read these books yet but I will definitely try to get my hands on one of them for a nice spring break read.

Thanks and have a wonderful day, Jameson

Hidden Figures Book Review - Brandon Lee

This blog post will be on a book I recently read called Hidden Figures, by Margot Lee Shetterly. This book is an amazing true story about three African American females who worked at NASA and greatly assisted their early exhibitions to space. despite the odds of segregation, they fought with will and determination to pursue their dreams and set societal milestones. Kathrine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson were able to share their own personal stories about suffering against racism and sexism. Their contributions not only impacted themselves but also people all around the world inspiring and setting a role model to students and adults all around the world. This book widely recognized the actions and contributions of these three hidden figures who have not been given enough recognition for their actions. 

While reading this book, I really enjoyed the auto-biography like theme of the story. Showcasing the individual points of view of these three people really made this book interesting to read. everything from the story to the foreign settings for these women also made me want to finish this book quicker to see how the other mathematicians would view and accept her when she was heavily discriminated against at the beginning of the book. There were multiple instances of them being segregated like having to use an old and dirty coffee pot that everybody would treat poorly and having to use a "Colored bathroom" which was about half a mile away. They were also denied help and were often handed all of the extra work while getting paid less than most of the other Men. However, one of the aspects that I enjoyed about this book was the few characters who were able to support these three people. Interestingly enough, these few people were not people who worked alongside them, but people like the astronauts and their bosses who recognized this book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book which inspires many students and adults around the world to fight with determination and perseverance against the odds and would recommend this book to people who are interested in non-fiction books this this.