In this heart jumping novel, “Slam’s” words will pull you into the story
The book “Slam!” was published originally in 1996 by Walter Dean Myers. This book has a bunch of ups and downs that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat if you’re interested in sports, especially basketball. The genres in this book are realistic fiction, mystery, and a little romance here and there. I enjoyed this book because I enjoy basketball but it also has a lot of plot twist that you’d never expect. It’s in third person but they make it seem like it’s in first if you relate to these situations.
In Harlem, New York, Greg Harris, a teen nicknamed Slam because of his game on the basketball court, struggles with his grades. His teachers are catching onto his strengths and his weaknesses. He wins and loses on the court but always loses off of it. Slam has to figure out if he trusts that his best friend isn’t on the streets dealing crack or any other drugs, but he can’t make up his mind to believe him or not. Also, he wants to be with the love of his life but makes the wrong decisions and almost loses her for good. So, Slam has to learn that it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about how you play the game.
This book has a unique conflict which I haven’t seen in a lot of books. You literally have to wait to the last climax moment to finally know what happens, that’s why I enjoyed it. It doesn’t go straight to the conflicts – it has a sequence of events that lead up to the part that everyone is waiting for. Anyone that lives in the ghetto and dreams about playing ball one day can relate to this story perfectly!
Through the issues on the basketball court, he has to focus on the ones off it as well. Which makes him have to rethink what’s more important, the game or reality.
As a result, Walter Dean Myers created a heart jumping novel that’s about more than just sports. The book will make you question things you don’t question, like who to trust and who can’t you trust. I rate Slam a 5/5 rating, and recommend it to young teens that have high expectations of things. I don’t recommend it to people that aren’t interested in basketball or sensitive to any real life issues.
