ONE OF SPORTS ILLUSTRATED’S “TOP 100 SPORTS BOOKS OF ALL TIME”
A classic of narrative journalism about four inner-city high school basketball prospects trying to make it to the pros, with a new introduction by the author, now in audio for the first time.
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“JD Jackson brings his usual stellar narration to the audiobook, capturing emotions that range from confusion to frustration. With just the right touch, Jackson helps the listener peer into the lives and challenges of the athletes.”—Audiofile
“Compellingly written, with elegance, economy and just the right amount of outrage.”—Brent Staples, The New York Times
“Elegiac.”—Sports Illustrated
“[A] deeply empathetic work of narrative nonfiction . . . Navigates urban poverty, lackluster schooling, and the joys, teasing cruelties, and insidious corruption of high-level ‘amateur’ sports.”—The New Yorker
“Moves with the drive and poetry of a well-executed fast break.”—People
“An unusually moving book.”—Tracy Kidder
“This excellent book is not only about basketball but about realizing a dream.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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The Last Shot is the “revelatory” (The New York Times), “deeply empathetic” (The New Yorker) true story of four teenagers attempting to escape the cycles of poverty, crime, and despair in 1990s Brooklyn by getting recruited to play college basketball. With poignant intimacy, Darcy Frey chronicles the aspirations of these young men, including the future superstar Stephon Marbury, who are among the most promising players in Coney Island. What they have going for them is athletic talent, grace, and years of dedication. But working against them are woefully inadequate schooling, family circumstances that are often desperate, and the slick, brutal world of college athletic recruitment. Incisively and compassionately written, this is Frey’s award-winning masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, a startling exposé of inner-city life and the big business of college sports. Narrated by JD Jackson (The Nickel Boys).
PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN: 9781954118232
Price: $28.00
On-sale date: 2/28/2023
Running time: TK
DARCY FREY’s essays and journalism for Harper’s and The New York Times Magazine have received numerous awards, including a National Magazine Award, a Livingston Award, and an Award for Public Service from the Society for Professional Journalists. His work has been adapted for the stage and screen and anthologized in Best American Essays, Best American Science Writing, and the Library of America series. He teaches in the English department at Harvard.