Customer Reviews

Slam! (Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner)

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(52)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book was a great book for a lot of reasons. It really portrayed life on the streets, and that people can either fall or rise above their circumstances. It showed the reality of the streets at times when it talked about people dealing drugs, and at the end, the book tells you how the main character deals with the streets.
This book was about a teenage boy named Greg "Slam" Harris. Everyone in his neighborhood and school called him "Slam" because he was awesome at basketball. During the book, Slam fails to realize that school is very important.All the ever does is think about his girlfriend, or play basketball. He thinks that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto. But what he doesn't realize is that your attitude toward one thing can effect your attitude toward another aspect of life. His attitude in the classroom relfected his attitude on the court, and he and his coach were always at odds. During the book, Slam deals with the harsh reality of the ghetto when his friend, Benny "Ice" Reese gets involved with drug dealing. Ice was also a great basketball player, regarded my man as the best in the city. He also endures being looked down on by his teachers simply because of the neighborhood that he is from. At the end of the book, Slam's future lies in his own hands, and no one can decide his fate except for him. He will either fall to the streets, or rise above his circumstances.
I really liked this book a lot, because the author really made all the situations seem very real. I felt like I could relate to this book, because I used to not try hard in school, then I realized that school was very important, and having a good attitude was necessary. This book really inspired me to work hard in all areas of life, and it was a very well-written book. It was very exciting when Slam was playing in his basketball games to hear the author talk about when he slammed, or blocked somebody's shot. Overall, I had a great time reading this book. I would recommend this book to anyone, not just people who love basketball.

I think that this book has been one of my favorites book that I have read! This book is awsome for teenagers, cause this book is like a basic life of teenagers dreaming for what they want to be in life. For example this book relates to my life cause I got dreams like "SLAM" did who dreams where to be a famous basketball player, and me been a famous football player. This books also talks about true love and friendship. Slam was messing with two girls (Mtisha & Kicky), which mostly of us guys do this days, which is good and bad. But at the end Slam listen to his heart which his love was Mtisha. Slam was a nice guy with his friends cause he try to help them, cause one of his friend was a crack head, so he didnt like that, and he didnt wanted to be one either. Slam was one of the best player for his school which was Carver in Harlem. At the end of the book Slam scores the winning point which took his team to the CHAMPIONSHIP. Thing that i'm planning to do..hahaha..if I can. Well I hope you guys who read this agree with me, which this book base on life of teenagers.

May 9,2001

Slam, written by Walter Dean Myers is a great story about the life of a 17-year-old boy from Harlem. This story is about a young high school boy that loves the game of basketball. His name is Greg Harris, but people call him "Slam" because of his ability to slam the ball. The book exposes some life problems that a regular teenager faces in life, particularly the ones that live in New York City. His grades are not so hot and he seems to make some serious decisions that will make a big difference in his life. This book is a good life story and teaches you some very good lessons. Slam knows he has potential and could be one of the lucky ballplayers to make it to the NBA. But, when he moves to a magnet school, things just start to go downhill. His best friend, Ice, who also has incredible talent in basketball, gets involved with drugs. Slam wants to help, but he has problems of his own. His grades are bad, he doesn't get along with the staff at his school, and the basketball coach doesn't approve with his style of playing basketball. This book does a good job of portraying real-life situations. The reader can really get inside the head of the characters, making the book great. Many teenagers have similar problems, like grades and drugs. A couple times, Slam tires to talk to Ice about his involvement in drugs, but each time Ice finds a way to change the subject. This predicament marks the end of their friendship. Slam knows that he cant get involved with drugs because he has too much on the line to risk. This can be related to real life because sometimes in life you want to help your friends do the right thing, but there is only so much you can do. As the book goes on, things start to work out okay for Slam. He brings up his grades and his coach starts to understand him some more. In a final basketball game, Slam and Ice face each other on the court, and the changes in their friendship are played out on the court. The ending seemed unexpected, though it was a good one. I think this book will be easily understood for a person who plays sports and can really understand what he has to go through. I really liked the way this book was written and definitely recommend this book for everyone, even people who don't know too much about sports.

Greg Harris, known as Slam is an outstanding seventeen year old basketball player from Harlem. He attends Latimer Arts Magnet High School. Slam's grades are slipping fast, but his basketball skills are what keeps him motivated. His grades are bad enough that Mr. Tate, the principal has a meeting with Slam and his mom about getting a tutor to help bring up his math grades. Slam wants no part of having a tutor.
The book introduces you to Slam's family. They live in an apartment building located in Harlem. Harlem is a poor area to live in. Slam is used to seeing drug dealers and people spaced out on drugs on the streets. It's nothing for Slam to see people sleeping or passed out on the stairwells of the old run down buildings of Harlem. Slam lives with his mom whom he calls moms. She is a caring and loving person. He also lives with his dad who he calls pops. His dad is out of work and is an alcoholic. Derek is Slam's nine year old brother. Slam's grandmother is sick in the hospital. This is hard on Slam's mom. His mom is afraid Slam's grandmother is going to die.
Slam decides to join the school basketball team. Latimer is coming off of their fifth losing season. Slam is surprised only twelve people show up for the tryouts. Coach Nipper and Slam have a disagreement during tryouts. This puts a strain on their relationship right away.
Benny Reese known as Ice is Slam's best friend. Ice attends Carver High School, where he is a star basketball player. Mtisha is Slam's girlfriend. She thinks Ice is dealing drugs because of his sudden increase of money. Mtisha wants Slam to find out if her suppositions are true. Slam doesn't want to believe that Ice is dealing drugs.
Slam knows from seeing other people dealing drugs on the streets that it's an easy way to make cash. He also knows dealing with drugs will put an end to any hopes and dreams for a promising future. Slam dreams of becoming a player in the NBA. He thinks about marrying Mtisha and having a family.
Slam shows some interest in school when he and a girl named Margerie are assigned to do a project together. They are to make a movie of Slam's neighborhood. The film will show what goes on in the life of Greg "Slam" Harris. Slam seems like a real natural with a camera. Even Slam's brother gets into the project.
As you read the book you realize that Slam's bad grades are no his only problem. Slam's major obstacle is his attitude. After a confrontation with Mr. Parrish during class Slam comes close to hitting the teacher. Mr. Goldstein, the assistant coach has a heart to heart talk with Slam, telling Slam he needs to change his attitude toward life. Slam changes his attitude for the better. He finds out that he is not a failure if he excepts help from others.

I thought "Slam" was an excellent book. The story goes into such great detail, that I could put myself in the book. I felt like I was in the crowd watching Slam play basketball. This book introduced me to a teenager's life in Harlem. It made me stop and think how lucky I am not to have the added pressures of the inner city life. Slam was an inspiration to me. He doesn't give into the pressure around him even though he is pushed very hard. My favorite part of the book is when Slam realizes his attitude is his biggest enemy. He started to improve himself as a person. I recommend "Slam" to anyone over the age of 12.

The book Slam! by Walter Dean Myers is a very entertaining and satisfying ride through the eyes of a troubled teenager. It takes place in inner-city Harlem in New York, and it's all about the life of Greg "Slam" Harris on and off the court. The author beautifully crafts basketball, school, and the pressures of inner-city life to make a brilliant story. It keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. It's not dull or boring, it keeps you guessing what's next. It's what every basketball book needs. Good characters, good dialogue, and overall a good story.

The main character, Greg "Slam" Harris, is a very skilled basketball player. However, in his studies, he's not doing so hot. He's going to have to keep his grades up to keep playing basketball, which is his life, really. His best friend, Ice, is also a talented basketball player, but he plays for another school's team. At the same time that Slam struggles to keep his game and grades up, he contemplates how Ice suddenly has bundles of money. Ice is also caught hanging with some well known drug dealers around the city. Is Ice falling into the trap set in the jungle that they live in? Will Slam be able to stay level-headed through all the different struggles happening around him? Slam finds out that if you really want something in life, or you want something to change, you have to work for it. He wants to keep his grades up to play basketball, so he has to work. He wants to set Ice straight if he's going down the wrong path, so he's gonna have to summon enough courage to let him know how he feels.

Overall, this is an excellent book. It definitely appeals to me because I'm all for the inner-city setting and happenings. Basketball happens to be my favorite sport as well. However, this book isn't appropriate for all ages, since it does deal with drugs, alcohol, and gang violence. Some sexual references are made too. Other than that, the book is superb. The characters are believable, and so is the story. I would recommend this book to anybody wanting to read a refreshing fictional basketball story that could really happen. I give this 5 stars.

Slam!, is an excellent book, especially if you are into basketball, but even if you are not, you will still admire this book. Greg Harris, better known as, "Slam" goes through some tough situations, both on and off the court. His abilities to play basketball are doubted at first, but once he gets his action, he proves to everyone who the real man on the basketball court is. This book keeps your head in the book from the beggining, I'd recomend it to anyone!

In Slam by Walter Dean Myers, Slam Harris, living in new York near the hoods, gets his game on with his best friend, Ice. Ice has been his friend, basketball opponent, and a supporter all the time, accept drugs are pulling them apart. Slam goes through some rough parts in his life with his girlfriend, Ice, Grandma, basketball most of all school. Slam tries hard in school, but his sick grandma keeps pushing him to do better, but Slam's mind is on other things. Mitsha, Slam's diehard girlfriend is all he could ever ask for, but one day he feels that their relationship will not last.


I thought the book Slam was an all right book. Some parts of the book were a little slow, meaning I thought there were parts that weren't needed. However, the parts I did liked were about Ice, and Slam's girlfriend. I liked those because they had a great deal of dialog. The book had the effect that you would never guess what was going to next. I'm not a big basketball fan or sports fan when it comes to books, so the book didn't really get the moral to me as well it would people that do like basketball. I think this book is age apropriate for kids int he middle school. The real question is, is Ice dealing drugs in the hood or not? Read it and find out.

Slam!, by Walter Dean Myers, is about a guy named Gregg Harris. But everyone calls him slam, because he is amazing at basketball. Gregg gets moved to a new school called Latimer school of arts. He used to go to Carver but he got switched. He is one of the only black kids in the school. At carver there were a lot of black kids. He tries out for the Latimer basketball team, but the coach doesn't let him play. At the end of practice Gregg plays the coach 1 on 1 and Gregg schools him. Coach lets him on the team. But Gregg only plays when they are losing, and he brings them back. Gregg also finds out that his best friend back at Carver is dealing drugs and getting a lot of money for it. Gregg doesn't no whether to stop him or let it roll. Walter Dean Myers tries to tell you throughout the book that life's hard and you have to try. This book is a great read. It would be good for anyone who likes basketball. Also anyone in grades 7 and higher because of some slang words and other stuff like that.

A Review by Amanda

This book was about a teenage boy who loved to play basketball. His nickname is Slam. When Slam transfers too a new school, he tries out for their basketball team. Him and another guy, Nick, were the best ones out there. He made the team, but then he started having problems with his coaches, schoolwork, home life, and teammates. Slam never started in a game, and he knew that he was the best one. This was his problem. His teammates always told him that he had an attitude problem and that's why he never got to start, and Slam didn't like being told this. He only got out in when the team was losing, and he could bring them back for a win.

Three things that I enjoyed about this book is that young adults can easily relate to Slam. Anyone who loves to play basketball, but who are having trouble in school or anything else, are just like Slam. I liked the realism because it talked about one of Slam's friend, Ice, was drug dealing. This book doesn't hide the fact that there are drugs out in the world. One more thing that I liked about this novel was the attitude this book brought alive. In the book, Slam wouldn't give up playing ball even though he didn't start. It just made him work harder to get a starting spot on the team.

I recommend this book to anyone likes realistic books and sports. This is a great book for teenagers especially because they can relate to it more than others.

This book is about a high school kid living in a terrible neighbor. After he switched from Carver High School to Latimer High he is faced with new challenges. The teachers and his coach are giving him problems and his grades are slipping. To his grades the principle and his mother agree that he could use a tutor. Slam, his nickname, does not agree and never gives the tutor a chance. While all this is happening he also is faced with problems with his friends. A girl he likes is graduating and going to leave and another friend of his is taking the wrong path by dealing drugs. The same friends are best friends and plan to join the NBA together. However, with his new problems, Slam thinks he can't live out his dream.
The reason I read this book was because a close friend, Shrey, recommended it. The book was great and I loved it. I too recommended it to people and another friend Kevin decided to read it. Although before I read it I read the summary and it seemed okay. Then I decided to read it since Shrey said it was a good book.
My favorite part of the book is when Slam is in a game. The reason is because the author put great detail and I was able to imagine every thing that's going on. When he talks about a play they ran is so exciting. He talks about everyone on the court so you know what is going on all over the court. I recommend this book to teenagers who like basketball.