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Double Dunk: The Inspiring Story of a Harlem Basketball Legend

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Earl Manigault was born in Charleston, South Carolina, and raised in Harlem, New York. He grew up playing basketball and practiced constantly. Manigault set the NYC junior high school record by scoring 57 points in a game in the late 1950s. While attending Benjamin Franklin High School, Manigault's life took a fateful turn when he began associating with groups that would eventually lead to his expulsion. He attended Johnson C. Smith University. However, Manigault only lasted one semester due to his constant problems with school and continuous quibbles with the coach.

Manigault returned to Harlem and developed a heroin addiction. He served sixteen months in prison in 1969 and 1970 for drug possession and another term of two years from 1977 to 1979 for a failed robbery attempt so he could buy heroin. After this prison term, Manigault quit heroin and started the "Walk Away From Drugs" tournament for kids in Harlem to prevent them from making the same mistakes he had made. Much of his later years were dedicated to working with kids on the court. HBO made a movie of his life: Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault.

The above description sums up the life of Earl Manigualt as portraid in the book written by Barry Beckham. This book , presented as a life story, gives the true picture of various occurances, tribulations, and sorrows in the life of a great basketball player. The book is spellbinding and highly recommended--2 thumbs up.

I remember watching a movie on this man, starring Don Cheadle. In the movie, they were only able to cover a fraction of his life, his struggles, and his eventual triumph. Now, 10+ years later, I find this book, and it fills in a lot of the gaps. Earl "the GOAT" has a fascinating, uplifting story, that shows a real change from the highest of the highs (he was nearly ready for the NBA at 13) to the lowest of the lows during his drug addictions, and then back to the highs, as he becomes a mentor and teacher of inner city youth.

If you've seen the movie -- or if you haven't, and you want to hear an amazing story about an amazing man, I recommend you pick this one up.

remarkable second-person point of view controlled by a masterful writer...true story of dreams ruined by addiction to drugs is one every young person should read...liked it better than the movie version ("Rebound) with James Earl Jones

I had never heard of Earl Manigault when I started to read this book. The writing style is unique, but captures the story of the Goat from his perspective. I couldn't put it down. You could visualize a lot of what was being described. In the book, you can see how Goat went downhill.
After I read the book, I googled Earl Manigault and got an overview of his story. This book really fills in a lot of what the other articles are missing. It tells Goat's story through Goat. Barry did a great job of capturing the inner voice of someone who gets caught in a downward spiral. You really feel bad for the guy at times. Everyone knew he was great... he just didn't always have the confidence to say no.

What a story, what a man! Double Dunk is far more than a biography... it's a fictionalized biography that reads better than the movie ever hoped to be about the amazing Earl "The Goat" Manigault. This is a true underdog story about a player in Harlem who became a master at his sport. This book provides a unique second-person look at Manigault's life in a "novelized biography" format. Here, Beckham took the already fantastic true-life story and added touches of a novelist to set up the scenes and make the dialogue come alive. If you're a sports fan, especially of BBall, this is the book you should read.