Fall River Dreams: A Team's Quest for Glory, A Town's Search for Its Soul [Paperback]

Bill Reynolds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1995

In this deeply felt, unforgettable book, Bill Reynolds journeys with a high school basketball team through the past and present of an American town. Fall River, Massachusetts, is a once-prosperous industrial center haunted by its history, the Durfee High School basketball team begins its annual drive for a state championship: a quest that inspires and sometimes consumes kids, coaches, families, teachers, and all of Fall River.

Fall River Dreams is the story of one season's quest-a classic book about sports, youth, time, hope, and memory in American today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A beautiful blend of sweetness, pain, and truth. Basketball runs through this book like a stream of light, illuminating all it touches." --Rick Telander, author of Heaven Is a Playground

"A remarkable book, open and honest, full of the joys and the pain of growing up." --The Sporting News

"Bill Reynolds is one of the best writers around, and this book is the Friday Night Lights of high school basketball." --Dan Shaughnessy, author of Ever Green

"Simply a classic...every word has the ring of truth. Reminds me of Norman Mclean's Young Men and Fire." --Greg Donaldson, author of The Ville

"Reynolds uncovers, in a moving and sensitive book, the desperate values of a city whose only dream is basketball glory." --James Chace, Newsday

'Superbly observed and compassionately rendered, Fall River Dreams reminds us of why sports matter." --Alexander Wolff, author of Raw Recruits

"Reynolds does a fine job...Fall River Dreams illustrates that sports can provide marvelous highs, but that the joy of achievement can be supplanted by the desperate needs to win-again and again and again." --The New York Times Book Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 354 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 2nd edition (September 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312134916
• ISBN-13: 978-0312134914
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Basketball
  • #32 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Water Sports

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basketball Sociology, November 8, 2002

By 

Z. Blume (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fall River Dreams: A Team's Quest for Glory, A Town's Search for Its Soul (Paperback)

This is a terrific book. It is well written, has good characters, and explores some interesting cultural topics (high school sports, failing mill towns, youths in America, etc.). Fall River is one of the poorest towns in Massachusetts, but its one saving grace in the early 1990's was its successful basketball team. Life in the town revolved around the team, which provided some hope to some but certainly had negative consequences for many of the athletes and possibly the future of the city. It is a very similar tale to Friday Night Lights, which is probably the best sports book I have read, but is different enough that it is well worth reading. It is also fascinating to read about Chris Herren, who happens to be a classic example of a troubled athlete, before he he made headlines in college and joined the NBA. I really appreciated the focus on the town and the people rather than the actual games, which often dominates books of this genre and just distract from the compelling parts of the book. My only complaints about the book are that it wasn't particularly well edited (I caught several spelling errors that are particularly obnoxious in a mass punlished book, though really don't spoil the story in the slightest) and that it is not quite as detailed as it could have been considering the level of access Reynolds had to the kids and coaches. I would highly recommend this story to anyone and particularly sports fans or people who liked Friday Night Lights.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE GREATEST SPORTS BOOKS I'VE EVER READ!, October 6, 1999

By 

Ron Correia ([e-mail]) (Auburn,NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fall River Dreams: A Team's Quest for Glory, A Town's Search for Its Soul (Paperback)

Fall River Dreams was one of those books you wished would never end! I became immersed in this book, as these characters become a part of you.The star player, living in his brothers'shadow, and the pressure of living up to his legacy of bringing home a state championship. The coach,a legend himself in his hometown, trying to go out with one more championship,and dealing with this 'new breed'of kids. The players, the benchwarmers, and those who seek their own moment of glory. And lastly, the town,that has once seen better days,as it struggles with it's existence all while pinning it's hopes on a High School basketball team, to make it feel that the town still has it's pride, along with their passion for the game! I compare this book to the excellent "Hoop Dreams",as that you both feel for their characters, and find yourself rooting for them. Much has happened to the main character, Chris Herren, from the time Fall River Dreams ends, to the start of his rookie season with the Denver Nuggets. I won't reveal them here. The are documented in excellent articles in author Bill Reynolds column in The Providence Journal. I'm hoping that Mr.Reynolds continues telling us more, with a sequel of the team and the town that captured my heart,soul and passion of hometown sports! This book won't disapoint you!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Desire For The Game, December 2, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Mass.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fall River Dreams: A Team's Quest for Glory, A Town's Search for Its Soul (Paperback)

When I read this book for the first time (I've read it many times, since it is so inspiring), I ended it in the middle of the night, and I still was so pumped up from the emotions of this story, that I wanted to go out and play right now. You may be wondering why I was up all night reading it. I simply couldn't put it down. Living within 20 minutes of Fall River, I have heard of Chris Herren many times. The passion and emotions that come alive in basketball put you in a trance, and this book epitomizes all those emotions and smoothly sweeps them together. I definitely recommend this for anyone who needs the motivation to get up and play. I guarantee it'll be hard not to after reading this book.