Customer Reviews

Hoop Dreams: True Story of Hardship and Triumph, The

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Up From the Slums

In Hoop Dreams, Ben Jorausky gives an exemplary outlook on the life of Auther Agee and William Gates. Hoop dreams is a touching and compelling story. This book gives the reader a deep insight on the lives of teenagers with professional dreams. By stressing the facts of every day life in a ghetto community Ben Jorausky repeatedly makes connections with the reader. This book is educational and is also a reality check. The author reaches out to all types of people who do not understand the life of a player and the efforts that are put into professional sports. I recommend Hoop Dreams to any young male or female who has aspirations of becoming a professional athlete, it is also an important book for people who do not take into consideration the hard work and time consuming efforts that are put into athletic careers. I give Hoop Dreams 5 stars.

Hoop Dreams is a book everyone can relate to. Whether it be for the fact that it is for athletes or just for people who like real stories about people struggling for success. I personally liked the book because you got to know the kids and where they came from, not just about their basketball lives. You know it is a great movie when in the credits for He Got Game they have both the kids, one is one the brooklyn bridge and the other is in the gardens. Great book. I recommend it to all who love to read.

This was my favorite book. It was so real. I became Arthur's and William's friends.

Joravsky's book is a thorough and honest portrait of the lives of two boys and their dreams of playing professional basketball. Unlike the original documentary film, the book explores each boy's family history, avoiding the cliches and staginess which render real life as caricature. Instead, we get an honest, direct and compelling account of growing up poor and black in Chicago and of having the chance to chase a dream. A fast read that captures the excitement of the game of basketball. Recommended for youths and adults alike; for classroom and recreational settings.

This book is a story of a basketball player who makes his dreams come true with persistence and a ambitious will. It does have some profane words that come about sporadically as your read but the story is not consumed by them. They are in there though so beware if a young child wants to read this story.

Amazing book!
It is very detailed, telling the struggles of 2 African American teen, having Hoop Dreams, earning their ways to the top, there are many twists also, from pregnancy , to injuries. Living in Chicago, of Cabrini Green, they hassle through gangs and drugs. All kind of things are happening to these teen. Will they reach their hoop dreams? Only you can find out..Buy the book now!

This is excellent reading if you enjoyed the movie. It just gives the reader a deeper look into the lives of Arthur and William. There is so much detail we didn't get in the movie. In the book, we learn about additional family members and best friends. Who knew William lived with his sister when he started attending St. Joes? We found out more about race relations at St. Joes and that William had janitorial duties at the school to offset his financial obligations. There's more to how William felt about Coach Pingatore. We learn more about Arthur and his relationship with his father. Best of all, there is more about their lives once they begin college. It's a must read for everyone who enjoyed the movie.

this story is about two young boys the grew up off the street playing basketball. They both went to the N.B.A. to play basketball and were very good and this was my favorite book of all time and i havent seen the movie but it looks good

Hoop Dreams was probably one of the best books I've ever read. I don't think I would have liked it so much if it hadn't been based on a true story. This book is about two inner city kids from Chicago who aspire to play in the NBA. Although the odds aren't in their favor (only one out of every 7,600 high school players make it to the NBA) they still live for basketball. Without basketball these two boys would have nothing to them. Ben Joravsky does a good job of re-telling the story and showing all the problems these boys faced in there life. If it wasn't for basketball they probably would be out on the street trying to make a living. Throughout the story you feel as if you get closer and closer with the characters, and since it's spanned out over four years, it's as if they are growing and maturing right in front of you. Listening to Arthur's part of the story always kept me amused because he's a funny kid that everybody seems to like. William's story is focused more on the St. Joseph basketball team because that's pretty much all he cares about. This book was definitely a good read and I recommend it to anybody who likes books. Not just sports books either because this book goes beyond the boundaries of sports and is a compelling story about two inner city kids who defied the odds.

"Hoops Dreams" tells a great story; one that you don't have to be a basketball fan(or even a sports fan) to enjoy. The writing is superb, the descriptions are vivid and the characters are all well portrayed. The entire story is based on the lives of two poor, black basketball players from the north side of Chicago, and it really shows, as the story progresses, that all the events are true. The way the plot twists and turns makes it very interesting and sets it apart from fictional books with its individuality. "Hoop Dreams" is much more than a sports novel; it is an outstanding piece of literature that will serve as an inspiration to everyone who reads it for years to come.