The Team [Hardcover]

Dawson Perkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

"Dawson Perkins has a cinematic eye and a true gift for dialogue that demands not just to be read, but devoured. The Team is smart, strong, and unforgettable, and Perkins is carving out a new literary space in which the voices of Black women resonate."-Jill Nelson

In The Team, Dawson Perkins tells the story of a successful young African American professional who has sealed away the trauma of being raped, at 19, by the future NBA star who led her college's basketball team. But when one of her rapist's teammates joins her company-and the two find themselves mutually attracted-she must come to grips with the demons of her past all over again. A smart, propulsive, indelible debut.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A decade after being raped by a college hoops star, smart, embittered black CPA Gwen Fagan is trying to maintain a quiet life—a sort of "take no prisoners and leave no evidence" approach to work and love alike—in Perkins's interesting but unpolished debut. When she's not excelling in an Atlanta accounting firm or grooving to soulful tunes, Gwen's privately dealing with a lot of anxiety. She gets through the day with the help of Payton, her psychologist friend and spunky foil. But Gwen's cool facade is shattered when Xavier Dean, a handsome ex-basketball player and the former teammate of her rapist, Terry Stuart, joins her firm. Gwen, who associates Xavier with "The Team" and continues to paint men with the same brush, ignores her attraction to him and the confusing emotions it creates ("This is some wacked shit," she thinks at one point). But when the two are paired together on a project, Xavier's charm whittles away at her reluctance, and a hot-and-heavy romance develops. When Terry re-enters her life, though, it forces her to face her inner demons as well as her past. Perkins excels at showing her character's weaknesses, perhaps, at times, to a fault—spiky, angry Gwen can be an unsympathetic character. Perkins's ability to ping-pong between Gwen's love for Xavier and her fear of men is intriguing, as is her well-developed supporting cast. But there's not much spark in this rather familiar plot.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In college, Gwen Fagen was brutally raped by Terry Stuart, a school basketball player. He was a member of the media-billed "The Team" and went on to a career in the NBA. Terry continued to live the life of a reckless, womanizing basketball player. His teammate Xavier Dean also went into the pros, and enjoyed his celebrity status until an injury forced him to retire. Ten years after the rape, Gwen still suffers personal anguish, yet she has built a rewarding professional life. The two former teammates are no longer close when Xavier lands a job at the Atlanta firm where Gwen works. He is immediately attracted but totally unaware of the college incident and their shared past. Gwen eventually responds to his advances and a romance evolves. Xavier's persistence and Gwen's guilt about not being truthful soon jeopardize their relationship. When Terry's NBA team comes to Atlanta, all three are forced to deal with their hurts, disappointments, and unresolved emotions. An engrossing debut novel that will surely put Perkins on the "black authors" A-list. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 270 pages
• Publisher: Agate Bolden (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972456279
• ISBN-13: 978-0972456272
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,814,379 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memorial Day Surprise!!!, May 31, 2004

By 

C. Miller "Kushlady" (Monroe, LA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Team (Hardcover)

I purchased this book on a whim,unknown author,no prior research, etc. You know how you can tell a book is going to be good during the first 10 pages or so??? Well, this one was a winner. I read it today, Memorial Day, and signed on after finishing it to tell everyone..READ THIS BOOK!! My hat is off to Ms. Perkins, she did an great job. The emotions Gwen felt, her pain and anger, her bitterness..I felt every bit of them. When a phrase or touch set her off, sent her back to her past, I was right along with her. The author's ability to descibe what Gwen was going through, yet still showing her vulnerable and capable of love is oustanding. I enjoyed her strength,and kick-butt attitude(the Glock was a nice touch too LOL) and I cheered her on when she finally got help. The characters in this book are well developed, and I was pleased to meet all of them. Of course, I loved Xaiver. I will be waiting for Ms. Perkins' next effort. Good job my Sister!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't stop thinking about this book, June 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Team (Hardcover)

When I first started this book I thought it was going to be a story "ripped from the tabloids." Boy was I wrong. This book is so much more than I imagined. I couldn't put it down and more importantly, I can't stop thinking about it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Team, September 7, 2004

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Team (Hardcover)

Athletes and sexual violence are dominating the headlines, and now it's being presented to us in the storyline of author Dawson Perkins' debut release, THE TEAM. In spite of the fact that it's all over the media and it does indeed happen, too much attention seems to be focused on the glamour of it, the lifestyle of the rapist and not enough attention is directed to the victim. How does she feel? How will she get through it? Can she put it behind her and continue life? Is there indeed justice? These are some of the questions that Perkins digs a little deeper to bring up in THE TEAM.

Gwen Fagen appears to have it all together. She's a career-driven professional at the top of her game working as an accountant in a firm in Atlanta. She's good at her job and those around her help celebrate her success and accomplishments as she moves up the corporate ladder. On the flip side, her personal life is non-existent and she's content with not being involved with anyone on that level. She has the perfect facade and with the exception of her friend Payton, who doles out pychologist-driven feedback and dialogue in their weekly conversations, no one knows about her past or how she was raped in college by a basketball superstar.

Unfortunately for Gwen, the facade starts to crack when Xavier Dean joins her firm and is assigned to work with her on a case. She is immediately thrown back into her past, as Xavier is the best friend of the guy who raped her and part of "The Team," the name given to the group of basketball stars who dominated the courts and her college campus. The biggest problem that she finds with Xavier is that everyone likes him, he is actually a "good guy" in spite of what she wants to believe. Yet, her distrust of men and the memories of her rape do their best to pull her away from him, despite the attraction. Eventually, things take a turn and she allows him into her life, but still refuses to share with him the full details of her past and who she is and how she knew him. This, of, course eventually leads to some major drama, and when the rapist shows up in town, everything comes to a screeching halt.

Fast-paced and definitely dialogue driven, THE TEAM is a novel focusing on the aftermaths of what something so vicious as rape can do to the human psyche, how it can tear down even the strongest person and make them vulnerable to the degradation caused. Dawson's writing is fresh and a welcome addition to the literary scene. Her characters were people I wanted to know, and the issues were realistically drawn to make this a story well worth the read. I really enjoyed that she showed both men and women as they are in real life: some good, some bad, some flawed, some with baggage, but all of them definitely human and sometimes unable to face their demons.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers