In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle [Paperback]

Madeleine Blais (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1996

They Were a Talented Team with a Near-Perfect Record. But for Five Straight Years, When it Came to The Crunch of the Playoffs, the Amherst Lady Hurricanes-A "Finesse" High-School Girls' Basketball Team of Nice Girls from A Nice Town-Somehow Lacked the Scrappy, Hard-Driving Desire to Go all the Way. Now, Led by the Strong Back-Court of All-American Jamila Wideman and Three-Point Specialist Jen Pariseau, and Playing beyond Their Personal Best, this is Their Year to Prove Themselves in the State Championships. Their Season to Test Their Passion for the Sport and Their loyalty to Each Other. Their Time to Discover Who they Really are. In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle is the Fierce, Funny, and Intimate look into the Minds and Hearts of one Group of Girls and Their Quest for Success and, Most Important of all, Respect.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

They were a talented team with a near-perfect record but a reputation for choking in the crunch of the state playoffs. Finally, after five straight years of disappointments, the Amherst Lady Hurricanes found they just might have what it took to go all the way. This is a fierce, funny, and intimate look into their minds and hearts during one very special season. A finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction.

From Publishers Weekly

When Pulitzer Prize-winner Blais pokes gentle fun at Amherst, Mass., where an infuriated teen-aged athlete in the heat of the fray may yell, "You ignore your inner child!" you suspect this will be a special book. And it is, as the reader follows the Amherst High girls basketball team-the Lady Hurricanes-in the 1992-93 season, from game one on December 15 to the final game on March 16, when they all but obliterated Haverhill, 74-36, to win the state championship. While this is the story of well-bred, upper-middle class, genteel girls who learned to be tough, it is also a picture of a changing period in American sports history, when a town rallied around its female athletes in a way that had previously been reserved for males. Alternately funny, exciting and moving, the book should be enjoyed not only by girls and women who have played sports but also those who wanted to but let themselves be discouraged.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446672106
• ISBN-13: 978-0446672108
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,731 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captures the spirit of girls' high-school basketball, May 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle (Paperback)

My high-school basketball team gave me this book after I finished my senior year, and I am extremely grateful to them. If you have ever enjoyed participating in, watching, or following high-school sports, this is a book for you! It is full of the things that made me love the game to start with... the determination, pride, euphoria, occasional let-downs, pain, tenacity and adrenaline that I feel when playing basketball are clearly demonstrated in this wonderful book. Pick it up and read it, buy it for your daughters, buy it for your sons!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the BEST books I have ever read!, October 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle (Paperback)

This book was outstanding! It was such a good story and it was really well written. If you are looking for some inspiration about basketball and teamwork then you should read this book! These girls are just amazing. What made this whole story better was the fact that it was a true story so you know that this REALLY happened. It was almost like a fairy tale- everything went as planned. I can't really describe my feelings for this book, it was incredible. When Jenny hugged her dad after the game I almost cired. Everyone should read this book whether they like basketball or not! I would also like to wish Jamila Wideman a happy birthday! She will be turning 24 on October 16. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMILA!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is THE best book I have read, ever., January 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle (Paperback)

I hadn't picked up this book until very recently because I was afraid it would be all about "girl power" and the idea that women are victims. But when I finally did pick it up, it took me only 2 nights to finish. It was so captivating. This book is not so much about the feminist movement as a groups of kids coming together, and concurrently, bringing their communtiy together. Blais also tells the story of each girl and the obstacles they have faced; but not in a "I'm a victim, have simpathy," way. She tells it in an "Is that all you got? I'm gonna walk all over you," way. Inspiring. This book couldn't have been written any more perfectly. As a high school athlete, I was able to associate with so many of the rituals and emotions of the team. I am also from the Amherst area and Blais does a wonderful job of painting a picture of the communtiy and its history. I recommend this book to everyone and anyone, but it should be required reading for every female high school athlete. It is simply unbelivable. You will not be disappointed.