Myers, Walter D. Slam! New York: Scholastic Press. Reprint, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-545-05574-1
Plot Summary:
Slam is the nickname of Greg Harris, an inner-city African American youth who travels every school day across New York to attend a better school than the one in his own neighborhood. Slam struggles with academic coursework, especially math, but blooms on the basketball court. Slam encounters the challenges of a new environment and dealing with the transition from one school to another. With each game the team wins with Slam's help. Slam is eventually faced with playing the team from his neighborhood school, whose star player is Slam’s best friend, Ice.
Increasingly Slam finds himself growing apart from Ice, not only because they are now opponents, but also because it becomes more apparent that Ice is dealing drugs. The book culminates in a showdown of the two on the basketball court and, on the same evening, off of the court. The author tries to show two different young men from similar backgrounds, the pressures which shape their lives, and their relationship with each other.
Critical Evaluation:
The author writes from the point of view of a seventeen-year-old inner city youth. The masterfully written dialogue adds to the authenticity of the piece. One feels as if Slam is really speaking to them. The issues which come to the surface within the novel are very real issues facing many teens, the protagonist and other characters illustrate a variety of these issues in the plot. The sports sequences are action packed and are well incorporated into the larger story, yet these action sport scenes do not overpower the other, and much deeper, themes in the novel.
Reader’s Annotation:
Greg ‘Slam’ Harris is an inner-city youth trying to make it in a new school. Struggling with grades while excelling at basketball, Slam finds he needs to develop new skills both on and off the court to fulfill his dreams and thrive in a new environment.
Information about the author:
Walter Dean Myers is one of the most well-known writers of contemporary YA Fiction. The author is well known for some of his other works dealing with coming of age issues and disadvantaged backgrounds. Growing up in New York City has given him a unique insight into the city and the various cultures and moods that exist there. Slam! seems to have been written by someone who has had similar experiences as the protagonist.
Myers has held a number of jobs before becoming a writer, including serving in the US Army, which gave him some background in which to write his book Fallen Angels, perhaps his most noted work. Myers has won much recognition such as the Coretta Scott King Award, Newbery Honors, and the Michael J. Prinz Award. He is married and has three children, one of whom he collaborates with on literary projects. In addition to writing, Myers is a world traveler and has been to a number of countries abroad.
Genre:
Coming of Age/Sports Fiction/Urban Fiction
Curriculum Ties:
N/A
Booktalking Ideas:
1. Focus on the idea of success as it is defined in Slam’s life both on and off of the court.
2. Talk about some of the peripheral characters and how they illustrate the problems facing residents in the inner-cities.
3. Discuss the changes Slam must go through to successfully operate in a new school and with a new team.
Reading Level/Interest Age:
15+
Challenge Issues:
Mention of drugs/sex
Challenge Defense Ideas:
1. Read the book.
2. Be Familiar with the policy of the ALA and your institution.
3. Make a note of the contents of the work and how they fall in with the collection development policy of your institution and the standpoint of the ALA.
4. Gain an awareness of the awards, reviews, and criticisms of the work, as well as other works by the same writer.
5. Know the process for materials challenges at your library.
Why did you include this book? :
The author has written a number of popular books and I was curious to read some of his work. This was actually the first book I had read by Myers and I got a good feel for the writer and was mightily impressed.
Author's Website:
Author's Website:
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