Playing Without the Ball

Wallace, Richard. Playing Without the Ball. Jacket Illustration: 2000.

Annotation

A teenager battles two occurrences: one with love and one with basketball. His destination for life is open with choice.

Justification for Nomination

Basketball is a game of four quarters, so give the book credit for playing around with that aspect. The story line is thought out, whether you know basketball or not, the book uses basketball cues to help portray Jay's life. Jay is a seventeen year old boy with plenty of ambition, considering his parents both left him, and he is living by himself. He explores the opportunities that life gives him, and he makes the best out of his situation. Jay's life is realistic. Wallace helps the reader see the ordinary mishaps that force Jay is go out of bounds at times. Teenage boys tend to worry about girls. Well, besides settling for an underachieving basketball team, ironically, dealing with girls is one of Jay's quarrels and happy outcomes. It's an enjoyable teenage read that brings a reader into a fast paced life of a teenage boy.

Genre: Sport and Romance.