Overview

Udoka Clendon is a first-year university student and a product of basketball systems that have produced professional players. He's been pushed relentlessly by the obsessive mentorship of his older brother, which has been tolerated by his hard-working single mother. For years his brother has taken him to tournaments and pushed him to succeed on the outdoor courts of the west end. Burdened by expectations and self-doubt, Udoka tries to reignite his passion for the game. Now, he's been given a final opportunity at the city-wide tournament to rediscover his confidence and his sense of purpose--all of which he fears he has lost forever. With the clarity and poetic style of a seasoned writer, and drawing on his own time as an elite sports prospect, Jawara Pedican shows the trials and traumas of becoming fixated on a dream of sports stardom.

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9781459417151

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Reviews

"""The novel does a wonderful job of normalizing opening up and using counseling services, especially for boys and young men who often feel that they have to bottle up their emotions. A sincere, inspiring look at dealing with and overcoming self-doubt, ideal for reluctant readers.""--Kirkus Review -- (6/1/2023 12:00:00 AM)"

"""A potent message about the mental toll of elite sports and the value of playing for love of the game will resonate with teens. Recommended for high school libraries.""--School Library Journal -- (9/1/2023 12:00:00 AM) ""The novel does a wonderful job of normalizing opening up and using counseling services, especially for boys and young men who often feel that they have to bottle up their emotions. A sincere, inspiring look at dealing with and overcoming self-doubt, ideal for reluctant readers.""--Kirkus Review -- (6/1/2023 12:00:00 AM)"

Author Information

Jawara Pedican is a former member of both the McGill University and University of Toronto men's varsity basketball teams. With a wealth of memories from his playing days, he decided to offer young readers a semi-autobiographical account of his experiences and trials and tribulations as a collegiate athlete. He is a kinesiologist and more recently a medical editor for a life sciences marketing agency headquartered in Toronto. He lives in Alliston, Ontario.

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