The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams by Darcy Frey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Last Shot was originally published in 1994 and follows 4 African American students from Coney Island, New York as they play high school basketball and attempt to be recruited by Division 1 colleges.
The author immersed himself in the life of 4 high school potential recruits – accompanying them to college recruitment visits until the NCAA limited his access. As I listened, I was struck with how heartbreaking some people’s realities are and the ways that the recruitment process is not set up to favor the athletes. Though some things have changed since the initial publication in 1994, the power differential in the recruitment process remains the same.
As the author talked about the 4 boys it was impossible not to become so invested in their outcome, to hope that they would defy the odds and escape the community to success. Despite this hope, it was clear from the prologue that everyone would not meet with success. Even though I had expected disappointment I was unprepared for the depth of my emotional reaction when the author discussed what had become of the 4 boys he focused on. As a sports fan, I immediately recognized one of the names, so I knew that at least 1 of them had been successful but had no idea what had become of the other 3.
Despite it being 30 years since the original publication of this story the themes covered continue to be relevant in present day society. Overall, The Last Shot is an emotional glimpse into the lives of children living in poverty and with hopes of sports being their ticket to a better life. I am very glad I listened to this deeply moving story.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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