by Bruce Brooks
First published 1984
Jerome Foxworthy becomes the first black student at his North Carolina high school in 1960s America. He excels in his studies and discovers basketball, where he learns that deceptive moves separate good players from great ones. Jerome befriends Bix Rivers, a troubled white teammate whose family life spirals toward violence and tragedy. Bix refuses to learn the fakes and feints that Jerome masters, insisting on playing with brutal honesty even as his world crumbles around him. The two boys bond over the game, but their friendship faces tests that extend far beyond the basketball court. Jerome watches helplessly as Bix's rigid thinking and inability to adapt lead him down a destructive path. The story explores how people navigate truth and deception, both in sports and in life, as Jerome discovers that sometimes the moves that protect you on the court cannot save the people you care about most.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, african-american, coming-of-age, sports, basketball
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: North Carolina
Period: 1960s
280 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins
Content warnings: racism