I received Brothers on Three as an arc, much to my surprise and delight. I dove right in to the story and though its not a story I would have thought I would like, as many other readers may not think they like sports stories and may be tempted to pass this by; A word of advice, DONT. Pick it up, fall in to the story and follow the amazingly inspirational true story of a native basketball team rising up from always losing to winning the championship, bringing immense joy and pride to their community.

This story mainly focuses on two players, cousins Will and Phil along with their families as they face and overcome several barriers. Abe Streep was lucky to become trusted by the people he writes about, doing his best to shine the spotlight just right on their prided community. Streep writes about family, connections, loss, finding your strength and finding your place. The detail of the games is wonderfully written but its the stories of the community woven in between games that truly make this book special.

This book is for you if you're a sports fan, if you're not a sports fan but: you're looking for an uplifting read, needing hope, inspiration, a feeling of love. This book is also for those (such as myself) who feel native's do not get enough representation in popular literature today. As part native myself, reading about a small reservation with big dreams was something of pride for myself as well as for the team.

This will be released Sept. 07 2021 from @CeldonBooks so mark your calendars! ( )

Brothers on Three by Abe Streep tells the story of the Arlee, Montana varsity basketball team’s run for the state championship in 2017 and 2018. Arlee is located next to the Flathead Indian Reservation, and most of the team is tribally enrolled. Streep originally went to Arlee for a New York Times article, but found the team and the town so intriguing he turned it into a book. He does a nice job of mixing together the narrative of the season with family background and historical information, but it is very basketball-heavy. An excellent narrative non-fiction for sports lovers and Native American history readers. ( )

Brothers on Three is the riveting story of the Arlee Warriors Boys Basketball team from Montana's Flathead Indian Reservation and their state championship win. Abe Streep interviewed players, coaches, families, and teachers to be able to create a three dimensional picture of the community. He was conscious that he was an outsider and took care to avoid inserting himself into the story. He took time to know and understand the people and their values, and ask tribal members how they wished to be identified. Thorough research provided a historical and social context and shed light on the effects of intergenerational trauma and racism. Native American athletes in Montana experience racism which can take many forms including an ugly slur uttered during a game and their low recruitment rates by Montana colleges. I appreciated learning more about these admirable young people, their community, and the joys and struggles they experienced. The Arlee Warriors are inspiring, not only for their hard work and achievements on the basketball court, but also because they came together to create viral videos which raise awareness about depression and suicide. The boys were deeply affected by a suicide cluster that had occurred which involved both teens and adults.
Brothers on Three is an unforgettable, well-written, real-life story of hope, resilience, family and community that will interest basketball fans and those, like me, who know little about the game, but love to learn about the human experience. Thanks, to @CeladonBooks and @AbeStreep for an ARC. #CeladonReads #BrothersOnThree #partner ( )

Disclaimer: ARC via published in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I am not a basketball fan. I really am not. It’s not anything about the players; it’s the game itself. I find it al little boring. I’m sorry, I just do. So why did I read this book? Well, books that are about sports are not always about sports.
Brothers on Three details a season of the Arlee Warriors as they go on a quest to repeat as champions. The focus is mainly on Will Mesteth Jr and Phil Malatare and their families, though other players and the coaches as well as larger issues. However, the focus is largely on the team and the transitions that the two stars are making upon leaving high school.
It is to Streep’s credit as a writing that he writes about the games in such a way that even someone like me who has no interest in the actual game of basketball and knows the outcome of the season, could get caught up in the action. The book, however, is not just solely about a basketball season.
Streep is an outsider both in a geographical sense and a cultural sense. To his credit, he is aware of this. He is careful and clear in why he uses certain names and terms. He does not anglicize terms that have no clear English equivalent. He also aptly illustrates the conflicts of cultural politeness and job morality in one section of the book.
More importantly, Streep keeps his presence in the book to a minimum. It is a reporter’s account. On the whole, balanced and engrossing. His focus also shifts to the world that does not support the young man on the team. This world is not the reservation but the policies, racism, community expectations and generational issues that are a result of colonialism – all this effects the boys, who as one father points out to Streep, carry too much on their shoulders.
There are places where I wanted a little more – like a more detailed comparison between the girls’ team and the boys – but in terms of the book’s focus and length, this might have been difficult to work in.
What Streep does focus on is the team’s response to the suicides and health issues in their community, including when it directly effects those on the team. His reporting on the player Greg, in particular, highlight these various issues and the responses to them. He also directly addresses the lack of opportunity due to racism and cultural differences. Are the players less avidly recruited than other non-Indigenous players because of lack of skill, racism, or lack of understanding about the culture that the players come from – all are questions that Streep addresses with a deft hand. He also addresses educational issues that also hinder the players in sometime unexcepted ways. It is an in depth look at a serious of issues that go, largely ignored about the majority of the American population. ( )