I'm not a big fan of sports nonfiction, so this book was hard for me to get through. It's very realistic, if depressing, and was worth it just to glimpse a sliver of life in bush Alaska.

The reason why I didn't particularly love it was because it was just plain slow and hard to wade through. But, like I said, the moral was worth it and made you open your eyes a bit more to another lifestyle. ( )

A terrific work of Cultural Anthropology from a very odd angle- hoops. ( )

When Americans think of basketball they imagine basketball courts filled with excited fans or inner city playgrounds of African American youths playing highly athletic games at all hours of the day and night. Few would conjure up images of Native Americans playing in small gyms in tiny villages inside the Arctic Circle. Michael D'Orso spent almost a year with the residents of Fort Yukon, Alaska to tell the story of a high school basketball that represents the heart of the community. These students ride to practice on snowmobiles in the darkness of winter when temperatures consistently plunge to 40 degrees below zero. ( )

Takes the reader on a trip to watch basketball in a most unlikely of places, northern Alaska. In the town of Fort Yukon basketball is king. Here, in the Alaska interior, a collection of native Gwich’in Indians and immigrants live in conditions of the most extreme nature. And each year, Dave, a native New Englander who came to Alaska more than 20 years ago, coaches the team. This years team stars Matt, whose brothers, father and uncle have all starred for the team.

The story serves to both describe the season and give the reader a thorough understanding of living in remote Alaska and the challenges faced by what remains of its Native population. The author balances perspectives, giving characters and basketball equal footing. Teens interested in learning about different cultures and sports will find this an approachable and exciting read. ( )

Writer D’Orso spent a winter with the high school boys’ basketball team, the Fort Yukon Eagles. The remote village of Fort Yukon is eight miles above the Arctic Circle and is home to around 600 people—mainly Athabascan Gwich’in Natives. D’Orso invites the reader into the lives of the boys and their coach as he follows along with him as they play their home games and fly to many of the away games. D’Orso also reveals the history and lives of many of the people of Fort Yukon including the high incidents of alcoholism, domestic violence and school dropouts but also their native pride and pride for their basketball team. ( )