Read Heaven Is a Playground Rick Telander 9780803294530 Books

Product details Paperback 236 pages Publisher Bison Books; second edition (March 1, 2004) Language English ISBN-10 0803294530

Heaven Is a Playground Rick Telander 9780803294530 Books Reviews

• I've read a few really good books on basketball -- David Wolf's "Foul," and John Feinstein's "A Season on the Brink" immediately come to mind -- but Rick Telander's "Heaven Is a Playground" is the best, for my money. This book captures not only the spirit of the game, but also vividly recreates a time (the mid-70s) and a place (Brooklyn).
  Telander was in his 20s in 1974 when he went to Brooklyn to spend a summer, in part because he was in search of the elusive playground legend James "Fly" Williams, who figures prominently in the book. During the course of the three months he was there, however, he met, played with, interviewed and befriended a host of regulars at the courts in Foster Park in the Flatbush section of the borough. They were African-American boys and men for whom basketball was far more than recreation. For many of them, the game was a way of life and even more importantly a form of self-expression.
  Besides Williams, Telander also met Albert King, then an astonishingly gifted 14-year-old, who was to go on to a successful NBA career. Telander brings to life the court skills of King and others, but he humanizes them, and this is where the great strength of the book lies. For example, King agonized over his talent, which brought him attention and adulation that embarrassed him and sometimes made him angry and withdrawn. Williams' incredible pure talent was married to an unpredictable and sometimes violent temperament that ultimately shortened his career.
  Despite an obvious empathy for his subjects -- he wound up coaching a group of teenage park regulars, with mixed on-the-court success -- Telander does not romanticize them. Flatbush, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville, where the action of the book primarily takes place, were poverty-stricken, crime-ridden places. Many of the people Telander spent extensive time with were scarred by their environment, and he does not try to hide that. Though the book is refreshingly free of a sense of "white guilt," Telander does agonize at one point over a boy he left off his team who succumbed to drug use and was later killed.
  At times funny, often poignant, and filled with a love for its subject, "Heaven Is a Playground" remains an engrossing, and still timely, read nearly 30 years after its publication.
• I spent a lot of time in Foster Park from 1973 to 1979. I was not known as a baller, but I had some enjoyable moments. I became friends with many people mentioned and some of them became very good friends of mine. To some degree, heaven is how people thought of Foster Park. It was a place that you could chill, play cards, meet some nice people and enjoy basketball games, especially during June weekends in the late afternoons. This book gave a pretty accurate account of events that happened during this period. This was also a growing period for many people, including myself that life outside of Foster Park could be challenging for many. Many people found things different, some people are no longer with us, but some became better people from their basketball and life experiences at the schools they were able to attend. I left Brooklyn in 1979 and have worked many places in this country as a Welding Inspector. I presently live in Michigan and have 4 grown children. I bought this third edition to remember the people I knew on the cover and give a shout to the good people I met there and hope life is good.
• This book is about a hot bed of baketball in inner N.Y.C. namely Bklyn in the mid 70's When the King wasn't called Lebron James, but King Albert (Albert King) averaging 44 a game in H.S. he was hailed & christianed the greatest ever to come out of New York City (although his pro career did not live up to the billing Albert & brother Bernard will always be fondly remembered). This book is about Albert and his come up through Bedstuy and so forth. It also gives you an inside look at some of BK'S playground legends circa 1970's and some of their tragic downfalls. The best N.Y.C. ball-book ever written will always be "The City Game" by Pete Axthlem, but this is a close 2nd.
• One of the best books I've ever read! I spent some time in Brooklyn playing 'ball in the early 80's and must admit that this book was my guideline. Believe me, this is how inner-city basketball was in the 70's - 80's timeframe and R. Telander is to be highly commended for getting it right. I've probably read this 40 times since it came out and can still not put it down. I would just die for a follow-up story of what happened to all these people (from Fly Williams to Roy Hill)...Highest recommendation!
• Great book. One of my sons favorites
• Awesome read, been trying to obtain a copy of the book forever, After purchase could not put it down. A must read for all sports fans.
• Good book
• Classic streets of NY basketball book, Telander is one of the best. Interesting stuff about the inner city, life and b-ball