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deedireads 's review for:
There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension
by Hanif Abdurraqib
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
All my reviews live at https://deedireads.com/.
I’m embarrassed to admit that this was my first Hanif, but don’t worry — I’m fully on board now.
This book is hard to describe; it is about basketball, but it’s also totally not about basketball. It’s more accurate to say that basketball — more specifically, street basketball in Columbus and Lebron James in Cleveland — is a lens through which Abdurraqib remembers, reflects, and critiques. I have a small amount of knowledge about Lebron James (because my husband loves him), but even that small drop was enough for this to hit. I truly think that Abdurraqib could choose any lens and make something incredible out of it. His ability to see the world differently and make connections out of thin air is unmatched.
This is also one of those books that you absolutely must listen to and read along at the same time. Abdurraqib’s prose here borders on poetry, and you would do his words a disservice to miss it in either format.
There’s not much more I can say that others have not. But please know that this book is both sad and hopeful, scathing and uplifting. Brb, time to (finally) go read Abdurraqib’s entire backlist.
I’m embarrassed to admit that this was my first Hanif, but don’t worry — I’m fully on board now.
This book is hard to describe; it is about basketball, but it’s also totally not about basketball. It’s more accurate to say that basketball — more specifically, street basketball in Columbus and Lebron James in Cleveland — is a lens through which Abdurraqib remembers, reflects, and critiques. I have a small amount of knowledge about Lebron James (because my husband loves him), but even that small drop was enough for this to hit. I truly think that Abdurraqib could choose any lens and make something incredible out of it. His ability to see the world differently and make connections out of thin air is unmatched.
This is also one of those books that you absolutely must listen to and read along at the same time. Abdurraqib’s prose here borders on poetry, and you would do his words a disservice to miss it in either format.
There’s not much more I can say that others have not. But please know that this book is both sad and hopeful, scathing and uplifting. Brb, time to (finally) go read Abdurraqib’s entire backlist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality
Moderate: Death, Grief