_chaoticbooknook 's review for:

There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib

4.25

emotional reflective medium-paced

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This book made me feel expansive in a way I don’t know how to fully articulate. 

 

Okay first thing’s first - this book is not a book about basketball. This book is an ode to basketball, yes, but also so much more. I finished the book with a new found respect for the game and how it inspires a lifetime of emotion. I also finished the book in awe of how Abdurraqib managed to weave sports and Black inner city life so deftly together. 

 

The brilliance is in the execution. He talks about basketball (and Ohio) a lot, don’t get me wrong. And you never forget you’re reading a book centered on basketball - from the chapter structure to the constant references (which I loved!). However, what completely took me by surprise, were all the insights and truths he pulls from his own life to layer on the basketball insights. It’s almost as if the game of basketball and growing up Black were one and the same. There’s a feeling of universality to how Abdurraqib writes, making you feel like even though you don’t know anything about basketball nor being poor and Black, the threads he’s pulling from these experiences are applicable to your own life. 

 

The book is broken up by quarters (like basketball quarters!), and I must say the 3rd quarter had my jaw on the floor. Tremendous. 

 

I did find this book rather dense, and it took a bit for me to get used to his style and cadence. This book is also a “trust the process” sort of read, so if you prefer a linear read, this might be a challenge for you. 

 

Overall, I can see why Abdurraqib is an oft-cited and loved essayist. If you have any interest in basketball and reading Abdurraqib’s work, pick this up but expect to go slow (good!). I’m excited to go through his backlist.