About:
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang is a graphic novel that follows the author's journey of documenting the Bishop O'Dowd High School basketball team as they aim to win their first state championship. Through interviews with the coach, players, and former coach, the book delves into the personal stories of the team members, the history of basketball, racial issues, and the challenges faced by both the author and the team. Yang weaves together multiple storylines, historical facts, and introspective moments to create a compelling narrative that explores themes of determination, teamwork, and the pursuit of success both on and off the court.
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From The Publisher:
In his latest graphic novel, Dragon Hoops, New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang turns the spotlight on his life, his family, and the high school where he teaches.
Gene understands stories-comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins.
But Gene doesn't get sports. As a kid, his friends called him "Stick" and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men's varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that's been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships.
Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he's seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. What he doesn't know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons's lives, but his own life as well.
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As a cartoonist, Gene alien Yang loves comics book stories, especially when the hero wins. In “Dragon Hoops,” the reader is presented with a graphic novel that is part biography, part history lesson, and part comic book story of the underdog triumphing over evil.
At the start of the book, Gene shares that he doesn’t really get sports and recounts past bad experiences in athletics. As an adult, Gene gravitates towards co-workers that are similar to him. Although he has no interest in basketball, the high school where he teaches at is excited about the possibility of the team winning the state basketball championship. In an attempt to learn more about what drives this teams to win, he decides to step out of his comfort zone and befriend Coach Lou, the men’s basketball coach and document the team’s journey.
During the course of the book, Gene realizes that each player’s back story is just as compelling as any comic book he’s read. In addition, the longer Gene is following the team, the more inspired he becomes by their perseverance and ability to keep playing despite injury and team losses. By the end of the book, both Gene and the team lives are changed for the better.
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