Book Review: Dragon Hoops
I recently read the award-winning graphic novel Dragon Hoops written and illustrated Gene Luen Yang, colors by Lark Pien, published in 2020 by First Second. Part memoir and part history, Yang recorded his time as a teacher at prestigious Bishop O'Dowd High School Oakland, a private Catholic school in California known for its basketball teams. Yang followed the boys team en route to their first California State Championships victory, learning about the rules of the sport and its history along the way. The book reminded me of One Goal by Amy Bass, which covered a state champion soccer team from Maine, combined with what I had learned from the Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year. As for awards, Dragon Hoops was a 2021 Michael L. Printz Honor Book and 2021 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Teens.
Like many sports stories, the reader knows O'Dowd will win in the end, although learning that the girls team won their own championships the day before the boys’ finals was a great twist. Yang follows the lives of the kids on the team along with exploring their cultural backgrounds. In “Chapter 8: Jeevin”, he covers not only the creation of the American Catholic education system as a method of protection for Catholic immigrants but also draws parallels to the modern immigrant experience, noting how children of different faiths now attend Catholic schools. This chapter succinctly describes the religion of Sikhism, the partition of India, and the controversy of Mahatma Gandhi supporting political decisions that led to forced migration and millions of deaths. In “Chapter 10: Qianjun (“Alex”)”, Yang covers modern Chinese history, including the country’s love of the NBA along with the rise and fall of its national basketball training programs; there was some overlap with Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls, which I reviewed last week. The chapter also explores the experience of Chinese students who immigrate to the United States to play on elite high school teams. Besides focusing on the backgrounds of the players, Yang details the history of basketball, from Canadian James Naismith inventing the game in Springfield, MA to George Mikan becoming the first exceedingly tall professional basketball player at 6'10" after he grew up in the Catholic education system, to players in the current NBA.
Between these snapshots of history and biographies, along with some of the best play-by-plays that I have read, comes Yang’s own story: his need to balance his seventeen-year career at O'Dowd, his rising career as a comic books artist, and being present for his family. Including his personal experiences elevated the book from “just another sports story” to one of lasting impact. While more time could arguably have been giving to his family, who did not receive the biographical treatment that players got, the presence of Yang’s wife Theresa and their four children made his choices more meaningful than high schoolers winning a game or a man debating whether to professionally draw Superman comics.
This fast-paced book is an ideal read for middle school and high school students, while adults will also enjoy it. I appreciated the “Notes” section at the back of the blook, where Yang explains his process for creating images or artistic license taken. The neighboring “Bibliography” showed how much research was put into the book outside of following a high school team for a season. Additionally, I admired that Yang did not shy away reality. In several sections, he draws discussions with his wife and his conscience about including real-life scenarios in the book. Multiple characters use crude language, which is censored with asterisks, while two respected adult figures are accused of sexual assault. These tough subjects are handled with care and align with the book’s theme of stepping up to do the right thing. This is a must-read for fans of sports stories along with anyone interested in seeing how the graphic novel medium can be used at its highest level.
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen YangMy rating: 5 of 5 stars