Title/Author:
“Season of Upsets: Farm
Boys, City Kids, Hoosier Basketball and the Dawn of the 1950’s” by Matthew
Werner
Tags:
Basketball, historical, High
school
Publish date:
November 15, 2014
Length:
260 pages
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very good)
Review:
Indiana loves its high
school basketball, especially in the 1940s and 1950s when all schools, no
matter what size, played one tournament. There were chances for the small rural
schools to upset their larger counterparts. The towns represented by these
smaller schools would sometimes completely close to support these young
athletes. During the 1949-50 season,
tiny Union Mills enjoyed a run to the Sectionals that is burned in the
collective memory of the town.
That season, not only for Union Mills, but for the entire rural county of LaPorte, is captured in this crisply written book by Matthew Werner. Through extensive research and interviews, Werner captures the spirit of the players and coaches of each of the twelve schools in the county.
However, the book is
much more than just about basketball. The reader will have a good understanding
of what life was like in rural Indiana during that time as the trials and
tribulations of the player’s families are also described in rich detail. While
reading these passages, the reader will feel like he or she is living with
these hard working people.
It would be a disservice
to the book to compare it to the movie “Hoosiers” because this book is a much
more complete picture of what it was like for a small rural school’s basketball
team to face a much bigger urban school.
The basketball played by Union Mills in the county championship is just
as exciting and good as any other basketball played. Werner’s recap of their
games proves this. He also captures the spirit and emotions of these players
and coaches in a manner that leaves the reader cheering for them until the very
end. A very good book that any
basketball lover will want to add to his or her library.
I wish to thank Mr.
Werner for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Pace of the book:
I found the sections on
describing rural life a little slow but very informative. The sections on the
boys and the basketball seemed to flow a little better as a narrative but both
are essential to the book.
Do I recommend?
For anyone who is interested
in that time frame, be it about the basketball, society or life in that era,
this book will give the reader a slice of the Midwest during the 1950’s.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying links:
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