Books featuring sports are often marginalized. They’re set aside for “reluctant readers” or used as a last-ditch effort to nudge sports-minded young people toward the written word. But the best of these books achieve greater heights, and are recognized as works of literature.
What does this marginalization assume about readers hungry for sports stories? One of the most illuminating conversations I’ve ever had was with a high school basketball star in Texas. He claimed to have read my first novel, a story steeped in street basketball, five times. A librarian had recommended it, he explained, because she knew basketball was his life. When he proceeded to describe several of his favorite…
