Chinle, Arizona, Navajo nation where basketball offers much to players and their family, fans. This sport is King here and coaches come and go. They are expected to win. So, yes the sport is a big part of this book, and the authors descriptions of the matches, some of the both exciting. Mostly basketball, but not all. This is also a look at those who live on the reservation, the lives of the players, present and last, and the teachers and others who try to make a difference.

The author does a fantastic job, interviewing a wide range of people. Aunties, uncles, those clinging to the old ways and those trying to embrace the new. Poverty, bad habits, lack of opportunity keep many of these people at or below the poverty level. Despite this, the reservation is their home and many who leave return and some never leave at all. Cultural practices are noted, the games with possible curses, between the Apache and Navajo are outworldly. Superstition rules!

Also part memoir as the author chronices his own experiences in Chile, a place and a part of the cou try he came to fully embrace. So, this can't and shouldn't be written off as just another sports book. It is indeed, so much more. ( )