Ben Golliver

This book is the first one I've seen about a major sports league trying to make a go of it during the 2020 pandemic. It's a worthy read about the subject.

The initial chapters were a struggle for me. I first thought it was because the book was boring and not for me. But as I read on and reflected, I realized that Golliver was expertly recounting the feelings of aimlessness and general despair most of us had. It is still viscerally uncomfortable for me to think about what was happening in March and April 2020. I wasn't prepared to recount it so soon.

The action in the book picks up once Golliver reaches the bubble. I enjoyed the little details he talked about, like taking pictures of the same egret and seeing different coaches and luminaries while out on his walks. It's this type of atmosphere that takes a reader to a place instead of reading a bunch of bland facts. I can get that information from wire reports from those games. It's the behind the scenes action that I read these types of books for. Golliver certainly delivered in the regard.

The social justice crises around the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, as well as the Jacob Blake shooting were expertly discussed. The anecdotes captured the anger with the Floyd and Blake incidents, as well as the helplessness when Taylor's killers weren't indicted. the discussions about the stoppage of play because of the Milwaukee Bucks was especially enlightening. I didn't feel like there were good or bad guys in that situation, just people processing their grief differently. If only all writing about the horrors of police brutality could be so evocative, perhaps the country could experience the fear and pain of people of color.

I recommend this book to all fans of the NBA, as well as people who want a snapshot of how one group of people dealt with the 2020 pandemic.… (altro)