Book Review: Dragon Hoops

 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Yang, G. L., Yang, K., Pien, L.,& Meyers, R. (2020). Dragon Hoops. First Second.

ISBN: 1626720797

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

This graphic novel is an autobiography of Gene Luen Yang as he begins to follow the Oakland’s basketball team and their journey to the State Championship. As he does this, he also explores the history of basketball from its invention to becoming a professional sport and he gets to know the team’s coaches and a few star players. His journey in writing this graphic novel, juggling his family, and job is also shared throughout the story.

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS

I have mixed feelings about this book. Maybe it’s because I am not a basketball fan, but I didn’t find this book to a page turner. But then again, this book isn’t all about basketball, it is also about Yang’s journey in writing this novel. There were some positives to this book, and a lot of the events mentioned in the book are added to help readers understand Oakland’s journey to the State Championship. The novel was well researched and a lot of attention was given to the accuracy of the history of basketball. This story begins with a prologue sharing how much Mr. Yang disliked basketball growing up, which was interesting because he did such a good job interviewing several characters and really allowing readers to get to know these key individuals. I would never have guessed he wasn’t a fan of basketball. Yang also made sure to provided readers with a lot of dates and events that were relevant to the history of basketball. I liked how he shared how long it took him to write his first novel and the difficulty he had in coming up with a new graphic novel. This helped me relate to him, and understand his process. Each chapter is named after either a coach or a basketball player and they share a detailed history of how the sport was created. Special attention was given to the sports history, and Yang was sure to include dates and relevant information for that time period. He also included difficult changes the sport encountered such as racism. One specific event that was added was the 2014 murder of Michael Brown, who was the same age as some of the seniors on the team. He included this event because Oakland was one of the cities where protests erupted and groups like Black Lives Matter began to appear. This event was also relevant as one of the coaches was being asked to make a statement during one of the games. Another aspect of the novel that I really liked was reading about some of internal conflicts Yang faced while writing this novel like decided on whether or not to include Coach Phelps in the story and how his family helped him with these conflicts.

Overall, the novel was good, but it was told using flashbacks, which I found a little confusing and I found myself going back and reading some chapters. Yang goes from sharing some historical facts about basketball, to sharing details about either a player or one of the coaches. Then, Yang added dialogue between him and his family that I found a little confusing. I guess my biggest issue with this book is that there are a lot of different things going on at the same time. From learning the history of basketball, to getting to know the team, to trying to understand some the changes Yang faced when reading this graphic novel.  

The illustrations I thought were great. Yang used a lot of neutral tones and his pictures perfectly described his writings. The facial expressions used were detailed and they helped readers understand how the characters were feeling. Additionally, through the pictures, in chapter 3, you could see how different the black players were from the white players. As mentioned in his writings, his illustrations clearly showed how much bigger the black athletes were. A lot of onomatopoeia was used in his illustrations which really helped readers in making that connection between the words and the pictures.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in Publisher’s Weekly: "Using a candid narrative and signature illustrations that effectively and dynamically bring the fast-paced games to life, Yang has crafted a triumphant, telescopic graphic memoir that explores the effects of legacy and the power of taking a single first step, no matter the outcome."

Starred review in School Library Journal:  "Another standout showing from Yang, this title will have even sports haters on their feet cheering."

Starred review in Horns Book: "[Dragon Hoops] is a perfect entryway into this form [single-season reportage] for teen readers."

5. CONNECTIONS

*Group students and have them research the evolution of basketball. Have students create a visual presentation and share with the class. Have students discuss their findings. Ask them to think about what lead to the success of basketball and why it is popular worldwide.

* Have students create a comic strip detailing the plot of the story and key events. Students should consider the different plot elements (character, Setting, Problem, Solution, Climax, exposition) when creating their comic strip.

* Have students write and illustrate their own memoir. Have them include key events or experiences in their lives.  Remind students to include event using sequence of events and timelines. They should also include illustrations that effectively describe their writings.

*Other Graphic Novels

Hughes, K. (2020). Displacement. First Second.

ISBN: 1250193532

McCoola, M. (2022). Slip. ALGONQUIN BOOKS (DIVISION OF WORKMAN).

ISBN: 1616207892

Myers, W. D., Sims, G. A., & Anyabwile, D. (2015). Monster. Harper Teen, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.

ISBN: 0062274996

Book review was written for SHSU MLA course.