Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

My latest read was Dragon Hoops, the newest graphic novel from Gene Luen Yang.  To say I was blown away by this story would be an understatement.  It is phenomenal!  As a sports fan in general, and specifically a basketball fan, I knew I would be a fan.  Seeing Gene develop his love for the game during the course of this novel was so fun to watch.  And as fun as this was to watch, the personal stories of the kids and coaches involved was even better.  Yang has given us not only the story of a special season for the Bishop O'Dowd Dragons, but he has given us numerous history lessons in the process.  He has shown us how so many of the people involved, both past and present, were incredibly brave as they took that first step in to the unknown.  This is an incredible story that spans generations to tell us the tale of one unforgettable season!  I cannot recommend this one highly enough! 

From Amazon:

In his latest graphic novel, Dragon Hoops, New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang turns the spotlight on his life, his family, and the high school where he teaches.

Gene understands stories―comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins.

But Gene doesn’t get sports. As a kid, his friends called him “Stick” and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it's all anyone can talk about. The men’s varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that’s been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships.

Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he’s seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. What he doesn’t know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons’s lives, but his own life as well.