NONFICTION

Dust Bowl Girls: A Team's Quest for Basketball Glory

Algonquin. Jan. 2017. 304p. photos. notes. ISBN 9781616204662. $26.95; ebk. ISBN 9781616206536. SPORTS
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OrangeReviewStarNow playing its 20th season, the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) is among America's most successful women's professional sports leagues. Yet, the struggling basketball league has only turned a profit in recent years, still working hard to put fans in the stands. In this book first-time author Reeder introduces readers to Sam Babb, a remarkable man who saw past the Depression-era thinking that sports were less "ladylike" and even considered physically inappropriate for women. Babb scoured the Oklahoma farmlands looking for young women who would accept his offer of a college education; in return, he molded them into a team that exceeded all expectations. Equal parts social history and sports legend come to life, Reeder's meticulous research and play-by-play game accounts are a fitting tribute to Coach Babb and the trailblazing athletes he inspired. Of special interest for students of women's studies and a strong contender for a film adaptation.
VERDICT With high appeal to sports fans and historians, this hidden gem of a story deserves a place in all public library collections.
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