Reference: Dean Myers, Walter. Slam.  New York: Scholastic Press,1996.

            Slam is a novel about a young boy who goes by the nickname of Slam and is living in New York during modern day and must deal with life as a teenager maneuvering through school, home, and most importantly, the basketball court.  Slam has transferred to a magnet school in which he one of only a few black students.  The workload and expectations set upon him have increased and the realization that as he gets older, the decisions and choices he faces have larger implications.  His longtime friend is falling into the drug scene, his grandmother is sick, and his teachers and coaches don’t understand him.  The only place that makes sense to Slam is the basketball court.

            I thought this book was easy enough for sixth graders to understand and it brought up complicated and sophisticated issues, however, it did not tackle these issues, it only skimmed the surface of what, I feel, could have been compelling and interesting topics in the novel.  Living in Harlem for young adolescents can be difficult, and Myers discusses the various paths that are available to the youth, however, he never shows the implications of those choices or any examples of success or failure. The end of the novel falls flat, and leaves a lot unsaid.  This could lead to an interesting creative writing activity in the classroom, but for me, it left me frustrated.  Also, this is a book that would only attract people who understand and enjoy basketball.  The chapters go into play-by-play detail of Slam’s games. For pages and pages. I do not think that this could be a text that could be taught to a full class, it is more conducive to a small-group or independent reading.