Basketball Diaries- Lots of shooting and plenty of scoring

Basketball Diaries- Jim Carroll

Now, I have read of this book being a YA-ish book.  It’s an autobiography of a New York kid, full of dreams and drugs.  I have to say, it’s a bit more graphic then any other problem novels I have read.

There are plenty of books on Amazon.com that reference this book and how to teach it to adolescents.  It is graphic and real.  I think that if kids are going to read it then it is good to have it done in a classroom to give it perspective.  It isn’t “preachy,” it just is.  There is a lesson, but it doesn’t smack you in the face like a pop-up book.  It isn’t the usual obvious YA book, so some kids might not get the message without a bit of guidance.