Download PDF Pounding the Rock Basketball Dreams and Real Life in a Bronx High School Marc Skelton 9780385542654 Books
Download As PDF : Pounding the Rock Basketball Dreams and Real Life in a Bronx High School Marc Skelton 9780385542654 Books
Welcome to Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, in a working-class corner of the Bronx, where a driven coach inspires his teams to win games and championships--and learn Russian history and graduate and go on to college.
In 2006, the Fannie Lou Hamer Panthers basketball team was 0-18. Since 2007, the year Marc Skelton, a New Hampshire native, took over as head coach, the Panthers' record has been 228-68, and they've won three Public School Athletic League championships and one statewide championship. This tiny 400-student school has become a powerhouse on the basketball court, as well as a public education success story and a symbol of the regeneration of its once blighted neighborhood.
In Pounding the Rock, Marc Skelton tells the thrilling story of the 2016-2017 season, as the Panthers seek to redeem an early exit from the playoffs the year before. But this is far more than a basketball story. It's a profile of a school that, against the odds, educates kids from the poorest congressional district in the country and sends the majority of them to college; of an unusual coach who studies the game with Talmudic intensity, demands as much of himself as he does of his players (a lot), and finds inspiration as much from Melville, Gogol, and Jacob Riis as from John Wooden; and of a squad of young men who battle against difficulties in life every day, and who don't know how to quit.
In a world of all too many downers, Pounding the Rock is one big up, on the court and off. All fans of basketball and of life will rise up and applaud.
Download PDF Pounding the Rock Basketball Dreams and Real Life in a Bronx High School Marc Skelton 9780385542654 Books
"Pounding The Rock is such an amazing book! It’s about basketball. It’s about NYC public school basketball. It’s about chasing championships. It’s about African American history. It’s about the inadequacies, failures and triumphs of the NYC public school education system. It’s about Russian literature. Most importantly though, it’s about coaching, helping to raise, and mentoring African American and Hispanic young men.
I’ve been coaching basketball in NYC for over 20 years. I can testify to the authenticity of this book. We coach the same kids. I have never read a book where I know the characters and the details of the story so well. Marc’s ability to weave together the intimate details of his life, the details of his games, the experiences of his players, the state of public education, history, and basketball is truly brilliant.
The read feels a little like watching the genius of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservation, with the sometime obscure(at least to me) references between food and whatever or in this case between basketball and African American history, Russian literature or whatever.
This book shines a light on our experiences as NYC coaches and educators...the balancing act between basketball and family, the sometimes turbulent relationships with our players and the creative strategies to keep those bonds strong, the scattered jerseys on the floor when someone exiles themselves from the team, the never ending demand for excellence and the beautiful connections we have with our players. It highlights the turbulence in their lives and in their neighborhoods. It celebrates the strength of these young men to succeed in spite of the odds. It shows the Love and support that exists between players and coach.
Sometimes it feels like our experiences as NYC coaches is akin to being marooned on a deserted island, lost from the world. No one understands. Why do we invest so much of our time? The rewards don’t seem to justify the time we put in...This book rescues us and let’s the world see us for what we are and what we do. It is a beacon on the timeless experience of being a NYC basketball coach and player.
Marc’s one of us, telling the world about us and our holy experiences. It feels so right.
Thanks for helping to define and translate to the world what we do and what we are as NYC coaches and educators. From now on, when someone ask me to explain what it’s like to be a NYC basketball coach, I’ll just hand them Pounding The Rock.
Pounding The Rock should be a must read for anyone who is brave enough to accept the challenge of coaching and teaching children in the “inner cities†of America. The task is life altering for the coach/educator and for the player/student.
Congratulations to Marc for producing this beautiful book!"
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Tags : Pounding the Rock Basketball Dreams and Real Life in a Bronx High School [Marc Skelton] on . <b>Welcome to Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School, in a working-class corner of the Bronx, where a driven coach inspires his teams to win games and championships --and</i> learn Russian history and</i> graduate and</i> go on to college.</b> In 2006,Marc Skelton,Pounding the Rock Basketball Dreams and Real Life in a Bronx High School,Doubleday,0385542658,Basketball - New York (State) - New York - History,Basketball coaches - New York (State) - New York,Basketball;New York (State);New York;History.,Bronx (New York, N.Y.) - Social conditions,Bronx (New York, N.Y.);Social conditions.,Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School (New York, N.Y) - Basketball - History,Fannie Lou Hamer Panthers (Basketball team) - History,High school students - New York (State) - New York - Social conditions,High school students;New York (State);New York;Social conditions.,Skelton, Marc,BASKETBALL,BIOGRAPHY AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Sports,Biography,Biography/Autobiography,EDUCATION / Urban,Education,Education/Urban,GENERAL,General Adult,New York,Non-Fiction,SECONDARY SCHOOL ATHLETIC PROGRAMS,SPORTS RECREATION / Coaching / Basketball,Sports Recreation/Basketball,Sports Recreation/Coaching - Basketball,United States,panthers; city schools and the american dream; jacob riis; knicks; coaching questions; coaching books; hoop dreams; the bronx; fannie lou hamer; high school basketball; basketball; basketball and other things; bronx justice; sports; biography; coaching; sports books; autobiography; biographies; sport; sports biographies; education; autobiographies; biographies of famous people; teaching; learning; basketball coaching books; education books; sport books; coaching basketball; basketball coach gifts; coaching youth basketball,sports books;basketball book;basketball books;sports autobiographies;basketball coaching;panthers;city schools and the american dream;jacob riis;knicks;coaching questions;coaching books;hoop dreams;the bronx;fannie lou hamer;high school basketball;basketball;basketball and other things;bronx justice;sports;biography;coaching;autobiography;biographies;sport;sports biographies;education;autobiographies;biographies of famous people;learning;teaching;education books;basketball coach gifts,BIOGRAPHY AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Sports,EDUCATION / Urban,Education/Urban,SPORTS RECREATION / Coaching / Basketball,Sports Recreation/Basketball,Sports Recreation/Coaching - Basketball
Pounding the Rock Basketball Dreams and Real Life in a Bronx High School Marc Skelton 9780385542654 Books Reviews :
Pounding the Rock Basketball Dreams and Real Life in a Bronx High School Marc Skelton 9780385542654 Books Reviews
- Pounding The Rock is such an amazing book! It’s about basketball. It’s about NYC public school basketball. It’s about chasing championships. It’s about African American history. It’s about the inadequacies, failures and triumphs of the NYC public school education system. It’s about Russian literature. Most importantly though, it’s about coaching, helping to raise, and mentoring African American and Hispanic young men.
I’ve been coaching basketball in NYC for over 20 years. I can testify to the authenticity of this book. We coach the same kids. I have never read a book where I know the characters and the details of the story so well. Marc’s ability to weave together the intimate details of his life, the details of his games, the experiences of his players, the state of public education, history, and basketball is truly brilliant.
The read feels a little like watching the genius of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservation, with the sometime obscure(at least to me) references between food and whatever or in this case between basketball and African American history, Russian literature or whatever.
This book shines a light on our experiences as NYC coaches and educators...the balancing act between basketball and family, the sometimes turbulent relationships with our players and the creative strategies to keep those bonds strong, the scattered jerseys on the floor when someone exiles themselves from the team, the never ending demand for excellence and the beautiful connections we have with our players. It highlights the turbulence in their lives and in their neighborhoods. It celebrates the strength of these young men to succeed in spite of the odds. It shows the Love and support that exists between players and coach.
Sometimes it feels like our experiences as NYC coaches is akin to being marooned on a deserted island, lost from the world. No one understands. Why do we invest so much of our time? The rewards don’t seem to justify the time we put in...This book rescues us and let’s the world see us for what we are and what we do. It is a beacon on the timeless experience of being a NYC basketball coach and player.
Marc’s one of us, telling the world about us and our holy experiences. It feels so right.
Thanks for helping to define and translate to the world what we do and what we are as NYC coaches and educators. From now on, when someone ask me to explain what it’s like to be a NYC basketball coach, I’ll just hand them Pounding The Rock.
Pounding The Rock should be a must read for anyone who is brave enough to accept the challenge of coaching and teaching children in the “inner cities†of America. The task is life altering for the coach/educator and for the player/student.
Congratulations to Marc for producing this beautiful book! - It's so easy to forget the challenges we once faced during our elementary and high school years. Pounding the Rock sheds a light on a small school in the Bronx and their incredibly successful basketball program. It isn't a story about sports and it isn't a story about schools. It's not a story about relationships and it's not a story about race. It's real access to the everyday life and challenges of raising a family, molding minds, adjusting to challenges and hitting the reset button each day to do it again tomorrow. Pounding the Rock was so much more than I'd anticipated and am so thankful I got to read it!
- Pounding the Rock is a journey into the life of an extraordinary educator and coach.
Marc Skelton is one of many unsung heroes teaching and mentoring kids in the NYC public schools. His notable impact is tied to a dedication to and obsession with coaching winning basketball - the elixir for drawing underprivileged kids into school and changing the trajectory of their lives.
The story progresses through the 2016-2017 basketball season with meaningful detours into the world of Fannie Lou Haimer HS and the rich personal experiences that have shaped Coach Skelton. His passion for basketball, history, Russian literature, teamwork and humanity fuel his success and a thoroughly enjoyable book.
Pounding the Rock is a must read for basketball junkies that tells a coaches story in his own words. It belongs on the shelf with The Breaks of the Game, A Season on the Brink, and The Last Shot. - Marc Skelton is a teacher, coach and mentor. He is a writer, thinker and jokester. He drops knowledge on you about Russian history, Greek Philosophers and Indie Rock, but enough about Marc. This book goes beyond the modern inspirational basketball tale, it will make you think about charter schools, massive high schools, relationship based teaching and history of New York.
This book made me miss my days of coaching cross country, think about my why of teaching and made me reach out more to my students.
I wish I had more copies to give away to my colleagues and friends. - Excellent read! Interesting and intimate story. Especially great for inner city teachers.
- Coach Skelton does an amazing job articulating the many obstacles facing students and athletes, not only in The Bronx, but in urban communities all across America. If you work with boys, are a parent of boys, or are even know any boys, this Pounding The Rock is an absolute must-read.
- Fabulous look into the world of high school athletics
