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A review by ryanberger
Rise and Fire: The Origins, Science, and Evolution of the Jump Shot--and How It Transformed Basketball Forever by Shawn Fury
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
A book about basketball, yes. But really it's a book about small towns and the power of legends. It's about glory and how it fades. There are so many small things to love about this book, stories that will inspire you and break your heart.
Unfortunately, they're hidden in the ribcage surrounded by a skeleton of box scores and play-by-play accounts of long-forgotten games. And I do.... not.... care. And I'll go so far as to say I think it's poor writing. Wright Thompson (is it unfair to compare Fury to one of the all time greats? I'll tell you what, I feel silly because I thought this was a big book until I checked Goodreads and saw it has hardly any reviews. Might explain why I found it in a book store in Wyoming) manages to convey the big ideas at play first and uses box scores and shots to provide a little structure. Way too much of this book is just uninteresting recaps of games. Game stories don't make for engaging nonfiction-- that's why ESPN developed an algorithm that can produce them postgame (a sad, sad blow for sports reporters everywhere).
I really enjoyed the bits about dispelling the "myth" of a jumpshot origin, and how it's likely small-fry's all around the country developed it intuitively on their own to defeat their taller older brothers, and WWII helped the jumper spread like a virus. Well researched. Maybe *too* well researched.
A book about basketball in which the parts about basketball are the worst parts. Funny.
Unfortunately, they're hidden in the ribcage surrounded by a skeleton of box scores and play-by-play accounts of long-forgotten games. And I do.... not.... care. And I'll go so far as to say I think it's poor writing. Wright Thompson (is it unfair to compare Fury to one of the all time greats? I'll tell you what, I feel silly because I thought this was a big book until I checked Goodreads and saw it has hardly any reviews. Might explain why I found it in a book store in Wyoming) manages to convey the big ideas at play first and uses box scores and shots to provide a little structure. Way too much of this book is just uninteresting recaps of games. Game stories don't make for engaging nonfiction-- that's why ESPN developed an algorithm that can produce them postgame (a sad, sad blow for sports reporters everywhere).
I really enjoyed the bits about dispelling the "myth" of a jumpshot origin, and how it's likely small-fry's all around the country developed it intuitively on their own to defeat their taller older brothers, and WWII helped the jumper spread like a virus. Well researched. Maybe *too* well researched.
A book about basketball in which the parts about basketball are the worst parts. Funny.