If you've read Fallen Angels, Monster, or Malcom X: By Any Means Necessary, you may think you know Walter Dean Myers, but you have not gotten the complete picture. His 1996 book SLAM! shows readers a whole new side of Myers, will still inspiring and urging his readers to make the most of their lives. Though the book was published 13 years ago, it is still very appropriate for teens of the 21st century.
The Plot
Greg "Slam" Harris is a seventeen-year-old who thinks he is all that on the court -- and he's not that far off. He can play point guard and slam dunk the ball, making him a tough combination for a defender to handle. The problem is that this year Slam is at a new school, and here his new coach and teammates don't give him the respect he thinks he deserves, and his teachers just won't get off his back about his grades.
Not only is his new school becoming a problem, but so much of his support system is falling apart as well. His mom, though trying to help Slam the best that she can, is dragging him down with all her talk about raising his grades. His younger brother Derek is as meddling as ever. Even his best friend, Ice, seems to be drifting further and further away, and Slam fears that drugs are the cause.
In the end, this is a story about one teen who has to learn more about who he really is. He's not just Slam the basketball player. Slam the son, or Slam the best friend. In his struggle to discover who he really is, Myers leads the readers through a number of intense basketball games, some close encounters with Ice and his new friends, and ups and downs in his relationship with his girl friend, Mtisha.
The Characters
Greg "Slam" Harris - a seventeen-year-old who attends Latimer Magnat School where his basketball skills aren't respected and his grades are quickly slipping.
"Ice" - Slam's best friend who still attends Carver, Slam's old school. He is the star of Carver's basketball team, but Slam fears that he is putting it all on the line by dealing drugs.
Mtisha - Slam's on-again-off-again girlfriend who seems to genuinely enjoy being around Slam, but, in her eyes, he just can't get anything right.
Derek Harris - Slam's annoying 11-year-old brother who is constantly in his business and making his life at home more trouble than it needs to be.
Guys and girls alike tend to enjoy this Walter Dean Myers trip into intercity New York and the dreams of one young man who refuses to let anything hold him back.
Laura L. Johnson - Welcome! I am a secondary English teacher who also does freelance writing on the side. I currently teach at a small private school in the ...
