Slam!

by Walter Dean Myers

Book Overview

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.

Seventeen-year-old Greg "Slam" Harris can do it all on the basketball court. He's seen ballplayers come and go, and he knows he could be one of the lucky ones. Maybe he'll make it to the top. Or maybe he'll stumble along the way. Slam's grades aren't that hot. And when his teachers...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0545055741
• ISBN13: 9780545055741
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

A Slam Dunk Book

Greg Harris, known as Slam is an outstanding seventeen year old basketball player from Harlem. He attends Latimer Arts Magnet High School. Slam's grades are slipping fast, but his basketball skills are what keeps him motivated. His grades are bad enough that Mr. Tate, the principal has a meeting with Slam and his mom about getting a tutor to help bring up his math grades. Slam wants no part of having a tutor. The book introduces you to Slam's family. They live in an apartment building located in Harlem. Harlem is a poor area to live in. Slam is used to seeing drug dealers and people spaced out on drugs on the streets. It's nothing for Slam to see people sleeping or passed out on the stairwells of the old run down buildings of Harlem. Slam lives with his mom whom he calls moms. She is a caring and loving person. He also lives with his dad who he calls pops. His dad is out of work and is an alcoholic. Derek is Slam's nine year old brother. Slam's grandmother is sick in the hospital. This is hard on Slam's mom. His mom is afraid Slam's grandmother is going to die. Slam decides to join the school basketball team. Latimer is coming off of their fifth losing season. Slam is surprised only twelve people show up for the tryouts. Coach Nipper and Slam have a disagreement during tryouts. This puts a strain on their relationship right away. Benny Reese known as Ice is Slam's best friend. Ice attends Carver High School, where he is a star basketball player. Mtisha is Slam's girlfriend. She thinks Ice is dealing drugs because of his sudden increase of money. Mtisha wants Slam to find out if her suppositions are true. Slam doesn't want to believe that Ice is dealing drugs. Slam knows from seeing other people dealing drugs on the streets that it's an easy way to make cash. He also knows dealing with drugs will put an end to any hopes and dreams for a promising future. Slam dreams of becoming a player in the NBA. He thinks about marrying Mtisha and having a family. Slam shows some interest in school when he and a girl named Margerie are assigned to do a project together. They are to make a movie of Slam's neighborhood. The film will show what goes on in the life of Greg "Slam" Harris. Slam seems like a real natural with a camera. Even Slam's brother gets into the project. As you read the book you realize that Slam's bad grades are no his only problem. Slam's major obstacle is his attitude. After a confrontation with Mr. Parrish during class Slam comes close to hitting the teacher. Mr. Goldstein, the assistant coach has a heart to heart talk with Slam, telling Slam he needs to change his attitude toward life. Slam changes his attitude for the better. He finds out that he is not a failure if he excepts help from others. I thought "Slam" was an excellent book. The story goes into such great detail, that I could put myself in the book. I felt like I was in the crowd watching Slam play basketball. This book introduced me to a teenager's life in Harlem. It made me s

A Great Story Of School, Basketball, and Life

The book Slam! by Walter Dean Myers is a very entertaining and satisfying ride through the eyes of a troubled teenager. It takes place in inner-city Harlem in New York, and it's all about the life of Greg "Slam" Harris on and off the court. The author beautifully crafts basketball, school, and the pressures of inner-city life to make a brilliant story. It keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. It's not dull or boring, it keeps you guessing what's next. It's what every basketball book needs. Good characters, good dialogue, and overall a good story. The main character, Greg "Slam" Harris, is a very skilled basketball player. However, in his studies, he's not doing so hot. He's going to have to keep his grades up to keep playing basketball, which is his life, really. His best friend, Ice, is also a talented basketball player, but he plays for another school's team. At the same time that Slam struggles to keep his game and grades up, he contemplates how Ice suddenly has bundles of money. Ice is also caught hanging with some well known drug dealers around the city. Is Ice falling into the trap set in the jungle that they live in? Will Slam be able to stay level-headed through all the different struggles happening around him? Slam finds out that if you really want something in life, or you want something to change, you have to work for it. He wants to keep his grades up to play basketball, so he has to work. He wants to set Ice straight if he's going down the wrong path, so he's gonna have to summon enough courage to let him know how he feels. Overall, this is an excellent book. It definitely appeals to me because I'm all for the inner-city setting and happenings. Basketball happens to be my favorite sport as well. However, this book isn't appropriate for all ages, since it does deal with drugs, alcohol, and gang violence. Some sexual references are made too. Other than that, the book is superb. The characters are believable, and so is the story. I would recommend this book to anybody wanting to read a refreshing fictional basketball story that could really happen. I give this 5 stars.

sms student

Slam!, by Walter Dean Myers, is about a guy named Gregg Harris. But everyone calls him slam, because he is amazing at basketball. Gregg gets moved to a new school called Latimer school of arts. He used to go to Carver but he got switched. He is one of the only black kids in the school. At carver there were a lot of black kids. He tries out for the Latimer basketball team, but the coach doesn't let him play. At the end of practice Gregg plays the coach 1 on 1 and Gregg schools him. Coach lets him on the team. But Gregg only plays when they are losing, and he brings them back. Gregg also finds out that his best friend back at Carver is dealing drugs and getting a lot of money for it. Gregg doesn't no whether to stop him or let it roll. Walter Dean Myers tries to tell you throughout the book that life's hard and you have to try. This book is a great read. It would be good for anyone who likes basketball. Also anyone in grades 7 and higher because of some slang words and other stuff like that.

Slam - Jay Sheth - Fiction

This book is about a high school kid living in a terrible neighbor. After he switched from Carver High School to Latimer High he is faced with new challenges. The teachers and his coach are giving him problems and his grades are slipping. To his grades the principle and his mother agree that he could use a tutor. Slam, his nickname, does not agree and never gives the tutor a chance. While all this is happening he also is faced with problems with his friends. A girl he likes is graduating and going to leave and another friend of his is taking the wrong path by dealing drugs. The same friends are best friends and plan to join the NBA together. However, with his new problems, Slam thinks he can't live out his dream. The reason I read this book was because a close friend, Shrey, recommended it. The book was great and I loved it. I too recommended it to people and another friend Kevin decided to read it. Although before I read it I read the summary and it seemed okay. Then I decided to read it since Shrey said it was a good book. My favorite part of the book is when Slam is in a game. The reason is because the author put great detail and I was able to imagine every thing that's going on. When he talks about a play they ran is so exciting. He talks about everyone on the court so you know what is going on all over the court. I recommend this book to teenagers who like basketball.

Yo Slam? Where's your head at man?

This book was a great book for a lot of reasons. It really portrayed life on the streets, and that people can either fall or rise above their circumstances. It showed the reality of the streets at times when it talked about people dealing drugs, and at the end, the book tells you how the main character deals with the streets. This book was about a teenage boy named Greg "Slam" Harris. Everyone in his neighborhood and school called him "Slam" because he was awesome at basketball. During the book, Slam fails to realize that school is very important.All the ever does is think about his girlfriend, or play basketball. He thinks that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto. But what he doesn't realize is that your attitude toward one thing can effect your attitude toward another aspect of life. His attitude in the classroom relfected his attitude on the court, and he and his coach were always at odds. During the book, Slam deals with the harsh reality of the ghetto when his friend, Benny "Ice" Reese gets involved with drug dealing. Ice was also a great basketball player, regarded my man as the best in the city. He also endures being looked down on by his teachers simply because of the neighborhood that he is from. At the end of the book, Slam's future lies in his own hands, and no one can decide his fate except for him. He will either fall to the streets, or rise above his circumstances. I really liked this book a lot, because the author really made all the situations seem very real. I felt like I could relate to this book, because I used to not try hard in school, then I realized that school was very important, and having a good attitude was necessary. This book really inspired me to work hard in all areas of life, and it was a very well-written book. It was very exciting when Slam was playing in his basketball games to hear the author talk about when he slammed, or blocked somebody's shot. Overall, I had a great time reading this book. I would recommend this book to anyone, not just people who love basketball.