She's Got Next : A Story of Getting In, Staying Open, and Taking a Shot

by Melissa King

When Melissa King, a transplanted southerner in search of connection, finds herself on the lean, mean streets of Chicago, she turns to her childhood passion for basketball. In her late twenties, King is at a crossroads in her life, and the randomness of the game as it is played on the streets suits her mood. The rules are unwritten, the teams a haphazard collection of players, and unlike anything else around her, the courts feel like home. So wherever there is a game, she gets her ball and goes. From the rough, male-dominated inner-city courts of Chicago, she travels to lazy oceanside pickup games in sunny California and dilapidated gyms in her Bible Belt home state.
In a street-smart voice full of understated humor and palpable hope, King chronicles her journey, using the rhythms of the court to riff on the issues of race, class, gender, religion, sexual politics, and love. Ultimately, through the jubilant swish of the net, the brunt of an egregious foul, and the knowing glance of a stranger who says yes, you can be on my team, King discovers in those rare moments on the court the countless things she wants in life but cannot name.

Genres: Sports, Basketball, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 2005

Reviews

[Mac · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this for a class... I believe this book is about something called a "sport," which seems to be a way for grown adults to play make-believe while maintaining respect and popularity. The "sport" in this book is called "basketball," which involves throwing a rubber ball into a hoop. I am told it is more complicated than it sounds.

I have read things about sports in the past, which used sporting as a jumping-off point for larger discussions of other, non-sporting topics. This book tries to do this, and manages to do so to a certain extent, but not enought to become something other than a nice book about basketball.

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book -- I am a huge fan of basketball -- but I was weighed down and bored by its tedious descriptions. It had moments of true inspiration and I particularly enjoyed the end, where she coached a team of young girls, but overall - I just wanted it to end. Very disappointing.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I read it to finish it. The coach part was the most interesting.

[Drew- Pickleball Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine this...a young lady played high school basketball in her small home town as a bench warmer. She moves to the big city of Chicago where she hardly knows anyone. So the way for her to enjoy life and connect is through pick-up basketball. It's interesting how she discusses interaction with strangers and gender and racial issues in this area. Great read! One of the best sports books I ever picked up.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving and humorous memoir into the quest for 'reality' and happiness. A young woman from poverty stricken Arkansas arrives in Chicago to explore the intricacies of urban life. Her passion: Basketball. Whether playing in a pick-up game or on a league team, she describes a delightful array of characters from all walks of life who ultimately define what's important to her.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I got this book. I finally decided to read it because it met a reading challenge requirement. It's a bunch of random stories about King's search for herself through playing basketball from Arkansas, Chicago, LA, and back to Arkansas. It's a bit disjointed, but I didn't mind reading the stories.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In She's Got Next, Melissa King chronicles her search for meaning in "ragtag games" on basketball courts across Chicago, Los Angeles, and her hometown of Arkansas, sharing with the reader bits of basketball wisdom and some of the "moves" she picked up along the way -- "tricky balances of resilience and flexibility, courage and serenity, confidence and humility, moving and stillness."

[Agatha Donkar Lund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little memoir about basketball as a common -- and not so common -- language. Preferred the parts about her experiences playing on playgrounds and in Y pick-up games in Chicago to the rest.

[Mary Jo Richmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to love to read about women's basketball and the route that all these girls/women take to just get to play the game.

[Kelly]

No story. No hook. No sport. Just a rambling account of people who played basketball and what they looked like or wore.