Zanbanger

Zan #2

by R.R. Knudson

A teenage girl encounters problems when she tries to play on the boys' high school basketball team.

Genres: Young Adult

162 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1977

About the author

Rozanne Knudson was born in Washington, D. C. She received a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 1954, a master's degree from the University of Georgia in 1955, and a Ph. D. from Stanford University in 1967.

Knudson wrote more than 40 books. But she is best known, particularly among teenage girls, for the four “Zan” books. Published in the years after the passage of Title IX, the 1972 law that prohibited federal funding for education programs that discriminate on the basis of sex, including sports, the series called on young women to eschew cheerleader skirts and pompoms.

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this on the toilet and it sucked.

[Bint Arab · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is part of a three-book set with Knudson's books Zanballer and Zanboomer. All three feature a star high school athlete, Suzanne, who is not only great at sports (football, basketball, and long-distance running) but she LOVES to play them competitively, even fighting for the right to play on the boys' football team and basketball team at her high school. I loved these books when I was a kid! (I think I read these books in junior high.) The main character is a strong female figure, and she inspired me to join sports teams when I got to high school -- these books, more than anything else, helped me imagine myself as an athlete. There are other fantastic ideas in this book: Zan's best friend is a nerd, and guess what? It turns out it's okay to be a nerd. Zan's best friend is a boy who is not interested in playing sports himself, and that's okay too. He and Zan have a healthy friendship and work together to help Zan achieve her goals (e.g. to improve her free throw accuracy). I just bought these books (used copies because the books are no longer in print) for my 10-yr-old niece who loves to read, and she loves these books too. I'm happy that this is becoming a family tradition!

~bint

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the Suzanne (Zan) series, about a girl who wants to play sports that were more typically thought of as only for boys. A great read for those who actually play a sport, as you get a lot of great detail about the process of training, the mental toughness it takes, and the physical demands. But they're also fun reads even if you're not a jock, because the heroine is fun and determined. I didn't play a sport as a kid but still really enjoyed the book.