Fair Game

by Robyn Ryle

Amanda Harkins is fed up. The Lanier boys' basketball team has been getting all the attention and money for way too long. The boys barely even won a game last season while the girls' team almost made it to State. But here she is again, fighting to practice in the good gym with the girls' team, even though they signed up for it and the boys did not.
 
Amanda and her friends-Maddie and Dot-decide it's time to take action. Amanda's an aspiring activist and this is one wrong it's past time to right. They challenge the boys to play a game for rights to the good gym. But Amanda wants to do more than just win. She wants revenge and she'll go all-out to get it. One game. Boys against girls. The losers agree to quit the team and give up their whole season.
 
But has Amanda gone too far? The three girls leave it all on the court to settle the question-what does it really take to be equal?

220 pages, Paperback

Published June 27, 2023

About the author

Robyn Ryle is a writer who also teaches sociology and gender studies at a small liberal arts college in Indiana. Her young adult novel, FAIR GAME, about a girls' basketball team that challenges the boys to a high stakes game, putting their season, their futures and three cherished friendships on the line, is available for pre-order now.

She's also the author of three nonfiction books. THROW LIKE A GIRL, CHEER LIKE A BOY: THE EVOLUTION OF GENDER, IDENTITY, AND RACE IN SPORTS will be available in paperback in August 2023. SHE/HE/THEY/ME: AN INTERACTIVE GUIDE TO THE GENDER BINARY is a 2020 ALA Stonewall Book Award Honoree. She's also written a sociology of gender textbook, QUESTIONING GENDER: A SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLORATION, available in its 5th edition in October 2023.

She has essays and stories at Newsweek, Gawker, CALYX Journal, Tin House and Belt Magazine, among others. You can find her on Twitter, @RobynRyle and IG, @robynrryle.

Reviews

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a female Hoosier, living through the Clark effect - this book is so timely! Not just for teens but for adults! The Madison high School girl's basketball team is one of the most winningest athletic teams in the state yet they can hardly get any gym time. The practice gym is flooded and the boy's basketball team can't be bothered to sign up for gym time - they just show up and take it when they want. Amanda is sick of it. She wants to prove once and for all that not only are they the better team, girl's sports matter too. She and Dot and Maddie challenge the boys to a scrimmage - winner gets the gym. But is that the best way to prove a point? And can they even win? Told in alternating perspectives between the three best friend, Fair Game is more than just about sports, it's about gender equality in all formats and learning how and why to fight for it.

[Elizabeth Marro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished FAIR GAME last night. I'd purchased the paperback at my local bookstore and then downloaded it just now on Kindle because I want to give my hard copy to a friend's daughter. I love basketball and I love the idea of three young women literally competing with the powers that be to get what they want and deserve.

Told from the point of view of the three main characters, this story shows the high and low points of coming of age in an environment that favors one gender over others in the age of social media. Not to mention the angst that comes from being in high school. What's great about Robyn Ryle's story is that she doesn't make the characters perfect or one-dimensional. For example, Amanda, the "activist," must reckon with all the motives behind her desire to challenge the system and certain individuals who let her down. Maddie must stop trying to be invisible and to take the lead when she needs to. Dot must stop letting others define her based on who her family is. Finally, Ryle finds a way to help us cheer for the girls wildly in the game that will determine who gets to practice on the "good court" without seeing the boys as villains. Everyone makes mistakes in this book and somehow the story is all the better for that.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! It felt so true to high school, all the intense feelings and allegiances, the shifting ground. Robyn Ryle pulls no punches on gender dynamics, but she is a generous writer and loves her characters, even the ones who behave badly. The big game made me tear up. You need to read this and tell all your friends to read it.