Hoop Dreams Deflated

by Yani

With a crack-whore for a mother, it’s no wonder that life for Davion and his younger sister Janaya, was everything but a crystal stair. Left in a dirty house by themselves with only the roaches to look after them as their tummies rumbled, the two anxiously await their mother to return with food for them to eat. Seeing LeBron James play in one of his first NBA games awakened Davion’s passion for the sport, but hearing his baby sister’s tearful pleas for something to eat makes him vow to become a super star athlete, so he and his sister would never again see days like the ones they were currently living. While salvaging slices of bread from a moldy loaf in the refrigerator, the two manage to make jelly sandwiches, only for the electric to be turned off. They are now alone in the dark, cold and hungry. A phone call placed to their father leads to their rescue and Davion and Janaya are placed in his custody.
His mother’s dope fiend habits wreak havoc in his young life, causing him to get into countless fights while losing all respect for the woman he now only refers to as Joselyn. But a heated confrontation between the two leads to a startling revelation that it was his father who turned Joselyn onto coke and created her habit that ultimately led to her overdose, with Janaya and Davion being the ones to find her. The respect, love and admiration Davion once had for the man he affectionately referred to as Pops, quickly diminishes after that dreadful day, and tragedy seems to make itself right at home in their lives.
Holding on to his hoop dreams, Davion works hard at perfecting his craft with his sister following in his footsteps. But with tragedy striking around them constantly, the dream begins to slowly slip from his grip. Davion soon learns that everyone is not who they seem as he suspects his step-mother played a part in a murder that nearly destroys the family. Through Davion’s eyes, he tells his story down to the final seconds of his fourth quarter when it’s too late for him to realize that his suspicions were misplaced… as was his trust.

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 13, 2017

About the author

Born in 1984 and raised in both North Philadelphia and the Germantown sections of Philadelphia, Yani knew she would be a writer at a young age. Starting with short versions of her own Tom & Jerry stories at only 5, Yani put her skill and talent to use in her grade school classes by writing other short stories to entertain her teachers and peers. Poetry became an interest to her at the age of 13 when she discovered her ability to free-style lyrical flows. Her first poem "Incomplete Dream" was published in University City's High School newspaper, but her rise to small fame in the school came after performing one of her best poetic pieces during a high school talent show, being the only student to receive a standing ovation. Her poem "Why Tyrone Can't Read" is still remembered by students and staff who run into her almost 13 years later. Yani has performed her poetry on the local hip-hop and R&B radio station Power 99FM, and other open-mic nights throughout Philadelphia. Though her ability to combine rhymes and metaphors together comes easily, her desire to become a published novelist was stronger than anything else. She wrote A Thug's Redemption at the age of 15.
Yani first became published through Publish America. When seeing her writing career was going no where with that company, she purchased her rights back and began making moves to become self-published. Using the money saved from being a self-employed phone sex operator, Yani went to work with developing her own publishing company, Anitbeet Productions, built and designed her own website and paid for printing and marketing for her debut novel. A Thug's Redemption has been featured on Yo! Raps Magazine's website and Yani has been interviewed by Joey Pinkney for Black Urban Times. It is not only available on Amazon and Kindle, but other online book stores as well as her website anitbeetproductions.net

Reviews

[Say What Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoop Dreams Deflated by Yani

As much as we’d like to determine the circumstances we are born into, the truth is we don’t get to make those decisions. The likelihood of the sins of the father coming around to affect future generations is real, as Davion and Janaya Jones discovered.

Davion was a typical child growing up in an urban setting who had seen far too much, experienced way more than he ever should have, who had grandiose ideas of the NBA being his savior. Through diligence, hard work, and sacrifice, he’d put in the work, despite the extreme challenges of his life. Just when it seemed all was going according to plan, secrets of yesteryear began to resurface, turning his whole world upside down. As he navigated one tragedy after another, it seemed he’d finally made it to a more solid ground, as he came to terms with everything and everyone in his life being a lie. No one was as they appeared. The only question remaining was would he be able to outrun the time bomb set in place to destroy his future before everything came crashing down?

In signature Yani fashion, Hoop Dreams Deflated has a full cast of believable, relatable characters that draw on numerous emotions of the reader. One can feel the grief, the joys, the pain, the frustration, the guilt, and every other emotion as if they living through the experience personally. The humanity of the characters, the expressions of their frailties, makes them so relatable that each comes across like people who could possibly live next door. As is true with life, the decision-making process is not as clear-cut as black and white. In this story all of the shades of gray come into place, making for a very interesting and emotional read, bringing to life the phrase “what’s done in the dark will always come to the light.” The story is moderately paced, well developed, and interesting throughout. Well done.

4.5 stars

___
Reviewed by Tumika Patrice Cain

[Tumika Patrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as we’d like to determine the circumstances we are born into, the truth is we don’t get to make those decisions. The likelihood of the sins of the father coming around to affect future generations is real, as Davion and Janaya Jones discovered.

Davion was a typical child growing up in an urban setting who had seen far too much, experienced way more than he ever should have, who had grandiose ideas of the NBA being his savior. Through diligence, hard work, and sacrifice, he’d put in the work, despite the extreme challenges of his life. Just when it seemed all was going according to plan, secrets of yesteryear began to resurface, turning his whole world upside down. As he navigated one tragedy after another, it seemed he’d finally made it to a more solid ground, as he came to terms with everything and everyone in his life being a lie. No one was as they appeared. The only question remaining was would he be able to outrun the time bomb set in place to destroy his future before everything came crashing down?

In signature Yani fashion, Hoop Dreams Deflated has a full cast of believable, relatable characters that draw on numerous emotions of the reader. One can feel the grief, the joys, the pain, the frustration, the guilt, and every other emotion as if they living through the experience personally. The humanity of the characters, the expressions of their frailties, makes them so relatable that each comes across like people who could possibly live next door. As is true with life, the decision-making process is not as clear-cut as black and white. In this story all of the shades of gray come into place, making for a very interesting and emotional read, bringing to life the phrase “what’s done in the dark will always come to the light.” The story is moderately paced, well developed, and interesting throughout. Well done.

4.5 stars

[Yani Yani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hoop Dreams Deflated gives a peek inside of the lives of trouble youths in inner cities. Often times we write off a lot of these kids as bad a$$es with no home training etc etc and never stop to think why some of these kids behave the way that they do. We rarely take the time to look beyond the surface and see that the misbehavior is a cry for help. Davion and his sister Janaya was fortunate enough to have an outlet to channel their frustrations and pain into but in the end, it just wasn't enough. The bond between the two of them was something we don't get to see too often among siblings anymore. They stuck together no matter what. This story also shows how the sins of a father can have permanent consequences for his family.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining

I gave this book 5 stars because it is a great read!!
Janaya and Davion certainly had their share of bad luck but thank God Ms. Aretha was there for them.
Just when I thought I'd done my share of crying for Dah Dah and Jah Jah the years started flowing again! I
Thank God for a happy ending!
I look forward to reading more from you Yani!

[Roxanne Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

50/50

Overall it's a good book and I'm looking forward to reading more of your work you really kept me guessing. Its a must read for my book club.