Stroke

by Carlos Ledson Miller

What happens when a young woman, who has known only acclaim and security, abruptly loses everything? Sedonia Forbes sits in her sports car, parked behind a rundown poolroom. Three months ago, she was the top amateur woman golfer in the nation. Newspapers heralded her as an up-and-coming female Tiger Woods. Now she's a nobody, who can never play golf again. She's come to this poolroom looking for a hustler named Emilio. Tears of frustration well, but she blinks them back. There's been enough of that! She climbs out of her car, and leaving her country-club life behind, she enters the green-felt poolroom jungle. Populated by authentic characters and told from an insider's view of professional pool, Stroke is the story of a young woman's quest for redemption and self-renewal.

364 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2010

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was extremely sappy and predictable, but i really liked the main character and i enjoy pool.

If you like pool i highly recommend this book.

[Jared Grafman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am deeply impressed with Carlos Ledson Miller’s storytelling ability. This is the perfect book to introduce a newcomer to the sport of billiards: It requires no prior knowledge of the sport, whatsoever.

It’s the first fictional story of pool that I’ve read to successfully create that gateway for the uninitiated. It also captures the life, the techniques, the environment — and the indescribable “pool bug” that we players have all succumbed. It shares the compulsion, the need to get better and get back to the table, the thrill of competition, the epiphany of playing the table instead of the opponent. It eloquently conveys the elusive feeling of being in deadstroke. It also offers a few hidden gems for the veteran player, including a particular 9 Ball break, and recommends a particular pre-shot routine for those (like me) who had none.