TIGERLAND 1968-1969: A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing

Dominic Hoffman delivers an excellent narration of this superlative audiobook about two noteworthy high school sports teams. His cadence and tone are exactly right as he captures the excitement of East High School's 1968-69 basketball and baseball seasons, when the all-black Columbus, Ohio, athletes won two state championships. The audiobook also reflects on the civil rights activity of the period and its meaning to students, teachers, and administrators. Author Wil Haygood's text masterfully explores this momentous period. Sport is used as a metaphor for the growing sense of black pride that took root in the late sixties. The fates of individuals--Jack Gibbs, the visionary principal, and Bob Hart, the extraordinary basketball coach--and how the players and community members were affected by the tumultuous era are insightfully re-created. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2019]