Description
Book SynopsisAkoy Agau led Omaha Central High School to four straight high school basketball state championships (2010-13) and was a threetime AllState player. He's also a South Sudanese refugee. In a fluid, intimate, and joyful narrative, Steve Marantz relates Akoy's refugee journey of basketball, family, romance, social media, and coming of age at Nebraska's oldest and most diverse high school.
Trade Review"Marantz’s book is a subtle plea for another path, a path of openness and inclusion that recognizes a common humanity across cultural divides. For basketball fans and readers interested and invested in Omaha’s past, present, and future,
Citizen Akoy should be of great interest."—Paul Emory Putz,
Nebraska History“[
Citizen Akoy] is a mesmerizing and enjoyable story of Akoy, his family, his romance, his trials and tribulations, and most importantly, of America. This well-researched book is a gift to lovers of basketball. It is a must-read for basketball fans.”—
Washington Book Review “I’m convinced that the greatest basketball player in the next one hundred years will be a Dinka tribesman originally from southern Sudan. Size and grace will win the day. Akoy Agau will be mentioned as one of the building blocks in this history. Here is his amazing story. Magic abounds.”—Leigh Montville, author of
Manute: The Center of Two Worlds and
Sting Like a Bee“Akoy’s amazing journey from refugee to basketball star isn’t just about sports. It’s a story of growing up, transcending race, and pursuing dreams, and Marantz tells it well.”—Henry Cordes, staff writer for the
Omaha World-Herald and author of
Unbeatable and
Devaney“The antidote to anti-immigrant rhetoric,
Citizen Akoy tells the vivid story of the refugee as the hero of our time, one Akoy Agau, a teenage basketball star who becomes an ambassador for sports-crazy white Nebraska. Thrilling—a must-read for anyone excited by what it takes to be an American today.”—Terese Svoboda, author of
Anything That Burns You: A Portrait of Lola Ridge, Radical Poet Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction: Refugee
1. Adaw
2. First Thanksgiving
3. Street of Dreams
4. Prophecy
5. Central
6. Trust
7. Stardom
8. To Absent Moms
9. “True Faith and Allegiance”
10. @ZerotheHeroAkoy
11. Families
12. Perfection
13. Basketball and Business
14. Temptation and Decision
15. Standing Bear and Brando
16. Dynasty Blues
17. Four!
18. Spring Prom
19. Repatriation
20. Getting It Right
21. Beyond
Postscript: Pop
Notes
Index
