Description
Book SynopsisJump Shooting to a Higher Degree chronicles Sheldon Anderson's basketball career from grade school through his years playing professionally in West Germany and communist Poland in 1987.
Trade Review"For readers with a strong interest in personal accounts of life in Cold War Germany and Poland, the book will surely be captivating."—K. P. McDonough,
Choice“A delightful, often wry nonfiction basketball bildungsroman, Sheldon Anderson’s
Jump Shooting to a Higher Degree is reminiscent of other first-rate sport memoirs. . . . This supple narrative, replete with poignant anecdotes, demonstrates how the love of a game can help shape one’s identity, values, and pave the way for future success. Anderson shoots and scores!”—Daniel A. Nathan, coeditor of
Baseball beyond Our Borders and past president of the North American Society for Sport History
“Is basketball more than just a game? For Sheldon Anderson, hoops are a sine qua non of life—a prominent theme in this entertaining memoir. Part sport history, part European history, part basketball bildungsroman, part autobiography,
Jump Shooting to a Higher Degree reminds us that sport, when played cleanly and fairly and with a respect for one’s opponent, possesses a transcendent power, offering important life lessons and providing opportunities one could have never imagined. Pleasantly written and chock-full of amusing anecdotes, Anderson’s recollection of his experiences in basketball and beyond is an informative, lively read.”—Chris Elzey, coeditor of
DC Sports: The Nation’s Capital at PlayTable of ContentsList of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Prologue
1. Of God and Games
2. City Hoops
3. Playing with Germans
4. An American in East Germany
5. From “Scheiss Preiss” to Bavaria
6. Wild Turkeys, WACers, and Southside Johnnies
7. Basketball behind the Iron Curtain
8. The Shot Doctor of Philosophy
Epilogue
