Description
Book SynopsisUnlike the stories of most visible Division I college athletes, Amanda Ottaway's story has more in common with those of the 80 percent of college athletes who are never seen on TV. The Rebounders follows the college career of an average NCAA Division I women's basketball player in the twenty-first century, beginning with the recruiting process when Ottaway is an eager, naive teenager and ending when she's a more contemplative twentysomething alumna. Ottaway's story, along with the journeys of her dynamic Wildcat teammates at Davidson College in North Carolina, covers in engaging detail the life of a mid-major athlete: recruitment, the preseason, body image and eating disorders, schoolwork, family relationships, practice, love life, team travel, game day, injuries, drug and alcohol use, coaching changes, and what comes after the very last game. In addition to the everyday issues of being a student athlete, The Rebounders also covers the objectification of female athletes, race, sexua
Trade Review“With its special emphasis on what it means to be a female pursuing athletic excellence, Amanda Ottaway’s story is a welcome addition to the growing list of books addressing this subject. Unflinching and celebratory,
The Rebounders captures the spirit of collegiate sport with both candor and joy.”—Madeleine Blais, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of
In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle and
To the New Owners"Ottaway is a fine writer who exhibits both compassion and insight throughout this story of one woman's coming-of-age as an athlete."—Wes Lukowsky,
Booklist"An enjoyable account of women working hard at Division I basketball and one ends the book happy to have shared Ottaway's journey."—Murry Nelson,
Sport in American History"
The Rebounders is a must for anyone interested in college athletics."—
Book and Film Globe"Over the course of her four-year college career, Ottaway loses her innocence. But she gains an appreciation for her teammates, words, and a good story. And this is a
very compelling story, and Ottaway tells it well. . . . For Ottaway and her teammates, it was a grueling grind, but it makes required reading for anyone interested in college basketball."—Jon Hart,
Stadium Journey“A personal, often poignant account of how hard it is to be a student-athlete, especially at a place like Davidson—and about what actually matters in the end.”—Michael Kruse, senior staff writer for
Politico and author of
Taking the Shot: The Davidson Basketball Moment“This book, an exaltation of women in sports, is an important conversation about the space that women hold for one another; the knots we tie, the goals we reach, the urgency of college sports as experienced by women, and the sacred sorority of female athletes who seek excellence—and find it.”—Dominique Christina, author of
This Is Woman’s Work: Calling Forth Your Inner Council of Wise, Brave, Crazy, Rebellious, Loving, Luminous Selves"[
The Rebounders] reminds us how far women's basketball has come. But more than anything, it captures the feel of the game, literally, in the swoosh of the ball through the net, and figuratively, as a metaphor for love itself."—Kirk Weixel,
BookMarkTable of ContentsNote to the Reader
Prologue
1. The Bubble
2. I Want You to Want Me
3. A Night with the ’Cats
4. Heading Home
5. Wet Season
6. Knocked Out
7. Sisterhood of the Traveling Sweatpants
8. A Postgame Surprise
9. A Team in Transition
10. Our Bodies, Everyone’s Business
11. Students or Athletes?
12. FTP
13. The Popularity Contest
14. The Dream
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
