THERE'S ALWAYS THIS YEAR: On Basketball and Ascension
總有明年：關於籃球和成長
內容介紹
全國暢銷排行榜第一名！
「這本書極具魅力……不僅是我讀過的最具創新性的體育書籍，也是讓我感動至深的著作之一。」── 史帝夫．詹姆士(Steve James)，《籃球夢》(Hoop Dreams)的導演。
“There’s Always Next Year”，對於意識到本賽季無法奪冠的體育迷來說，這句話再熟悉不過了： “總有明年”，亦即今年輸了，明年再來，明年還有希望的意思。這句話既有無奈，也有樂觀，有時說得很真誠，有時說得很諷刺：希望永存，當然，除非希望破滅。作者哈尼夫．阿卜杜拉奇布(Hanif Abdurraqib)巧妙地轉化了這句話作為此書的書名，並在書中進行了全新的詮釋，這本書當然是關於籃球的，但更關於生活與家鄉、自我省視的動人個人回憶錄。
哈尼夫．阿卜杜拉奇布在1990年代俄亥俄州哥倫布成長，見證了籃球的黃金年代。這是一個打造了像詹皇(LeBron James )這樣傳奇球星的時代，但也有無數人默默無聞。哈尼夫對籃球的終生熱愛帶領他進行了一次深具抒情、歷史深度、情感豐沛的探索，這一探索涉及成功的真正意義、我們認為誰配得上成功、卓越與期待之間的緊張關系、什麼是好榜樣，哈尼夫巧妙地將這些這主題跟私密的個人故事編織在一起。阿卜杜拉奇布在書中寫到：「我本想在這裡描述我父親的跳投姿勢；然而，事實上，我只見過我父親投過一次籃。」
哈尼夫的目光投向了那些處於巔峰的籃球運動員—詹皇和麥可‧喬登等人，他們是球場上的神和王牌，他們的形象被貼在臥室和牢房的牆上，他們的表現打破了凡人的定律。
由於哈尼夫和詹皇皆出生和成長於俄亥俄州，時間相差一年，哈尼夫將自己的故事與詹皇的傳記融合在一起，將詹皇的崛起與自己不太明顯的上升形成對比。哈尼夫曾一度 “無家可歸”，並因小偷小摸而入獄，而少年詹皇甚至在進入 NBA 之前就已經開著昂貴轎車上學了。對詹皇來說，籃球是他擺脫困境的出路，而哈尼夫的寫作天賦和情商則讓他能夠重塑自己的境遇和缺點，並為之感到自豪和悲傷。
《總有明年》是一部充滿歡喜、痛楚、團結、安慰、憤怒、希望的傑作。無論是專注於籃球、音樂還是表演，哈尼夫．阿卜杜拉奇布的卓越文筆總是詩意且深邃，不斷地激勵我們從根本上重新思考我們對文化、家鄉及自我的看法。
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作者介紹
是一位來自俄亥俄州哥倫布的詩人、散文家及文化評論家，也是麥克阿瑟基金會(MacArthur Foundation)「天才」獎學金的得主。他的近作《美國小惡魔》(A Little Devil in America)不僅奪得卡內基獎(Carnegie Medal)和戈登．伯恩斯獎(Gordon Burns Prize)，還入圍了國家圖書獎(National Book Award)。他的首部散文集《他們不能殺死我們，除非先將我們殺死》(They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us)被美國國家公共廣播 (NPR)、《君子雜誌》(Esquire)、《BuzzFeed》、《歐普拉雜誌》(O: The Oprah Magazine)、《Pitchfork》和《芝加哥論壇報》(Chicago Tribune)等評為年度最佳書籍之一。《在雨中向前走：給探索一族的話》(Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest)不僅是《紐約時報》的暢銷書，還入圍了國家圖書評論圈獎(National Book Critics Circle Award)和柯克斯獎(Kirkus Prize)決賽，並長期名列國家圖書獎提名名單。他是 Beechcroft 高中的校友。
書評
“Hanif Abdurraqib writes: You are, in part, who loves you. I’ve never read a book more full of love—heartbreaking, poetic, rapturous—than There’s Always This Year. He loves basketball, his court, his block, his city, but most of all, his people, and he beautifully shares it in this indelible and mesmerizing book. Abdurraqib has written not only the most original sports book I’ve ever read but one of the most moving books I’ve ever read, period. . . . Utterly transcendent.”—Steve James, director of Hoop Dreams
“Hanif Abdurraqib again shows us new ways to be a social critic, a dreamer, a historian, and a lover of hoop. But—and this feels especially moving—he shows us how he wonders about, and how he is transformed in the wondering about, what it means to belong to a place. And you know by place I mean the people, the memories, the sorrows, the tomorrows, who are that place. And you know by all that I mean the love.”—Ross Gay, author of The Book of Delights
“Hanif Abdurraqib is one of the finest authors working in America, and this book contains, I would argue, the sharpest, most insightful, most poignant writing of his career. It's incredible. It's fat with emotion and love and earnestness and basketball, four of the very best things, packaged and delivered in a way that only Hanif can.”—Shea Serrano, bestselling author of Basketball (and Other Things)
“MacArthur fellow Abdurraqib follows his Carnegie Medal–winning A Little Devil in America with another unique, memoir-propelled, far-ranging, and affecting inquiry. . . . Structured like a game in quarters and minutes, it’s a galvanic drive through the intricacies of family, community, belief, and dreams, . . . Abdurraqib keeps multiple balls in the air as he swerves, spins, and scores, and every thoughtfully considered and vividly described element and emotion, action and moment, ultimately connects. An exhilarating, heartfelt, virtuoso, and profound performance.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Lyrically stunning and profoundly moving, the confessional text wanders through a variety of topics without ever losing its vulnerability, insight, or focus . . . A formally inventive, gorgeously personal triumph.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Cultural critic Abdurraqib returns with a triumphant meditation on basketball and belonging. . . . The narrative works as if by alchemy, forging personal anecdotes, sports history, and cultural analysis into a bracing contemplation of the relationship between sports teams and their communities. This is another slam dunk for Abdurraqib.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Beautifully written . . . Fans of Abdurraqib and basketball will enjoy this book. . . . He melodically combines topics.”—Library Journal