She tells the story of the Amherst High School girls basketball team, their environment in quirky western Massachusetts, classic rivalries, and the battles they waged and overcame. She succeeds because she has a magnificent story, fascinating characters, and best...brilliant prose.
Reading In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle inspires me to write better. I asked her indulgence to answer a few questions and she generously responded. Enjoy her answers and perhaps the book, updated with an epilogue.
First, here is a quote from IN THESE GIRLS:
"They were a talented team with a near-perfect record. But for five straight years, when it came to the crunch of the playoffs, the Amherst Lady Hurricanes -- a "finesse" high school girls' basketball team of nice girls from a nice town -- somehow lacked the scrappy, hard-driving desire to go all the way."
1. What convinced you that Hope deserved sharing?
MB: Toni Morrison once said something to the effect that you should write the book you want to read. I loved the idea of writing ab look about a spirited band of young women who not only took over a town but took charge of their own destiny. When I first met the Lady Hurricanes and I watched them play a game and I realized how moved I was by the experience, I felt challenged to try to find the words that would capture all this for people who didn’t get to meet the Hurricanes on person nor to watch them in the middle of a game.
2. How do you usually find topics?
MB: Topics are usually the long answer to simple questions. “I hear Amherst has a strong girls basketball team this year. What is that like?” Simple answer: “Oh, everyone is happy about it.” Complicated answer: read the book.
3. Were subjects enthusiastic to share their narrative?
MB: My subjects ere enthusiastic. I think it helped that I treated them like adults, we made bona fide appointments to get together, and I usually made sure that we met at a place where food was part of the picture (Bart’s Ice Cream. Amherst Chinese, Antonio’s Pizza.) Athletes are always hungry!
4. What barriers did you encounter?
MB: Some of the girls were shy and some of their parents wanted to make sure that talking to me would not go against their own daughter’s best interests, so we all had to work to get to know each.
5. Did any enduring lessons emerge from the reader response?
