Hope: A School, a Team, a Dream

In this uneven book, longtime Providence Journal sports columnist Reynolds (Fall River Dreams) follows a basketball squad at Hope High School in Providence, R.I., a once-proud school that has been ravaged by gangs, unstable families, and indifference. At Hope, it’s a small miracle if the kids attend class. Amid the chaos, head coach Dave Nyblom, who regularly brings food for his underfed players, fields a competitive squad. Nyblom is part disciplinarian and part father figure to these rudderless boys, most of whom probably won’t appreciate his attention until they’re gone. Early on, Reynolds expresses a keen interest to learn more about the students, but while examining the challenges Nyblom faces as a coach, Reynolds rarely follows the kids beyond the gym. That distance, coupled with the columnist’s voice-from-the-mountaintop approach, reduces Nyblom and his players to footnotes in a tired narrative of a white knight in the urban jungle. So much about these kids—who they are and how they get through each day—remains unexplained and underreported. Reynolds says he cares for Hope’s players, but he never shows it. (Jan.)