Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever

Rosser debuts with the captivating story of how he came to be a champion polo player after his challenging childhood in West Philadelphia. Rosser details his mother’s battles with addiction, his brothers’ continuous fight to stay out of prison, and his best friend’s murder, which resulted in his own struggles with anxiety and PTSD. In his neighborhood, known as “The Bottom,” drug abuse and gun violence were prevalent, but he found solace in the Work to Ride stables, a local organization which provided children the opportunity to learn how to play polo. The sport, with its ethos of hard work and brotherhood, gave him a vision for how to embrace a brighter future. After earning a spot on the first all-Black interscholastic polo championship team and diligently working on his polo skills, he won a place on the Colorado State University collegiate team and later led them to a national title. Rosser’s prose is restrained but confident as he notes how fortunate he was to have polo in his life, and how he was able to defy expectations as a young Black boy on the polo field. This remarkable and inspiring story shines. (Feb.)

Correction: An earlier version of this review misnamed the Work to Ride stables. It also contained an error in the timeline of the author's collegiate athletic career.