Last spring I graduated from Seattle Preparatory high school, and took one last drive back to my home which was just minutes away from Rainier Beach high school. The student demographics of the two schools are polar opposites in terms of race, education, and economic status.
My story, and the stories of dozens of other kids that dealt with this divide during high school have found its home on the pages of Doug Merlino's, "The Hustle."
In "The Hustle," Merlino tracks down his old Seattle-based AAU team from two decades ago that combined rich affluent white kids from Seattle's richer neighborhoods and poor black kids from the inner-city.
While Merlino himself is a journalist, he finds his teammates everywhere from a prison cell to a hedge fund office. But, it was one teammate's death that led him to the writing of the book. Tyrell Johnson's murder happened in 1991, a mere five years after his participation on the AAU team.
At times "The Hustle" reads like a memoir with Merlino writing about his own and his teammates impressions of their team in 1986. At other times, the book feels like a provocative and candid commentary on the history of class, race, and wealth in Seattle and in America.
The history of Black Seattle/White Seattle is explored throughout the book as Merlino skillfully contrasts the experiences of the team's members after high school, with some graduating from Lakeside and moving onto successful careers, with others going to public schools in the inner-city and failing to finish out.
One of the more intriguing passages in this book is a description of Lakeside's student section at sporting events in the late 80's.
Merlino writes,
" 'It's all right, it's OK, you'll all work for us someday'...The chant, while I was at Lakeside, was always initiated by an upperclassmen...Toward the end of a game we were losing, he would stand, motion to the rest of the class, and lead the mantra...the message so clearly seemed to be: No matter what the score of this game, you are the losers."
Despite the differences that separated the team before, during, and after their championship season, William McClain's (the team's coach) vision is more than inspiring,
" 'We're going to have a mixed team this year. We're going to play with some white players. It might be a culture shock, so I want you to be ready. A lot of things are going to be different. But you remember what I've been telling you about opportunities? This could be something really good for you guys.' "
Merlino is able to invest the reader's interest in the individual lives each player on the team has led since 1986. As a reader, it is easy to understand the motivation that drove him in the writing of this book: friendship.
Though the conflicts between class and race are clear, there are some moments like Merlino's visits to the currently imprisoned Myran or the team's reunion that make this book a passionate narrative.
I read this book in search of a feel good sports story. I finished this book and found much more than I expected. "The Hustle" exceeded my expectations as a result of its ability to teach me about the city I call home and the deep racial divide that is still present within.
The Hustle
One Team and Ten Lives in Black and White
Doug Merlino
(Bloomsbury, $26)
Original Story:
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