Basketball game door Julius Lester

1. What is the title of the book?

Basketball game.

2. Explain the title of the book.

The book is called basketball game, because the main characters meet each other while they’re playing a basketball game.

3. Who wrote the story?

The story was written by Julius Lester

4. When does the story take place?

About 1956, in the time that in America colored people were discriminated.

5. Where is the story set?

The story is set in America.

6. How much time goes by from the beginning till the end of the story?

The story starts in the summer of 1956, when Allen is going to move to Nashville, `till the next Christmas.

7. Who are the main characters and why do you say so?

• Allen, because the whole story is about him, what he does etc.
• Rebecca, because she changed Allen’s life as soon as Allen and his parents moved in to their new house.
• Allen’s parents, because they have an important meaning in Allen’s life.

8. Who are the minor characters and why do you say so?

• Leon, Gloria and other kids in Allen’s town of birth.
• Allen’s grandmother.
• Rebecca’s father and mother.
• The librarian.
• The woman who helps Allen in the library.
• People Allen thinks about (in his memory).
• People Allen meets.
• Eloise

9. Would you recommend this story to your fellow students?

Not really, because it is difficult to read, because the things that the colored people say, is written in their language. But the story is really interesting.

10. What is your opinion of the book?

I think it is a nice book, although it was difficult to read because the language of the colored people was really written down. But it is interesting because it is about the discrimination of the colored people. The book lets you see trough the eyes of a colored boy, who has to cope with the great distance between the colored people and the white people. He doesn’t really mind about the `rules` of being colored or white, but when he meets a white girl, he gets confronted with them and he doesn’t understand why there is such a distance between Rebecca and him.
I liked the book very much.

11. Tell the story in about 500 words. (A short summary)

The story begins when Allen and his parents are going to move from Pine Bluff, Arkansas to Nashville. Allen doesn’t want to move, but he’s glad that they didn’t move to a city where Negroes were discriminated as worse they could be. They move because his father is a preacher and he has to preach in Nashville. His mother doesn’t work. His father thinks that Allen is going to be a preacher/minister or something like that too, but Allen wants to be an artist. He doesn’t tell his father, because his father doesn’t want that Allen to draw for work.
When they arrive in Nashville, it is still summer holidays. It takes two months ‘till the school begins. Allen spends his time with reading and drawing. But one day when Allen was drawing in the yard, the girl next door stood near him in his yard. Allen was a little shy, but the girl (named Rebecca) wasn’t. They talked a little and Rebecca wanted to see his paintings. When she finally left, Allen was glad, but though he liked it.
One day, his father gives him a basketball goal with a ball. Now, Allen plays also basketball in the backyard.
But now Rebecca comes play basketball with him. And Allen always let her win the game, but she cheats a little, because she scratches him and things like that and because she is a girl, Allen can’t do it back to her. Allen is afraid of girls.
But one time, his father sees them talking and while dinner, Allen and his dad argue together. His father warns him for Rebecca and tells him a few stories about colored men who got killed because of a white woman. But Allen thinks there is no danger in talking with Rebecca.
Rebecca comes again a few times over. She says that her father doesn’t want that they play together either. Now she only can come if her parents are gone. But despites his fathers warning, they become good friends.
The next day, Allen goes to the library. But he doesn’t know that the library where he enters is a white library. He asks if he could have library card, but the librarian tells him that is impossible. Than, another white women comes in. She helps Allen and it seems like she is the boss of the library! Allen is very glad, now he can lend some books about Beethoven and Thayer.
Once, Rebecca takes him to the Peabody College to draw it. While he’s drawing, an old man comes near. He warns them that they should split up, if they won’t have any problems, because the white people saw them together and want to phone the police.
Allen returns to Rebecca and explains it and they split up.
But, one night, his father entered while Allen is reading a book. His father said that Rebecca’s father visited him. “He said that he doesn’t want you and Rebecca play together.” He smiled. “But I told him that he should be glad that you talked to her, because you don’t talk to anybody.” Allen wondered why his father changed his mind.
“And he also told me that they have sold the house.”
Allen was very glad. His father was on his side and Rebecca would leave, so that would solve everything.
About a week later, Rebecca came by. They played basketball again, and after that, Rebecca won again, they talked about art.

After that, Allen decided to make a picture of her. Every day, he studied her face until he was able to draw it from memory from almost any angle.
Rebecca still came to play basketball and she always won.
Than, Rebecca told him that she was going to leave the next morning. Allen gave her the picture of herself, and the painting of the Peabody College. “They’re beautifull!” she said, “and they’re for me?” “Yes!” he nodded.
“Oh, that grass looks so real I want to lay down in it.”\
“That’s what I hoped you’d feel.”
“Allen, am I really that pretty? I never had nobody do a picture of me before.”
“I just painted you the way I see you.”
“Ohw, Allen…”
He wanted to kiss her goodbye. But they just shook hands and than she left. She promised she’d call, but she never did.

When the school started, he made a lot of friends. But the most important was, Eloise. She became his girl friend. He saw ‘it’ and did it, but safe, because Eloise didn’t want a child.

The next Christmas he and his father went for some Christmas stuff. On the escalator he saw a girl…. just like Rebecca…yes! It was her! “Rebecca, Rebecca!” he shouted. He put out his hand to grab her by the shoulder when he felt his father’s arm, grabbing his arm, gentle but definite. Allen now knew it was definitely over and in his father’s arms, he cried.

At home, he and his father took down the basketball goal.