Honestly, it's been amazing to watch the writing world give Abdurraqib more and more freedom to do what he wants with his books, or he is at least being given the freedom to cook how he wants. This book is split into four quarters, complete with countdowns and timeouts/interludes, and Abdurraqib fucking swings for the fences on each one. It's a combination of poetry, lyrical sermon esque speeches about all the emotions tied up in basketball and his own personal life, and the larger emotions tied up with LeBron James' ascent to the big leagues. It's amazing to watch this book come together the way it does, and man, it is always a joy to read a new one of his books, even if the subject is not something I would've read normally (basketball), the man finds a way to. be able to explain and convey his joy in a hoop game, and watching someone else win big. Pick it up when it comes out in March, you're going to love it.

Hanif Abdurraqib turns his brilliant eye and inimitable mind to arguably his most intimate memoir yet in "There's Always This Year" - an ode to his roots with a focus particularly on the meaning of redemption, resurrection, and succeeding.

"There's Always This Year" is scaffolded around Akron, Ohio and world basketball legend Lebron James bringing an NBA championship trophy home to the underdog, long-deprived community of Cleveland. However, as in earlier masterpieces like "They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us" and "Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest", this theme only provides Abdurraqib a platform for sharing the truth about America The Great. Teaser Alert: It's not so great.

Life has always been hard in the industrial heartland, but hard has now evolved to brutal in the age of globalism, outsourcing, austerity, libertarianism, and the demise of public services. However, Abdurraqib doesn't just come with cheap, hot takes. Rather he shares his visceral experience of police violence and brutality, race-based injustice, a cruel, unequal, corrupt carceral system. He describes an environment where abject cycles of poverty are essentially impossible to break. Affordable housing is an oxymoron, squalid conditions with absentee landlords who only show up at eviction time. Living wage employment is out of reach, especially for those with a "background". Banks lock their doors. Payday loan companies prey. And people ask, "Why is there so much crime in our community"? Drugs? Violence? Arson? Rage?

Amidst betrayal and disillusion, there are always rays of hope. There are occasional saviors, Kings that emerge. There is a need to erect a 10-story billboard, "We Are All Witnesses". But, still, there will be moments of despair, abandonment, ire, anger before, finally, finally a reason to dance.

"There's Always This Year" is remarkable. Whatever is next for Abdurraqib is sure to be another must read.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the eARC.

Perfect read for Basketball season! I adore Basketball and found this extended essay style book to be a perfect chef’s kiss. I liked this even more than the author’s earlier They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us.

I loved this book. I have never read a memoir that is a love letter to a city, a sport, and Black culture. What Hanif Abdurraqib does in this book it help to the reader experience language and memoir through a new perspective of a someone who loves their city and basketball. This book is beautiful to read in that respective and also helps this readers who is not a huge fan of sports to appreciate sports in a new way. This is a must read.

Hanif Abdurraqib simply doesn't miss. Ever. When you first see this book the initial reaction if you're like me is "Wow, that cover is literally gorgeous," but the following feeling is "Oh! This is a book about basketball!" which I would argue the book should not be pigeon holed as because while yes, it is a book about basketball it is also a book about loving a place and never wanting to leave but having to leave anyways. It's a book about love, and grief, and of course, as all of his books are, some of it is about Hanif himself.

I think that the way he writes his books are intimate in that he pulls from his own life experience and the way he parallels his home and his life to LeBron James's is deeply interesting. The thing to note is I could not have pick LeBron James out in a line up. I am not a basketball fan and yet this book had me on the verge of tears.

Basically, this book is everything I could have asked for. I adore his non fiction and I'm so thankful to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review. There’s Always This Year is out March 26, 2024

I have been meaning to read Hanif Abdurraqib for a while now and I am glad that this is my introduction to his works.

The only word I can find to describe this book is "lyrical". The book is profoundly moving and does not require a lot of knowledge of the sport to enjoy it fully.

Looking forward to more works from the author

This was one of the best books I have read in a long while. Hanif Abdurraqib is a genius storyteller and writer, and as much as I adored They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill us, I was still surprised by how much I loved this new collection. The format is incredibly well done, the essays structured in a way that mirrors a basketball game- even down to the seconds. Every essay nearly brought me to tears and it's hard to explain why, as although there was a lot of emotion and difficult subjects explored, I found myself getting choked up by the writing itself more often. There is just something so brilliant about the way this author can get me to feel THERE, in the moment, in the game, in the held breath before someone makes a shot. I think the most incredible thing to me about this essay collection is I went in with minimal (if any) familiarity with how basketball works. I am not at all a sports fan, and although basketball is one of the sports I can wrap my head around the most, I came into this just trusting Hanif Abdurraqib to write me something amazing. And that he did! These essays are, of course, not just about basketball, but the beauty and community and tragedy that is that sport is the center of this book. I found that while reading, I was completely invested and enamored by the stakes of the game, of the sport, and of the players. This was so accessible to me even though I wasn't familiar with half of the players named (which was not an issue at all, Google exists after all) and the writing had me by both my heart and my throat. I will absolutely pick up anything this author writes, as the talent is simply unmatched. I would trust no other artist to make me care about a sport, and I'm so glad I didn't let my inexperience with basketball deter me from picking this up.

I don’t know the first thing about basketball, but any book with Hanif Abdurraqib’s name on it is an instant read for me.

Hanif Abdurraqib manages to capture love, loss, grief, community, friendship and many other human emotions in a way that I have never read before. I simply cannot get over how incredibly moving his writing is.

There’s Always This Year was beautiful and vulnerable. You don’t have to love basketball to love this book.

*special thanks to NetGalley and and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of this book in exchange for a review. There’s Always This Year is out March 26, 2024.

"Praise be to the underdogs and those who worship in the church of slim chances."

No one is doing it like Hanif Abdurraqib. At this point, I truly think he could write the phone book and I'd still read it cover to cover (and probably cry). You don't have to love basketball to love this book. This is a story of community, loss, connection, hope. You feel everything Hanif is feeling in these pages. The writing is lyrical, moving, and there are moments that stopped me in my tracks. I'm struggling to eloquently write a review that does this book justice. Just go read it for yourself, ok?

Thank you to Hanif for sharing his talent, to Netgally for the ARC, and most of all to ME for already pre-ordering this book months ago as soon as it was announced, despite being drunk at a Dave and Busters when said pre-order link went live. I can't wait to have this on my shelf.

There is no writer living, in my opinion, that can write about heartbreak, community, loss. grief, and hope like Hanif Abdurraqib. This may seem like a book about basketball; and it is, in a way. It's helpful to go in knowing about Lebron James' "decision" to leave Cleveland and his triumphant return, bringing a championship to a long-struggling city, but it's not essential. There's Always This Year is more about a place than anything--and you don't have to live in Cleveland or Columbus to recognize the emotions Abdurraqib so effusively expresses regarding his home.

If you've ever loved a place, or left a place, you'll understand. He so effortlessly puts to page what might otherwise seem impossible to articulate.

"There’s Always This Year," takes readers on a lyrical and emotionally charged journey through the heart and soul of an Ohioan deeply intertwined with the world of basketball. Set against the backdrop of 1990s Columbus, Abdurraqib eloquently captures the golden era of basketball, a time when legends like LeBron James were forged on the hardwood, while countless others remained in the shadows. Abdurraqib's deep connection to the game becomes a lens through which he examines the complex dynamics of success, the concept of role models, and the expectations that surround those who strive for greatness.

His memoir expertly weaves together personal reflection, historical context, and the cultural significance of basketball, much like his previous works did for music and history. He delves into the myth of LeBron James, an Ohioan who became a global icon, and how the city of Cleveland grappled with the grief and transformation when he left the Cavaliers. Through his words, Abdurraqib prompts readers to reconsider the definitions of underdogs and champions, showing how these labels shape our life journeys in unexpected ways.

Basketball, for Abdurraqib, is more than just a sport; it's a source of solace, inspiration, and self-discovery. He skillfully draws parallels between the game and classic movies like "White Men Can't Jump" and "He Got Game" to drive home profound points about life's challenges and triumphs. One of the most impactful aspects of Abdurraqib's memoir is his account of his time spent in prison and the meaning he derived from adversity. His resilience and introspection in the face of hardship provide a testament to the power of self-discovery and personal growth.

The memoir reaches its poignant conclusion with Abdurraqib's reflection on the tragic murder of Tamir Rice, connecting this heartbreaking event to LeBron James' return to Cleveland and how it forever changed the city. This powerful juxtaposition highlights the intersection of sports, identity, and social justice, demonstrating Abdurraqib's ability to navigate complex issues with sensitivity and depth. This new release transcends the boundaries of memoir and sports literature. It serves as a clarion call, inviting readers to reimagine culture, country, and self. Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy!