The Hustle One Team and Ten Lives in Black and White

An experiment dreamed up by two fathers, one white, one black. Poor black kids and rich white kids together on one basketball team. An opportunity for the black kids to earn a chance at a private school education. A way for the privileged white kids to learn about life's other side. The whole notion was a corny fantasy come to life. The ragtag bunch gelled and won a state title. The boys all became fast friends. The "experiment" was deemed a success. But was it? How did crossing lines of class, race, and wealth affect the lives of these ten boys? The Hustleweaves together their stories in a breathtaking narrative. Their passages through the gauntlet of American reality sharply capture just how much race, money, and wealth affect our lives. Damian is a minister and a teacher. JT struggles to support two daughters. Tyrell was murdered. Dino, the son of immigrants, now runs a hedge fund. Myran, the team clown, faces ten years in prison for his role in a forty-dollar drug deal. Sean, another goofball, is now a tough-on-crime prosecutor. Doug, a benchwarmer, is a writer trying to make sense of his teammate's lives. The Hustleis an instant classic of narrative nonfiction. Ten lives are masterfully painted against a background of broad social and economic change, with the city of Seattle becoming a character in its own right. A tale both personal and public, The Hustleis required reading for fans of The Corner, the Up Series films, or The Last Shot.

Doug Merlino has contributed to Slate, Wired, Men's Journal, the Seattle Times, and many other publications. He received master's degrees in journalism and international affairs from the University of California at Berkeley. He lives in New York City with his wife. His Web site is www.dougmerlino.net.