Double Dunk: The Story Earl the Goat Manigault

by Barry Beckham

Earl "The Goat" Manigault had what it takes to become a incredible leaping ability, great timing, and unstoppable moves. He set a New York City junior high school record by scoring 52 points in one game. In high school and on the playgrounds of Harlem, he astonished opponents with his acrobatic shots, including the patented double dunk. Although seventy-two colleges offered him scholarships, lack of discipline and bad breaks sent Manigault stumbling into a world of heroin addiction and petty crimes for three years. He succumbed to the fast lane life that sapped the lives of so many of his friends in the 1960s. The Goat kicked the habit, however, and then returned to Harlem to start his own summer basketball league for black youth. This inspiring story of how one man rebuilt his life is told with vivid, no-holds-barred descriptions of the harshness, humor and love in today's inner city.

180 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1980

Reviews

[William Bryson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this book a 5/5 stars. It is called Double Dunk by Barry Beckham.
I like Beckhams theme about basketball and life.
For example he says “Basketball was more than just a game; it was a way out, a path to a better life. But that path was filled with obstacles that tested not just their skills, but their hearts and minds (Beckham 56).
This quote on the theme is personal to me because I belive the same thing that basketball can change your whole life. You can make a better life from it. Basketball also teaches you a lot and prepares you for things outside of just the basketball game.

I like the foreshadowing Beckham does about basketball but talking about life in general.
For instance he says “ You can’t always control the game, but you can control how you play it”(Beckham 42).
By him saying this he is telling Earl Manigault that he can only control what he can control. He was telling him to only worry about what he can do and make the right decisions because you can’t control the overall game just like you can’t control what happens in the world.

I like how the author talks about the resolution to the game of basketball but also the deeper meaning.
Furthermore he says”Sometimes, the hardest thing isn’t winning, but knowing when to step back and make a change”(Beckham 142).
He is implying that you have to step back sometimes to step forward more. You have to change in life even if you have to sacrifice something. The deeper meaning is that you could be winning in life but if your not doing the right thing then it doesn’t mean anything. Instead of changing how you do things can change in a good way overall.

A like how the author shows how Ducky the dynamic character changes.
First he says I don't care about the team, man I’m out to make my name, if they want to win they better get on my level” ( Beckham 67 ).
This shows Ducky being a selfish player and only carrying about himself. He’s talking bad on his team and saying they need to be like him if they want to be a good team.
Then later in the book Ducky says “ It’s not about who scores the most points; it’s about how we play the game, I am apart of the team”( Beckham104).
Now this shows how he has changed into a team player and cares more about the team then his individual success.
I like how the author uses imagery and a simile in this quote. “The ball spun through the air like a comet, a steak of orange against the bright blue sky, before swooping down into the net with a soft swish”( Beckham 93).
This can make you picture exactly what is happening which proves that this is great imagery.


Contemplative
Ambivalence
Subdued
Tenacity
Aspiration

[Elizabeth K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is possibly the craziest book I have read, ever. It's a YA biography of basketball player Earl Manigault, alarmingly told in the second person. I say "alarmingly" because by page 6, we learn how you, are picked up after a street game by an adult woman for an afternoon of sex when you are twelve years old, and it's also a little dizzying when you are addicted to heroin later on. It seems obvious that this book was written for the YA audience in the context of providing a cautionary tale that is also hip and cutting edge. Keep in mind it came out in 1980 -- the author's excitement about the possibility of teens talking about his book in a "rap session" is palpable. The upside is Earl Manigault's story is compelling no matter how badly it's written (although most of the meatier issues are glossed over - it assumes that black people live in slums because, well, that's where black people live, duh, and treats school as that place you go to play basketball), and many of the players he comes up against are famous names (including Dean "the Dream" Meminger, whose son is now a reporter for NY1).

Grade: As a book, D. As a story, B+. As an example of Weird Tales, A.
Recommended: Probably not unless you have particular interest in basketball during this era.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a biography about Earl Manigault, one of the best basketball players ever. He was short compared to today's basketball players but he had a vertical leap of 60 inches. He would have made it to the NBA but he was kicked out of school and became homeless due to drugs. After that, he could not play again, his body was destroyed from the drugs.

I choose this book becase i heard about him and how he actually did a double dunk. I thought it can only be done in games, never knew it was real. I liked this book because it shows the struggles and the temtations of New York City in the '80s. Reading this book showed me it only takes one thing to ruin everything when your are going for greatness.