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Rules for Becoming a Legend
A spirited debut of a rising basketball star wrestling with his town’s outsized expectations and his family’s complicated legacy
Everyone seems to know Jimmy "Kamikaze" Kirkus, the half-white, half-Asian basketball sensation from small town Oregon. College coaches flood his mailbox with recruiting letters, Sports Illustrated has already profiled him, and everyone in town hangs on his every shot. But nobody can possibly fathom the weight of all this upon Jimmy’s shoulders, or the looming legacy that casts a wide shadow.
Todd "Freight Train" Kirkus seemed destined for the NBA until he impregnates Genny Mori, the tough yet fragile daughter of the only Japanese family in town. Dreams of stardom and riches are traded in for a hasty marriage and parenthood until tragedy slams the Kirkus family. Jimmy and his wisecracking little brother Dex are born into a broken family, one haunted by wasted talent, alcoholism, and death.
Like Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding and Friday Night Lights (the book and cult television show), Timothy Lane’s debut novel uses sports as a lens to understand family, community, catastrophe, passion, and hope. Populated with complex characters, Rules for Becoming a Legend is deftly written by an author who understands basketball as well as he understands the human condition.
Everyone seems to know Jimmy "Kamikaze" Kirkus, the half-white, half-Asian basketball sensation from small town Oregon. College coaches flood his mailbox with recruiting letters, Sports Illustrated has already profiled him, and everyone in town hangs on his every shot. But nobody can possibly fathom the weight of all this upon Jimmy’s shoulders, or the looming legacy that casts a wide shadow.
Todd "Freight Train" Kirkus seemed destined for the NBA until he impregnates Genny Mori, the tough yet fragile daughter of the only Japanese family in town. Dreams of stardom and riches are traded in for a hasty marriage and parenthood until tragedy slams the Kirkus family. Jimmy and his wisecracking little brother Dex are born into a broken family, one haunted by wasted talent, alcoholism, and death.
Like Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding and Friday Night Lights (the book and cult television show), Timothy Lane’s debut novel uses sports as a lens to understand family, community, catastrophe, passion, and hope. Populated with complex characters, Rules for Becoming a Legend is deftly written by an author who understands basketball as well as he understands the human condition.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published March 13, 2014
6 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Timothy S. Lane
2 books29 followersTim Lane’s words have appeared in The Los Angeles Review, Emerald City, X-R-A-Y, BULL, and Monkey Bicycle among others. He lives in Portland, Oregon where he has been a Writer in the Schools for Literary Arts. These days, he is a stay-at-home father for two boys. His novel, Rules for Becoming a Legend, is out now from Viking Press.
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March 18, 2014
On the cusp of March Madness and following the winter Olympics the book Rules For Becoming a Legend is an immensely pertinent read. The story follows several generations of the Kirkus family, who are known for their basketball prowess. Through flashbacks from father Todd’s high school career and flashbacks from son Jimmy’s youth the reader is taken on a journey of events and choices that lead to the gripping and heart wrenching first scene. A sixteen year old Jimmy, alone in his high school gymnasium runs head long into a wall, over and over again.
As a former athlete and sports fan this book resonate with me for days after reading. It so accurately portrays the kind of pressure and fame our society places on young athletes. It’s so easy to forget when watching major events, like the Olympics and college basketball championships, that these athletes are just kids. Some of the athletes in the Olympics are just fourteen years old. That kind of stress and pressure to perform is intense. Fans and communities invest so much of their hearts and emotions into sports that it can quickly amount to a mob mentality and take on a life of its own.
Lane deftly weaves this family’s tale and touches on important messages about handling pressure, about the consequences of our choices not only in that moment but how the rippling effect can be felt years and generations later. Even if you are not a sports fan or an athlete yourself, readers will relate to the messages about family ties, love and marriage, friendships and loyalties, and the difficult nature of escaping ones fate or destiny.
I was incredibly impressed with this book and the further I got and certain realizations about plot surprises slowly started becoming evident I found I could not put it down. The writing is raw and emotional and at times the narration would refer to Jimmy as “our boy”, further pulling the reader into this world and into Jimmy’s community.
I absolutely consider this a must read book of the year and will be pushing it into the hands of any reader I can get my hands on.
As a former athlete and sports fan this book resonate with me for days after reading. It so accurately portrays the kind of pressure and fame our society places on young athletes. It’s so easy to forget when watching major events, like the Olympics and college basketball championships, that these athletes are just kids. Some of the athletes in the Olympics are just fourteen years old. That kind of stress and pressure to perform is intense. Fans and communities invest so much of their hearts and emotions into sports that it can quickly amount to a mob mentality and take on a life of its own.
Lane deftly weaves this family’s tale and touches on important messages about handling pressure, about the consequences of our choices not only in that moment but how the rippling effect can be felt years and generations later. Even if you are not a sports fan or an athlete yourself, readers will relate to the messages about family ties, love and marriage, friendships and loyalties, and the difficult nature of escaping ones fate or destiny.
I was incredibly impressed with this book and the further I got and certain realizations about plot surprises slowly started becoming evident I found I could not put it down. The writing is raw and emotional and at times the narration would refer to Jimmy as “our boy”, further pulling the reader into this world and into Jimmy’s community.
I absolutely consider this a must read book of the year and will be pushing it into the hands of any reader I can get my hands on.
February 20, 2014
My favorite line from this work is "Meanwhile for Genny Mori, the house started to feel like a foreign country she didn't have a passport for." How many of us feel something similar? Take a look around at your family members and this just hits home. This book is much more than the story of a basketball dynasty in small town America although it does give a straight-on look at team sports and the overblown emotion that follows with the strive for excellence. It's about soldering on through the aftermath of tragic events. It's about heroes who are humans with flaws and it's about a community's expectations for those it loves.
Is grandpa a whackadoodledoo or a man with a dream for his son? Is the father making loving and supportive parental decisions? This book needs to be read by you. The media needs to take a look at it for screenplay possibilities. I wish the author much success and thank Penguin for the opportunity to have an early read.
Is grandpa a whackadoodledoo or a man with a dream for his son? Is the father making loving and supportive parental decisions? This book needs to be read by you. The media needs to take a look at it for screenplay possibilities. I wish the author much success and thank Penguin for the opportunity to have an early read.
July 30, 2015
I can't claim to have the same experience with this book as the next reader. I graduated from high school the same year with the author and we started going to school together in the 4th grade. Nearly all of the landmarks are true to our town of Astoria, fictionalized as Columbia County, making the scenes come to life in my mind in detailed description. It was fascinating to read and reflect on the ways that Tim incorporated our small town upbringing into the novel that he wrote, and had published! Beyond my personal connection to the story, I was deeply moved by the story of the Kirkus family and the ways their lives did and did not become what they'd envisioned. The concept of choice within the framework of a family legacy rang especially true. I'll be recommending this book to my local friends and family along with anyone looking for a read that is instantly compelling and inevitably moving.
September 1, 2015
Rules for Becoming a Legend gave the reader a good deal of insight into the game of basketball and when a young man has talents how important it can become in his life or when he losses his chance what that means too.
A family struggles in this story with lost opportunity, great talent, resentment and love, not unlike many families in our modern society struggling to balance all the demands put upon it.
The author is very knowledgeable about the dynamics of the family and about basketball and has woven a very interesting story with lots of emotions.
I would like to thank Timothy S. Lane and Goodreads First Reads giveaway for the copy of Rules for Becoming a Legend.
A family struggles in this story with lost opportunity, great talent, resentment and love, not unlike many families in our modern society struggling to balance all the demands put upon it.
The author is very knowledgeable about the dynamics of the family and about basketball and has woven a very interesting story with lots of emotions.
I would like to thank Timothy S. Lane and Goodreads First Reads giveaway for the copy of Rules for Becoming a Legend.
August 5, 2016
I won this book in a goodreads firstreads giveaway.
I really enjoyed this book. The book jumps back and forth from the past to the present which really allows the reader to understand why Jimmy and the other characters do/act the way they do. This book was so much more than a story about basketball. It looks at father son relationships, how a death of a family member can affect a family, how expectations can effect children and more. It was a beautifully written book and I look forward to reading more from this author.
I really enjoyed this book. The book jumps back and forth from the past to the present which really allows the reader to understand why Jimmy and the other characters do/act the way they do. This book was so much more than a story about basketball. It looks at father son relationships, how a death of a family member can affect a family, how expectations can effect children and more. It was a beautifully written book and I look forward to reading more from this author.
March 3, 2014
I won Rules for Becoming a Legend: A Novel as a goodreads first read.
This is a miraculous book. It tells the story of Jimmy Kirkus, a young basketball player, who, in the first chapter, runs repeatedly into a brick wall in his high school gym, hitting the bricks head on, until he collapses in a pool of blood. Miraculously, he survives this and is released from the hospital in a few days, and his life, the life of his father and grandfather, and the life of the community change forever. Frankly, I couldn't believe he could survive this, but he does. That is the gist of the story. I cannot reveal more without spoiling the tale.
The story is told from three perspectives - Jimmy, his father, and his grandfather, each of whom are legends in their own minds and in their own right. The book alternates between "the crash" and the days preceding it, and the past, which tells the story of Jimmy and his father and grandfather, enabling the reader to learn the history of the Kirkus family. Some readers might find this confusing, but I found it fascinating - alternating between the past, the immediate past, and the perspectives of the three generations of this family provides remarkable insight into family and societal relations and dynamics and a lot of food for thought.
The other unifying theme that runs through these individual stories is "the yips," a state of nervous tension affecting an athlete in the performance of a crucial action, which afflict all the Kirkus males in one way or another. The "yips," I learned when I researched the subject, may be an anxiety disorder or it may be a neurological disorder known as focal dystonia. This is important, because we learn as the story progresses, that Jimmy, as a child, was a natural basketball whiz, but when he starts playing basketball in high school, although he starts out as a winner, his game deteriorates so badly that the community says he suffers from the yips. However, after he bashes his head into the brick wall, the yips disappear as mysteriously as they appeared - does Jimmy have focal dystonia? Did his head injuries cure it? Am I on the right track?
I don't know, and that is one of the most compelling features of this story - you have to read between the lines and ask yourself what is the "fiction" of these people's lives, and what is the "fact?"
I find the title very telling as well. Jimmy and his father and grandfather want to be legends, and what happens to them in this quest can either be defined as success or devastating disappointment. I found myself thinking about my own life in terms of what stories I tell myself, what stories I tell to friends, what stories I tell to my family, and realized that "a legend" is what we make of it for ourselves.
The story is essentially an allegory about success and failure. You will either love it, as I do, or you will find it so confusing you set it aside. I urge any reader to stick with it, because it is ultimately very rewarding.
This is a miraculous book. It tells the story of Jimmy Kirkus, a young basketball player, who, in the first chapter, runs repeatedly into a brick wall in his high school gym, hitting the bricks head on, until he collapses in a pool of blood. Miraculously, he survives this and is released from the hospital in a few days, and his life, the life of his father and grandfather, and the life of the community change forever. Frankly, I couldn't believe he could survive this, but he does. That is the gist of the story. I cannot reveal more without spoiling the tale.
The story is told from three perspectives - Jimmy, his father, and his grandfather, each of whom are legends in their own minds and in their own right. The book alternates between "the crash" and the days preceding it, and the past, which tells the story of Jimmy and his father and grandfather, enabling the reader to learn the history of the Kirkus family. Some readers might find this confusing, but I found it fascinating - alternating between the past, the immediate past, and the perspectives of the three generations of this family provides remarkable insight into family and societal relations and dynamics and a lot of food for thought.
The other unifying theme that runs through these individual stories is "the yips," a state of nervous tension affecting an athlete in the performance of a crucial action, which afflict all the Kirkus males in one way or another. The "yips," I learned when I researched the subject, may be an anxiety disorder or it may be a neurological disorder known as focal dystonia. This is important, because we learn as the story progresses, that Jimmy, as a child, was a natural basketball whiz, but when he starts playing basketball in high school, although he starts out as a winner, his game deteriorates so badly that the community says he suffers from the yips. However, after he bashes his head into the brick wall, the yips disappear as mysteriously as they appeared - does Jimmy have focal dystonia? Did his head injuries cure it? Am I on the right track?
I don't know, and that is one of the most compelling features of this story - you have to read between the lines and ask yourself what is the "fiction" of these people's lives, and what is the "fact?"
I find the title very telling as well. Jimmy and his father and grandfather want to be legends, and what happens to them in this quest can either be defined as success or devastating disappointment. I found myself thinking about my own life in terms of what stories I tell myself, what stories I tell to friends, what stories I tell to my family, and realized that "a legend" is what we make of it for ourselves.
The story is essentially an allegory about success and failure. You will either love it, as I do, or you will find it so confusing you set it aside. I urge any reader to stick with it, because it is ultimately very rewarding.
February 28, 2014
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.
When I see a book with sports featuring highly in the story, my initial inclination is to avoid it. That all changed with Chad Harbach's ART OF FIELDING. Harbach's novel proved to so much more than a novel about baseball. So, I was interested to see how Lane would use basketball in his new novel.
Jimmy Kirkus is a basketball star who just happens to be the son of a basketball star. His father, Todd Kirkus was once known as "Freight Train" Kirkus and was destined for greatness in the NBA until blowing out his knee. Now, Jimmy holds the weight of the family's hope and dreams for basketball greatness on his thin shoulders. It proves to be too much. The novel opens with Jimmy repeatedly running into a wall in his school's gym in an attempt to knock himself out or worse. In a nod to the fact that Jimmy is half-Japanese, he becomes known as "Kamikaze" Kirkus. The novel is told in a before-and-after style where everything dates from and to the incident with the wall. We see the Kirkus Curse slowly revealed through flashbacks and get an understanding of just what went wrong with this family. Basketball becomes a method for understanding this family's story as well as how they fit into the greater community where basketball is king. Primarily, it is a tale of fathers and sons and how the sins of the past can sometimes be visited on the one's children. Can Jimmy break the curse and make a future for himself and his family?
Although I do not believe that this book is as literary or well-written as ART OF FIELDING, it is still a great read. The characters are compelling and well-fleshed out. I really liked how Lane told the story around the incident of Jimmy and the Wall. It wasn't hard to follow at all and it showed how that particular incident was the centerpiece of everything that happened.
BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. A great read for those who love stories about complex family relationships. I can see this one being made into a movie.
When I see a book with sports featuring highly in the story, my initial inclination is to avoid it. That all changed with Chad Harbach's ART OF FIELDING. Harbach's novel proved to so much more than a novel about baseball. So, I was interested to see how Lane would use basketball in his new novel.
Jimmy Kirkus is a basketball star who just happens to be the son of a basketball star. His father, Todd Kirkus was once known as "Freight Train" Kirkus and was destined for greatness in the NBA until blowing out his knee. Now, Jimmy holds the weight of the family's hope and dreams for basketball greatness on his thin shoulders. It proves to be too much. The novel opens with Jimmy repeatedly running into a wall in his school's gym in an attempt to knock himself out or worse. In a nod to the fact that Jimmy is half-Japanese, he becomes known as "Kamikaze" Kirkus. The novel is told in a before-and-after style where everything dates from and to the incident with the wall. We see the Kirkus Curse slowly revealed through flashbacks and get an understanding of just what went wrong with this family. Basketball becomes a method for understanding this family's story as well as how they fit into the greater community where basketball is king. Primarily, it is a tale of fathers and sons and how the sins of the past can sometimes be visited on the one's children. Can Jimmy break the curse and make a future for himself and his family?
Although I do not believe that this book is as literary or well-written as ART OF FIELDING, it is still a great read. The characters are compelling and well-fleshed out. I really liked how Lane told the story around the incident of Jimmy and the Wall. It wasn't hard to follow at all and it showed how that particular incident was the centerpiece of everything that happened.
BOTTOM LINE: Recommended. A great read for those who love stories about complex family relationships. I can see this one being made into a movie.
May 30, 2014
In the end, this book has some very powerful things to say about how isolated people can become from their family, friends, and towns. It offers an interesting exploration of all the emotions - good and bad - we project onto other people, particularly sports heroes. It also offers a painfully touching examination of what a burden it can be to carry the weight of other people's expectations, dreams and disappointments. But while the book delivers so much, the path to get there can be painful. I almost gave up after the first 100 pages because Jimmy "Kamikazee" Kirkus suffers more than Job. Few, if any, people care for or are kind to this young man, and his worst pains are self-delivered, as he runs into a gym wall several times over to punish himself for a reason we won't learn until the very end of the book. (When we do, it is quite powerful.) The sufferings aren't Jimmy's alone - they extend to his whole family. As we learn through backstories across several time periods, Jimmy's father, who was a local basketball hero like Jimmy, suffered a great deal too. If you get through those early pages, the book starts to pick up, although it is a surprise how few people here show any sort of kindness. The only people who treat Jimmy with any tenderness are a hospital nurse he briefly meets and his, now deceased, younger brother. The story also gets a little over-the-top. In his display of basketball prowess, Jimmy just doesn't beat nine other comers in one-on-one games (including a set of twins), he has to not even let them score a point. Since some of his competition is supposed to be pretty good players, the descriptions of his prowess seems a little fairy-talish or Superman-esque. Books always drag me along when a character wants something and I can root along with them in their pursuit of it. In the early stages, it's not clear what Jimmy or any of the focal characters want. Like I said, the book redeemed itself for me in the end, but along the way it was sometimes tough sledding.
January 19, 2015
This is one of the best books I read in 2014.
I don't do synopses, but will say that at the center of 'Rules' is basketball. However, you don't need to be a fan of the sport to enjoy this book. What you do need to be a fan of is excellent writing, multi-faceted characters, and--the best part about it for me--a compelling narrative voice.
The writing:
This is not an easy book to read, particularly if you have been reading a lot of YA recently. It's the kind of novel that you have to work a little bit for. The book is equal part story and equal part craft, and you have to be willing to engage in it on both levels.
The characters:
The characters are quirky, intense, and alive. They aren't entirely likeable (who wants that, anyway?) but every single one provokes empathy. They are people who have broken things and fumble through the mending of it, and sometimes you want to karate chop their throats and sometimes you want to hug them.
The narrator/setting:
Lane's narrative is amazing! I had the sense that the story was being told by Columbia City; he's given the setting a voice and in doing so created another fascinating character. The narrative voice was my favorite part about this book.
The story jumps around through time quite a bit. At first, that was somewhat confusing for me. I had a hard time keeping things straight, and I occasionally even got a little mad about it. But 3/4 of the way through, everything came together. It made total sense why the author chose to write it that way, and the resulting experience was absolutely worth it.
This is one of those books that I know I'll read again. I highly recommend it.
I don't do synopses, but will say that at the center of 'Rules' is basketball. However, you don't need to be a fan of the sport to enjoy this book. What you do need to be a fan of is excellent writing, multi-faceted characters, and--the best part about it for me--a compelling narrative voice.
The writing:
This is not an easy book to read, particularly if you have been reading a lot of YA recently. It's the kind of novel that you have to work a little bit for. The book is equal part story and equal part craft, and you have to be willing to engage in it on both levels.
The characters:
The characters are quirky, intense, and alive. They aren't entirely likeable (who wants that, anyway?) but every single one provokes empathy. They are people who have broken things and fumble through the mending of it, and sometimes you want to karate chop their throats and sometimes you want to hug them.
The narrator/setting:
Lane's narrative is amazing! I had the sense that the story was being told by Columbia City; he's given the setting a voice and in doing so created another fascinating character. The narrative voice was my favorite part about this book.
The story jumps around through time quite a bit. At first, that was somewhat confusing for me. I had a hard time keeping things straight, and I occasionally even got a little mad about it. But 3/4 of the way through, everything came together. It made total sense why the author chose to write it that way, and the resulting experience was absolutely worth it.
This is one of those books that I know I'll read again. I highly recommend it.
August 12, 2016
Becoming a legend, as author Timothy S. Lane points out in his "Rules for Becoming A Legend," is not wholly, and perhaps not even partially, a joyful life. Maybe it isn't even a life worth pursuing for nothing goes smoothly -- not family, not best friends, not goals.
Our heroes, three generations of a family with basketball talent, can attract transitory groupies, but can they attract women who will be with them tomorrow? Will they forever hold their admirers or will they fade into the shadows as so many sports greats and Hollywood favorites have done?
This book kept me up past midnight, for once understanding being famous -- or a legend -- is a fragile state. Today, when you're winning, you're king; tomorrow, when you lose or exhibit frustration at your non-private life, you're scum, to be kicked and tormented. Only when the history of your wins becomes the subject of myths do you regain your place as a legend.
Great start on your writing career, Timothy S. Lane.
Our heroes, three generations of a family with basketball talent, can attract transitory groupies, but can they attract women who will be with them tomorrow? Will they forever hold their admirers or will they fade into the shadows as so many sports greats and Hollywood favorites have done?
This book kept me up past midnight, for once understanding being famous -- or a legend -- is a fragile state. Today, when you're winning, you're king; tomorrow, when you lose or exhibit frustration at your non-private life, you're scum, to be kicked and tormented. Only when the history of your wins becomes the subject of myths do you regain your place as a legend.
Great start on your writing career, Timothy S. Lane.
September 3, 2016
Our boy Timothy S. Lane has written a firecracker of a book about basketball and small town living and how the two intersect. So maybe you aren't a fan of basketball? This book is still for you. You've got three generations of well-written characters to spend time with. You've got layers of small-town gossip, rumor and action. You've got a compelling story, not just of basketball, but also relationships and heartbreak and legend. You've also got a great sense of place in "Columbia City," the town standing in for Astoria, Oregon. Just as Friday Night Lights isn't just about high school football, and Rudy isn't just about Notre Dame football and Hoop Dreams isn't about inner city basketball and The Art of Fielding isn't just about college baseball, this is about a lot of things besides basketball. And even if it was just about basketball, it's so well written, you wouldn't be too sad if it was.
February 19, 2014
This book is one of those where it's best if you know nothing about it going in. So my bottom line is this: you will love it.
You don't need to be a sports fan to absolutely adore this novel. It's smart and clever and a basketball novel in the same way that Miss Saigon (or Pretty Woman, if you prefer) is about prostitution. I mean, of course it IS but there's so much more to it than that.
At its core (and as the synopsis will tell you), it's about a family that's so damaged that it seems to be cursed. (A curse so horrible that the family itself seems to believe in it.)
This book is being marketed as adult fiction but would also work for upper YA readers. (Really, if you love good books, this is for you.)
Highly recommended.
You don't need to be a sports fan to absolutely adore this novel. It's smart and clever and a basketball novel in the same way that Miss Saigon (or Pretty Woman, if you prefer) is about prostitution. I mean, of course it IS but there's so much more to it than that.
At its core (and as the synopsis will tell you), it's about a family that's so damaged that it seems to be cursed. (A curse so horrible that the family itself seems to believe in it.)
This book is being marketed as adult fiction but would also work for upper YA readers. (Really, if you love good books, this is for you.)
Highly recommended.
April 11, 2014
Tony Perez (Editor, Tin House Books): March has been a particularly good reading month. With any luck, and bit of backroom dealing, Tin House’s list of forthcoming books will be a few titles longer this time next week. Beyond the submission pile, I had the pleasure of reading Kiese Laymon’s brilliant debut novel, Long Division, and Leslie Jamison’s ungodly good collection of essays The Empathy Exams: Essays. But the book I’ll carting with me this weekend to the Peppermill’s sad-sack sportsbook, where I’ll be throwing away my hard-earned money on longshot prop bets and Jalapeno Poppers, is Timothy Lane’s Rules for Becoming a Legend. When I max out Cheston’s credit card on that Baylor-Dayton-Tennessee parlay, at least I’ll have a good basketball novel to curl up with.
May 8, 2014
With a fiction market tilted towards women (despite the fact that it's mostly run by men), I always wonder if it's possible to write a novel that's open to any gender that's not immediately alienating to most men. The answer comes in the form of "Rules for Becoming a Legend." I want to say that if there was a John Green for adults, it would be Timothy Lane, but that wouldn't be fair to Mr. Lane who is a writer in his own right, and deserves his own accolades. Look out for this novel, not just in the bookstores, but when the awards season shows up. One hundred bucks says this book's been optioned, as "Rules" should have that honor.
March 22, 2014
This was an absolutely wonderful book! Once I got it in my hands I couldn't put it down. It was very well written, the description of the characters, made it easy to picture them. As the story progresses you can't help but feel along with the characters. Their pain, anger and disappointment. A book I had originally thought would be souly about sports, is so much more than that. It surprised me with it's deeper meaning. I highly recommend this book to others.
May 1, 2020
I received this book for free as a Goodreads First Read.
This book was written using an inverted timeline - you find out a major plot point of the novel within the first couple of pages, then you spend the rest of the book trying to figure out how and why the main character came to act the way he did. The author used this device well, and it made reading the book more enjoyable.
This book was written using an inverted timeline - you find out a major plot point of the novel within the first couple of pages, then you spend the rest of the book trying to figure out how and why the main character came to act the way he did. The author used this device well, and it made reading the book more enjoyable.
May 5, 2014
Great book. I love that that it was about basketball and located in the Northwest. I also like the detail that the author used to set the scenes. I almost thought this was a true story. The use of time jumping from pre and post event to tell the story was well done. Overall a great read and I enjoyed it.
March 17, 2014
A beautifully written novel about a small town basketball legend in the Pacific NW. Just take it from Jonathan Evison: "A slam dunk of a debut. Rules for Becoming a Legend speaks to heartland America with all the authenticity and pathos of great Springsteen song--it'll hit you like a brick wall."
March 4, 2015
I was so excited to read this book I won it a while ago on a giveaway which is always cool. It was a pretty good read I really liked the jumps between the past and the present. They were done really well.
July 26, 2016
A great book! Worth the time and the money... it is a great read!
March 5, 2014
A well told story of heartbreak and joy. The characters shared their loves, hopes & sorrows as if they were your own family. A wonderful story that keeps the reader turning the pages.
June 3, 2014
This novel about a small-town basketball legend is a reverse slam dunk of a debut novel by Tim Lane.
June 28, 2014
So much more than a sports book!
September 12, 2015
I am not a fan of basketball, but this is about living generationally in a small town and every word resonates with truth. Well done!
May 18, 2018
Timothy Lane's fictional novel which features Jimmy "Kamikaze" Kirkus, young high school basketball star who faces adversity throughout his career. Jimmy is very much undersized guard who is known for being soft. Teams finally figure out how to get in his head and affect his play. Jimmy finds ways to overcome and revive his game.
August 4, 2022
Brilliant author and heartbreakingly beautiful story
January 26, 2024
not my cup of tea really
June 29, 2024
The "rules" structure seemed unnecessary as there was enough going on to keep the story moving. I was rooting for the main character(s) throughout.
April 6, 2014
This book was good...
Not the usual type of book I would just pick up, but its pretty good...
Let me explain to you why;
At first, when I saw the cover, let me show it to you:
I thought that this story was going to be about an athlete who is having problems with his career
But I never expected what I thought it was, mixed with family, hope, murder, getting another women pregnant, and catastrophe!!!
Hmmmm, I guess I needed to read it after all, because what I thought of this book was waaayyyyy different than what it actually was....
Now let me tell you what it's really about:
This book is about a rising basketball star wrestling with his town’s outsized expectations and his family’s complicated legacy again, I don't read lots of books that include athletes (with the exception of Offside).
In this book we have Jimmy "Kamikaze" Kirkus,.
Who is a half-white, half-Asian basketball sensation from small town Oregon.
He has college coaches flooding his mailbox with recruiting letters.
Let me show you:
That's an example :)
Anyway, Sports Illustrated has already profiled him, and everyone in town hangs on his every shot. But nobody can possibly fathom the weight of all this upon Jimmy’s shoulders, or the looming legacy that casts a wide shadow.
Then we have, Todd "Freight Train" Kirkus, who seemed destined for the NBA until he impregnates Genny Mori, the tough yet fragile daughter of the only Japanese family in town. Dreams of stardom and riches are traded in for a hasty marriage and parenthood until tragedy slams the Kirkus family. Jimmy and his wisecracking little brother Dex are born into a broken family, one haunted by wasted talent, alcoholism, and death.
I know, I know, this book has a lot of things you don't expect in it according to the cover... but that's what it is......
In this story, you begin to understand family, community, catastrophe, passion, and hope, in a sportsy kind of way.
Yup, I don't know how this author did it, but Good job!!!!!
This story has complex characters, and uses basketball to explain to readers what it really means like to be in a family, and hope for the best!!! :)
Not the usual type of book I would just pick up, but its pretty good...
Let me explain to you why;
At first, when I saw the cover, let me show it to you:
I thought that this story was going to be about an athlete who is having problems with his career
But I never expected what I thought it was, mixed with family, hope, murder, getting another women pregnant, and catastrophe!!!
Hmmmm, I guess I needed to read it after all, because what I thought of this book was waaayyyyy different than what it actually was....
Now let me tell you what it's really about:
This book is about a rising basketball star wrestling with his town’s outsized expectations and his family’s complicated legacy again, I don't read lots of books that include athletes (with the exception of Offside).
In this book we have Jimmy "Kamikaze" Kirkus,.
Who is a half-white, half-Asian basketball sensation from small town Oregon.
He has college coaches flooding his mailbox with recruiting letters.
Let me show you:
That's an example :)
Anyway, Sports Illustrated has already profiled him, and everyone in town hangs on his every shot. But nobody can possibly fathom the weight of all this upon Jimmy’s shoulders, or the looming legacy that casts a wide shadow.
Then we have, Todd "Freight Train" Kirkus, who seemed destined for the NBA until he impregnates Genny Mori, the tough yet fragile daughter of the only Japanese family in town. Dreams of stardom and riches are traded in for a hasty marriage and parenthood until tragedy slams the Kirkus family. Jimmy and his wisecracking little brother Dex are born into a broken family, one haunted by wasted talent, alcoholism, and death.
I know, I know, this book has a lot of things you don't expect in it according to the cover... but that's what it is......
In this story, you begin to understand family, community, catastrophe, passion, and hope, in a sportsy kind of way.
Yup, I don't know how this author did it, but Good job!!!!!
This story has complex characters, and uses basketball to explain to readers what it really means like to be in a family, and hope for the best!!! :)
May 11, 2014
I won Rules for Becoming a Legend by Timothy S. Lane from Goodreads.
The main character of this novel is a small town high school basketball player who must navigate the influences of the people around him as if he is paddling through treacherous waters. This is a story about expectations: the expectations of others and of oneself. It is a tale about how those expectations, as well as all the choices that are made, affect others.
Jimmy Kirkus, like his father Scott before him, has enough natural talent at playing basketball to gain attention beyond his small community. Also like his father before him, Jimmy is deeply affected by that fickle attention. There are whispers. There are rumors. Will they define Jimmy, or will he define himself? This story is about a young man's journey along a painful path to insight.
Legend is defined as myth. Legend is also defined as an admirable person. As Jimmy tries to stay afloat despite the myriad of pressures around him, he must determine what he truly wants for himself. Sometimes, the trappings of success are nothing more than traps.
Rules for Becoming a Legend is much more than a story about basketball players. It is a book about the ebb and flow of life and the choices to go with the flow or against the tide.
This is a multilayered novel that will cause you to think about the influences placed upon you and the influences you may have on others. I highly recommend it.
The main character of this novel is a small town high school basketball player who must navigate the influences of the people around him as if he is paddling through treacherous waters. This is a story about expectations: the expectations of others and of oneself. It is a tale about how those expectations, as well as all the choices that are made, affect others.
Jimmy Kirkus, like his father Scott before him, has enough natural talent at playing basketball to gain attention beyond his small community. Also like his father before him, Jimmy is deeply affected by that fickle attention. There are whispers. There are rumors. Will they define Jimmy, or will he define himself? This story is about a young man's journey along a painful path to insight.
Legend is defined as myth. Legend is also defined as an admirable person. As Jimmy tries to stay afloat despite the myriad of pressures around him, he must determine what he truly wants for himself. Sometimes, the trappings of success are nothing more than traps.
Rules for Becoming a Legend is much more than a story about basketball players. It is a book about the ebb and flow of life and the choices to go with the flow or against the tide.
This is a multilayered novel that will cause you to think about the influences placed upon you and the influences you may have on others. I highly recommend it.
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