#12 - Rez Ball by Byron Graves

 Just The Basics

    Published: September 12, 2023

    Genre: Realistic Fiction, Sports, Coming of age 

    Pages: 368 pages

    Acknowledgements: Colorado Book Award for Young Adult Literature (2024), William C. Morris Award for Best Young Adult by a Debut Author 2025. 

        "Never stop trying to get / Better than before / Smarter than yesterday / Stronger than you ever thought you could be.'"

    "Rez Ball" is the debut Young Adult novel from Ojibwe author Byron Graves. The story is about Tre Brun, a high school sophomore comic book geek turned basketball superstar. In the wake of the death of his older brother Jaxon, Tre struggles with grief, living on a small reservation in Minnesota, as well as fitting in as a starter on his school's varsity basketball team. Tre, his friend, and his "friendable" love interest Kianna all live out the excitement as their school reaches new heights in basketball, all while struggling with typical high school ailments. Tre learns how partying and drinking affect his game on and off the court, while his relationships with his friend group are strained by his newfound popularity through basketball. Rez Ball is very much a love letter from Graves to basketball, his Ojibwe heritage, and his life at Red Lake High School. There is no sugar coating life on a reservation; however, Graves' passion for basketball and his appreciation for making it out of Minnesota and into the public eye is clear in Rez Ball. Even if the reader of this novel is not into "sportsball" (as Kianna puts it), this story encapsulates life in a tribe and the big dreams Native youth might have in reaching beyond their disenfranchisement. 

    Why "Rez Ball"?

    I was planning on reading this novel before Byron Graves came to talk at the high school I teach at. I had heard of Rez Ball from lists of popular YA titles and the acknowledgment the work and Graves had received over the last two years. During Graves' talk, I was struck by his candor with my students. He spoke of finding purpose in life. Searching for something to do with his life, Graved popped around from acting, to music, to writing, failing in these pursuits long before his success with Rez Ball. When Graves spoke, he focused so much on how his failures eventually led to the writing of this novel, even admitting his imposter syndrome as he received accolades. Graves was open, honest, and transparent about this journey in such a way that he earned my respect as much as he made me want to read this work. While I am not very interested in basketball myself, I hoped that this realistic look at life and personal candor would be reflected in his writing. It was indeed-- making this work one of my favorites to read so far this year. 

    Teaching Considerations

     To be fair, last semester I taught Sherman Alexie's The Absolute True Story of a Part-Time Indian to a Freshman class, and I think I can use a lot of that framework in teaching Rez Ball. Both works center on Native life on the Rez, basketball, and how this sport can be a conduit for native boys to find an outlet for what is often a very small life. I would love to teach Graves' work to a class of Sophomores. I think this book is equal parts relatable, as it is a good novel to teach to a whole class. Tre's story of grief, finding his identity as he takes his brother's place on his varsity basketball team, teen romance, and struggles with peer pressure and drinking serve as a cautionary tale for students, as well as being a novel with considerable racial subtext to unpack. I think this novel is good for any group of high school-aged kids, its easy reading makes it the best fit for Freshmen and Sophomores. This book has pretty extensive use of swear words and underage drinking, so educators who are wary of these things might want to steer clear. However, I liked how many f-bombs were in this book, actually. The realism of this book comes from Graves' age and his proximity to how teenagers really talk. The parts that might be triggering in this book are things that I think teenagers deal with daily, and are just sometimes afraid to speak about in a classroom. This book feels real, even as Tre reaches unbelievable accomplishments in basketball. 

`      Sections to Read Aloud  & Reasoning

1. Chapter 31, February 1

• "Pride in our culture, in our tribe, in our heritage. That's the kind of pride that keeps who we are as a people alive. But personal pride, that ego pride can get in the way of growing, learning, and admitting when we are wrong" (Ebook page 303) 

    Tre's mom is often a source of wisdom in this novel. Chapter 31 would be a great read-aloud, not only because the chapters in this novel are short, but because this chapter offers the clearest insight into the novel's theme of pride. In this chapter, Tre feels the effects of his drinking on his game and confides in his mom. She helps him ground himself with some traditional Ojibwe techniques before confronting his all-senior teammates, so he can focus on the game rather than their partying. 

        2. Chapter 41, March 4

• ''Look at your parents, your grandparents, your teachers, your classmates. your friends, our Elders, our community. They're here to cheer you on, to show you love. We aren't separate-- we're all connected. We are a tribe. You are them, and they are you. So, let's get out there, stop playing scared, and show these white boys what the fuck we are all about" (Ebook page 477)

    Much like Tre's mom, Coach Whitefeather is another character who delivers thematic meaning pretty directly. In this scene, the Red Lake basketball team is in the championship game at the Target Center. Often, Tre's team is facing off against White schools of much more affluence. In moments like these, Coach Whitefeather uses his team's Native pride to inspire the team to dominate. Moments like this remind readers of an ethnic majority that these games become a lot more about basketball to Tre and his team. 

    3. Chapter 33,  February 13

• Being a Warrior is the last time I'll ever be special. I'll never top this. After this season, I'll be working at the casino or bagging groceries at The Trading Post. No one's going to want to take pictures with me or ask for my autograph. I'll just be another ghost of Red Lake Warriors past. But that's okay as long as we get to state. It would mean the world to our rez forever, man" (EBook page 479)

    I also think its imporant to show the stakes of these games from the student's perspective. In this chapter, readers can be exposed to how high the stakes of these basketball games are. Reading aloud the perspectives of the senior players on the Red Lake Warriors highlights the stakes of the plot, themes of institutional poverty and lack of opportunity on the reservation, and shows the complexity of characters like Dallas, who have a much different future than superstar Tre. 

    Overall Thoughts

        I am wondering if I would have liked Rez Ball as much as I did if I had not heard the author speak about his life or his passions. Out of all the YA titles I've read this year, this novel felt the most realistic. This book is not neutered in its language or the approach of its themes. The power of Graves' work comes from this realism and this book's closeness to real life. The characters drank, smoked weed, swore, but these were all parts that added to its believability. Often, I feel like YA authors try to make their work overly kid-friendly, and in this process, make their works feel like Disney Channel shows and not written documentaries on teens. Rez Ball felt raw, real, and was an enjoyable read. 

    Future Explorations

     Byron Graves has written two other books, both self-released. I would say I wanted to read these, but in his talk at my school, he said these works "sucked", so I will be avoiding them. He also said in this talk that he was given a two-book deal along with the publication of Rez Ball, so I will just have to wait until that book comes out to see what else Graves has to offer. I want to further explore YA authors who write in such a raw way. I am excited to see what Graves' work is like when he is not writing about basketball. That is, unless his next book is also about basketball, which in that case, I will probably start watching more Timberwolves games myself.