HEAD FAKE

This debut novel sees an erstwhile homeless man with a history of depression become the basketball coach at a school for mentally ill juvenile offenders.

Mikey Cannon grew up in a racially diverse stretch of Los Angeles and played basketball in games where he was “the only white boy” (“I could set up plays like a pro”). Mikey was 15 years old when his mom died. A year later, he entered the Friedman Psychiatric Hospital suffering severe depression—a condition exacerbated by his dad’s tough love. His dad, a decorated high school basketball coach, considered Mikey his great disappointment. Now, at 25, Mikey has weathered two more hospital stints and spent several years living on the streets. His dad has grudgingly taken him back in, but only if Mikey can hold down a job—as a bus driver at Mary Friedman Alternative High School, an institution attached to the hospital that caters to juvenile offenders. As Mikey drives his bus, he comes to appreciate how much the kids have stacked against them. When circumstances leave him in charge of the basketball team, he sees an opportunity to give them something good in their lives and expunge some of his personal demons. Can Mikey save them through basketball? Gordon writes in the first person, past tense, from Mikey’s perspective, crafting a story much in the vein of the film Stand and Deliver,only more acute. Unlike the movie’s math teacher protagonist played by Edward James Olmos, Mikey is an underdog, and his team is disadvantaged by more than its socioeconomic background. The author’s exploration of mental illness is fearless and without artifice, portraying not only the debilitating effects on those afflicted, but also the trepidation, helplessness, anger, neglect, scorn, and occasional love returned to them by family and strangers. Mikey is an engaging protagonist, and all of his charges emerge as distinct characters. Even stock figures like Mikey’s dad have depth beyond their narrative functions. Throughout, Gordon narrates events in clear, accomplished prose that captures the voice and heart of each player. Readers will find themselves caught up in the journey, cheering for Mikey and his team. The ending, though verging on the saccharine, is extremely well played.

An absorbing, uplifting tale of finding light and self-worth in adversity’s darkest depths.