{"product_id":"streaksburg-a-coming-of-age-story-of-love-life-and-galesburg-silver-streaks-basketball-9798987722534","title":"Streaksburg: A Coming-of-Age Story of Love, Life, and Galesburg Silver Streaks Basketball","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Our shared experience, the sheer grace and beauty of the sport we loved, immersed in the joy of competition cast a mythical transcendence which is difficult to describe, other than to simply feel it. We gave it our all.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eStreaksburg\u003c\/em\u003e is best-selling author Barry Lee Swanson's intimate memoir of a boyhood transformed by a game-and the small, Midwestern city that lived for it. The author weaves a nostalgic tale of heroes and their formidable opponents providing a wider aperture regarding both the creative and destructive nature of competition. The book is also the saga of growing up in post-WWII-America including the tender rituals of family, faith, and first love.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet against the golden age of Illinois high school hoops, \u003cem\u003eStreaksburg\u003c\/em\u003e surges through the 1965-66 Silver Streaks' record-setting season, a compelling behind-the-scenes narrative describing the grit beyond the glory, culminating with their triumphant march to the IHSA State Boys' Basketball championship game.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLiterature, music and religion impact Swanson's maturation and lead him to a frank reckoning regarding the issues of race, class, and experiencing the weight of lofty community expectations as both a player and coach in the \"arena.\" Told with candor, humor, and warmth, this heartfelt coming-of-age story celebrates the author's family, community, teams, coaches, and the enduring grace of the game of basketball and those magical moments in one's life that are never forgotten.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Barry Lee Swanson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Boathouse Productions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/10\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 302\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.23lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.81d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798987722534\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSwanson, Barry Lee:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Dr. Barry Lee Swanson is an author, poet, and assistant professor emeritus at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Illinois Wesleyan University and a master's degree in educational administration from Western Illinois University. Preceding his professorship at Knox, he served in the United States Army and was a language arts teacher, coach, and school administrator in Galesburg, Illinois, and division chair of language arts at Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Illinois. He also served as a full-time lecturer in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned his Doctor of Education degree in educational organization and leadership in 2001.Barry served for ten years on the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State Selection Board and was chosen IBCA District Coach of the Year on ten occasions. In 1996, he was named the South team's head coach for the IBCA boys' basketball all-star game. He was inducted into the Galesburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame as a player and coach, and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as a coach.His critically acclaimed and bestselling novel, Still Points, was published in 2021, and his selected poetry collection, The Road We Take, in 2023.Barry and his wife, Gail, currently reside in North Carolina in close proximity to their three children and five grandchildren.","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Barry Lee Swanson \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":48944157589661,"sku":"9798987722534","price":44.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_aeeb5b35-b4b6-454f-aacd-4438a986c0ac.jpg?v=1790154448","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/streaksburg-a-coming-of-age-story-of-love-life-and-galesburg-silver-streaks-basketball-9798987722534","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}