Many basketball players have nicknames such as Shaq Attack, Melo, D-Rose and A.I. Then there’s Slam. Author Walter Dean Myers writes about a boy named Slam who lives in Harlem and plays basketball for his school. Myers is a highly educated author praised and a member of the Harlem Writers Guild. The author’s theme is to let people know about how to survive. Through the characters and their actions, Slam shows that you should always try your best and never give up. This is a realistic fiction novel because it tells of things that can happen to any teen.



Slam takes place in Harlem, where Greg Harris grew up for most of his life. In this action-packed novel, Greg Harris is one of the main characters along with one of his main man Ice, his girl Mtisha, and his friend Ducky. Being in a crime-ridden neighborhood has got Slam in a bad mix. Written in third person point of view, Slam’s readers know how hard life is in Harlem. The main lesson in this story is learning to survive in places where you go.



The most amazing part of this book is on page 18 when Slam and his main man Ice fight because Slam saw Ice dealing with a woman. This conflict really hurts Slam because inside he didn’t really want to fight with Ice. The author is trying to show readers that issues will happen between people. Therefore, people should choose their friends wisely. This book reminds my best friend and me. He liked a pair of my sneakers. But before I even let him borrow them, he just went ahead and stole them from my house. Afterwards we had a big argument; then, a big fight. Eventually, we made up because he told me that he was sorry and that next time he will wait patiently. I think the point the author was trying to get across was some friendships are last through the toughest times.



Slam is one of the best books ever written by Walter Dean Myers. This book can connect to life in many ways. It connects to life because in life things like these really do happen, and you have to know the time and place to be when things like these go down. I would recommend that whoever likes basketball or books written by Walter Dean Myers. Slam is a heart-wrenching book full of sad moments, good times and never-ending friendships.