hoop: the american dream is available from powerHouse Books here.
Hoop Dreams: A Rare Look at the Origins of Basketball’s Greatest Stars
A new book by photographer Robin Layton breaks basketball down to one of its most essential elements: the hoop. Layton documented hoops across the U.S., from everyday street courts to the childhood hoops of the game's biggest stars. She notes in the forward, "Anyone can play. All you need is a ring, a ball...and a dream."
Childhood hoop of Shaquille O’Neal at the Boys and Girls Club of Newark in
Newark, N.J.
"The Boys and Girls Club saved my life. Growing up in the projects in Newark, New Jersey, there are a lot of negative temptations: drugs, gangs, a
lot of bad things...I learned how to become a people person, learned how to become a team player. I learned how to become a nice guy, become a protector. I learned how to become a leader and it’s all because of the Boys and Girls Club.”