"This book offers a slice of history and an inspiring portrait in courage by detailing one basketball game that white and African-American teams dared play in defiance of segregation. The game took place in 1944 Durham, North Carolina, a time when the Ku Klux Klan deemed that 'race mixing' was punishable by death. Coach John McLendon of the North Carolina College of Negroes 'believed basketball could change people's prejudices' and invited players from the Duke University Medical School, an all-white team, to play a 'secret game' in his college's gym. The game shows how the white players were blown away by the new, fast-break style of McLendon's players, losing 44 to 88. The players then mixed it up in a 'shirts and skins' game, with whites and African Americans on both teams. In lively detail, Coy describes the game that advanced race relations in sports, reminding readers that this took place three years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. DuBurke's use of cyan and sepia tones within his photo-like illustrations perfectly conveys the look of the 1940s and the energy of the game itself. Information on Coach McLendon and a time line of integration in sports concludes this exciting account of a landmark game played ahead of its time.

"--starred, Booklist.