Growing on Chicago's West
Side, Arshay Cooper was used to seeing blood on the
sidewalk. Gunshots were like lullabies and he hated it. His
father was long gone, his mother was then too addicted to
care for her children, and he "had a funeral" for her in his
heart. Later, once his mother was clean and he started
attending high school at Manley Career Academy, he became
firm in his belief that his future was not on the streets.
He knew gang-banging wasn't for him, so he mostly stayed
home and watched Family Matters, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
and A Different World on TV, absorbing their lessons
and wishing his life was more like that of the characters.
And then he saw a boat.
It wasn't just any boat,
though. It was long and sleek and Cooper quickly learned
that it was used in a sport he'd never heard of. The white
female coach said team members would be taught all they
needed to know; the white man who'd put the program together
said that there'd never been an all-Black high school rowing
team, and he promised that anybody who stuck with the
program would succeed in life. Though Cooper's schoolmates
talked smack about it, and in part because of a girl, Cooper
and his best friend signed up for "crew."
And everything clicked
into place.
Rowing required
discipline. It was exhausting, emotionally and physically.
There were sacrifices. But when on the water, rowing, he
says, "I don't hear gunshots or ambulance sirens. I don't
see gang signs and I don't have fear... I feel powerful."
Here's all you need to
know: A Most Beautiful Thing lives up to its name.
It doesn't start out that
way, though: in laying the ground for his tale, author
Arshay Cooper writes about the realities of growing up in a
Chicago neighborhood that he hints could have been
any-inner-city-where, any-inner-city-time. This gives the
story its muscle and allows readers to better picture the
scenes and the struggles he and his young teammates
withstood. You'll be happy to know that there isn't a shred
of boasting or false pride in that.
Once you're that far into
the book, then, you may notice that Cooper masterly makes
you feel a part of the team. At that point, just go ahead,
take their losses to heart. Be proud of the changes they've
made. Think about the grace on race that Cooper offers. Grin
like a fool at the triumphs, and laugh at their non-comformity.
It's perfectly okay to get
teary-eyed at the epilogue, really.
This is the feel-goodest
of feel-good books, and you should have it now. Reading A
Most Beautiful Thing will leave you feeling merrily,
merrily, merrily.
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