It is a pleasure to welcome Amar Shah to the kt literary family! His YA coming-of-age memoir is set in the ‘90s and can be described as a cross between Fresh off the Boat, Almost Famous, and ESPN’s The Last Dance.
WISH I WAS A BALLER chronicles Amar’s adventures as a high school journalist covering the golden era of the NBA, when he became friends with Shaquille O’Neal and hung out with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls — all while surviving the high school caste system, falling in love and understanding his Indian-American identity.
Full of hilarious yet acute stories around the pain and glory of growing up, WISH I WAS A BALLER gives us a hybrid world of assimilation and immigration, gas stations, garba and hoops, filled with Hindu summer camps and VIP rooms; movie-hopping and gatecrashing. Most importantly, it shows us how one young man learns to be himself, and to chase his dreams while doing so.
I read the first page of Amar’s manuscript and instantly fell in love. WISH I WAS A BALLER is full of wit, humor, and heart, and will find audiences among former ‘90s kids, today’s YA readers, and basketball fans alike.
Amar is a multiple Emmy-winning writer and producer who has written for ESPN.com, NFL.com, The Wall Street Journal, The Orlando Sentinel, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Slam Magazine and The Washington Post, including a viral essay on growing up as the son of the real Apu.
Welcome to kt, Amar!
