[ARETE] Akoy review

[Duncan Jamieson]

All,
Please find below and attached Kyle Belanger's review of Steve
Marantz, *Citizen
Akoy*.
Thanks and Happy New Year!  Chin up, soon we'll be back in the trenches!
Duncan

*Citizen Akoy: Basketball and the Making of a South Sudanese American*, by
Steve Marantz



Reviewed by Kyle Belanger, Springfield (Mass.) College



In his book *Citizen Akoy: Basketball and the Making of a South Sudanese
American*, author Steve Marantz presents the intricate story of the south
Sudanese Agau family, and its quest for inclusion into the ever-evolving
American experience.



While it uses the basketball journey of Akoy Agau as its primary
vehicle, *Citizen
Akoy* is much more than a typical basketball book for hoop heads. It is
equal parts sports book, current-events primer, and modern political
commentary—and it checks each of these boxes with aplomb.



As an author, Marantz’s resume and life experience place him in a unique
position to collect and compose Akoy’s tale. An accomplished journalist, he
has covered sports, politics, and government for the *Kansas City
Star*, *Boston
Globe*, and *Boston Herald*.  In addition, he is, himself, a graduate of
Omaha (Neb.) Central High School, the book’s primary epicenter.



Indeed, the book’s title hints at the true work in its pages. That is, the
author’s exploration of the ways in which sport can be used by immigrants
and refugees to mend their own complex fractures, as well as to construct
new identities for themselves and their communities. On the value of
competitive athletics, Marantz writes “the closest thing to a common
language is sport. When nations convene at the Olympics, or World Cup for
soccer, or World Baseball Classic, they get along in the language of sweat
and competition, which is, in principle, democratic” (171).



Marantz dives deep into Akoy Agau’s personal files to bring his character
off the page. In addition to primary interviews, and considerable time
together with Agau, the author fills in the blanks with the words of Akoy’s
closest family, coaches, and friends, as well as the media who covered his
rise to regional prep stardom. It doesn’t just stop there, though, as the
author also draws heavily from Akoy’s now-defunct Twitter account. And,
while its verbatim inclusion might seem to interrupt the flow of the
author’s own rhythm, the @ZeroTheHeroAkoy Tweets add a depth to the
character that would be otherwise unattainable.



What makes *Citizen Akoy* a particularly interesting and engaging read,
though, is the way it seems to straddle so many genres.



As a straight sports book, written by an accomplished journalist, it is
reported thoroughly, with occasional game recaps and tense oral histories
to build the suspense of the quest for athletic glory. The use of cameos by
some of Agau’s more-high-profile hoop contemporaries gives the
sports-enthusiast readers a clearer understanding of the landscape on which
Akoy’s tableau is set.





As a commentary on the modern state of NCAA “amateurism,” Marantz uses the
Central players, coaches, and administration, as a way to dissect the Hydra
of blue chip recruitment. From Rick Pitino’s courtship to get Agau to come
to Louisville, to John Thompson III’s willingness to take a chance on a
slightly-older version of Akoy, Marantz is skillful in his reconstruction
of a sloppy process.



As an artifact of the modern political moment, *Citizen Akoy* accomplishes
many impressive feats. Perhaps most impressive is the way Marantz provides
ample background regarding the generations of strife and violence in Sudan
and the surrounding regions. And he does so without bogging down in details
that could derail the book’s overall mission.



Additionally, the book’s timeline navigates through pieces of three
disparate political environments. It begins in the post-9/11 George W. Bush
administration, wends through the “Hope and Change” of the Barrack Obama
years, and concludes in the xenophobic toxicity of Donald Trump’s American
vision. Without crowbarring a timestamp onto the page, Marantz peppers
quotes from world leaders, often using World Refugee Day as its anchor, to
set the tone with regard to global and domestic political climate.



Overall, *Citizen Akoy* is an enjoyable read. It is, however, most
definitely *not* the basketball success stories of Sudanese-born NBA stars
like Luol Deng or Manute Bol. Heck, it’s not even the story of NBA
journeyman and fellow Sudanese refugee Thon Maker. (In fairness, though,
all three of these figures are woven throughout the fabric of the 194
pages.) Marantz’s book is more nuanced and layered than those basketball
success stories. This is a refugee story, a historical narrative, a
coming-of-age book, a teenage ethnography, a commentary on modern sport
culture, and a Midwestern cultural study—and basketball just happens to be
the scene on which it plays out.



Marantz, Steve. *Citizen Akoy: Basketball and the Making of a South
Sudanese *

*            American*. University of Nebraska Press, 2019.


Remember to smell the roses as you recumber past

Duncan R. Jamieson, Ph. D.
Professor of History
Book Review Editor
*AETHLON: The Journal of Sport Literature*
Ashland University
Ashland, OH  44805
USA
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