{"product_id":"in-these-girls-hope-is-a-muscle","title":"In These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle","description":"Originally published in 1995 to huge critical acclaim and a finalist for the NBCC Award for Nonfiction, Madeleine Blais's \u003ci\u003eIn These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle\u003c\/i\u003e is a modern sports writing classic. Now expanded and updated with a new epilogue, Blais's book tells the story of a season in the life of the Amherst Lady Hurricanes, a powerhouse girls' high school basketball team from a small western Massachusetts college town. The Hurricanes were a talented team with a near-perfect record, but for five straight years, when it came to the crunch of the playoffs, they somehow lacked the scrappy, hard-driving desire to go all the way. Now, led by senior guards Jen Pariseau, a three-point specialist, and Jamila Wideman, an All-American phenom, this was the year to prove themselves. It was a season to test their passion for the sport and their loyalty to each other, and a chance to discover who they really were. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e As an off-season of summer jobs and basketball camps turns to fall, as students arrive and the games begin, Blais charts the ups and downs of the team and paints a portrait of the wider Amherst community, which comes to revel in the athletic exploits of their girls. Finally, a women's team was getting the attention they deserve. And the Hurricanes were richly deserving; these teenage girls are fierce and funny, smart and ambitious, and they are the heart of this gripping book. \u003ci\u003eIn These Girls, Hope Is a Muscle\u003c\/i\u003e is a classic sports book, a timeless look at girls' athletics.","brand":"Grove Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":52345982320856,"sku":"9780802121455","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0833\/0369\/4552\/files\/imageloader_0cbaf5e2-d1cb-4ee3-a7fb-a37e4162b6e8.jpg?v=1788296966","url":"https:\/\/bigredbooks.shop\/products\/in-these-girls-hope-is-a-muscle","provider":"Big Red Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}