Dreams, Past Lives, Holy Spirits, Your Soul Book

I ENJOYED IT.

"Fall River was, quite simply, a euphemism for the end of the world."—Location 44

"There was a defeatist attitude about everything. By 1960 the city had one of the lowest educational levels in the country, the average adult completing less than nine years of schooling"—Location 2212

Ask anyone who's lived there for any time, in the past eighty years, and they'll probably tell you that Fall River, Massachusetts is a city lost in a time-warp. It's old, and it's tired. Long gone are the memories of its heyday as the textile capital of the world—far overshadowed by the infamy and legend of, alleged axe murderess, Lizzie Borden.

Even the city's motto: 'We'll Try' seems to speak more to an ethos of underachievement, than to one of vitality and success. In his book, FALL RIVER DREAMS: A Team's Quest for Glory, A Town's Search for Its Soul, Bill Reynolds skillfully weaves a pitch-perfect portrait, weft and warp, of the 'Spindle City,' then and now.

In the interest of full disclosure, some portion of my enjoyment (and rating) of this book might be a reflection of familiarity and nostalgia. Fall River is my hometown, and the bulk of my high school days were spent at (the original—the one on the top of the hill, near downtown—built in 1886) B.M.C. Durfee High School, which is much the focus of this basketball story. As a sophomore, I was even fortunate enough to be there as a spectator, at the 'real' Boston Garden, for the 'Hilltoppers' spectacular 1956 state high school basketball championship win. At this point, though, I think I remember more about the ride to and from the Garden, in a friend's 1950 Ford, than I do about the game.

Recommendation: I'm very glad that my, basketball fan, son read and enjoyed this story, and persisted in recommending it to me. Now I recommend it to you—as a basketball fan, or just as a fan of the interesting history and culture of southeastern Massachusetts.

"There was an obstinate streak in him, a Fall River attitude, one that said, this is the way I am and to hell with anyone who doesn't like it."—Location 2432

(Nota Bene: Obstinacy is a (prominent) feature of the Fall River personality that I prefer to think of as tenacity.)

Kindle edition, 5157 Locations