Tag: #SportsFiction

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Wilmeth Sidat-Singh is the greatest athlete you’ve never heard of—and so much more. A rocket-armed passer on the football field, an ankle-breaking playmaker on the basketball court, he was also a scholar, civil rights pioneer, patriot, and one other thing—forgotten.

In this historical novel based on Sidat-Singh’s life, sportswriter Breanna Shelton stumbles upon the riveting story of the former Syracuse University star who was forced to hide his identity in order to take the field, leading to climactic moments when race and sports collided. As a young Black woman making her way in a profession not ready to fully accept her, Shelton immerses herself in the research, determined to resurrect an inspirational man who time left behind. Along the way, she finds courage and perseverance to transform herself and her career.

Post–civil rights era society still grapples with dispiriting obstacles that Sidat-Singh faced more than a half century earlier, when he was “passing” to play; serving as a Tuskegee Airman in World War II; and interacting with luminaries such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Grantland Rice, Sam Lacy, and Joe Louis.

This fictionalized account, as timely now as ever, honors an American hero whose life was cut short while serving a country that didn’t recognize him as a full-fledged citizen because of the color of his skin. After you read it, Sidat-Singh will be invisible no more.

His Review:

Children in Idaho were raised with admiration for the members of the Army Air Force. They were my heroes and I read of their accomplishments as often as I could. This novel gave me the opportunity to read about the exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen and one in particular, Wilmeth Sidat-Singh. My upbringing did not include prejudice towards people of color, because there were no persons of color in my hometown.

Wilmeth was the star football player at the University of Syracuse. In his first game against the University of Maryland, he was not allowed to suit up to play in the game. The U of M would have forfeited the game if he was allowed to play. Syracuse lost its’ game that year because of the prejudicial benching of their star athlete. U of M had discovered he was black rather than Indian which his name implied.

Prejudice was rampant throughout the United States during the 20s, 30s, and 40s and Wilmeth struggled with the problem. He was gifted in many sports and was given a full scholarship to the school of his choice. Growing up in Upper Manhattan he was introduced to many of the great African American minds of his generation.  Everything segregated was the tenor of the day and restroom facilities and drinking fountains were jealously guarded.

After excelling in sports and just about everything he attempted, Wilmeth signed up for training as a black aviator with the Tuskegee all-black training squadron. His ability in the air and seemingly impossible maneuvers with an aircraft helped to mold the Tuskegee Airmen into one of the best fighter pilot squadrons in America.

His death in a training accident broke my heart. Long years later, I met Charles Williams, a Congressional Medal of Honor winner when a lad in Boise, Idaho requested he get to meet them. These pilots were impressive gentlemen and I was honored to be able to shake their hands. I would have also liked to know this outstanding American! 5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These are my own opinions.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Biographical Fiction, Sports Fiction, Biographical Fiction
Publisher: Subplot Publishing
ISBN-10: ‎ 1637558635
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1637558638
ASIN: B0CK595VN2
Print Length: 336 pages
Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble

 

The Authors: A native of Rome, N.Y. and a magna cum laude graduate of Syracuse University, Scott Pitoniak has been telling compelling, award-winning stories about people and the games they play for a half-century. He has spent 51 years in the newspaper business, including 25 as a reporter, feature writer and sports columnist for the Rochester, N.Y. Democrat and Chronicle, and has published more than 30 books and hundreds of magazine and website articles. Along the way, he has covered Olympics, Super Bowls, World Series, NCAA basketball tournaments, Stanley Cup playoffs and major golf tournaments.

Scott has received more than 100 national and regional journalism honors. His work, which often deals with the human side of sports, has been cited in “The Best American Sportswriting” anthology and he has been recognized as one of the nation’s top sportswriters by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the Professional Football Writers of America, and Gannett, Inc.. Scott has been inducted into six Halls of Fame: Rochester’s Frontier Field Walk of Fame (1999); SU’s Newhouse School of Public Communications Gallery of Fame (2000); the Rome Sports Hall of Fame (2009); the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame (2013); the Camp Good Days and Special Times Ring of Honor (2016); and the Rochester Softball Hall of Fame (2021). He also was selected as a torchbearer for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Scott recently co-authored “Invisible No More,” a historical novel about a forgotten two-sport star athlete and Tuskegee Airman, and “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Buffalo Bills Sidelines, Locker Room and Press Box.” Scott also recently updated “Juke Box Hero,” a collaboration with rock ‘n’ roll legend Lou Gramm, the former lead singer and co-songwriter of the mega-hit group Foreigner.

Scott’s first children’s book, “Let’s Go Yankees! An Unforgettable Trip to the Ballpark,” was published in the summer of 2017 by Ascend Books.

Scott writes weekly sports columns for the Rochester Business Journal. He is a regular contributor to the Baseball Hall of Fame’s bi-monthly magazine, Memories and Dreams, served as a columnist for USA Today and Gannett News Service (syndicated to 150 newspapers nationwide), and provided on-air analyst for CBS television affiliates in Rochester and Buffalo. A frequent radio and television guest, locally and nationally, Scott was interviewed extensively for two documentaries – ESPN’s Sports Century profile of Maurice Stokes, and Orange Glory: The 20 Greatest Moments in Syracuse Basketball History.

Scott is passionate about giving back to his community. Through the years, he has mentored scores of students, taught journalism at the college level, and been heavily involved in several charities and community service organizations. He is past president and current board member of the Rochester Press-Radio Club, which raised and donated more than 800,000 dollars to local children’s charities during a 20-year span.

He also is in demand as a public speaker.

His hobbies include traveling, photography and historical research. His most cherished moments are spent with his wife, Beth, his grown children, Amy and Christopher, his granddaughters, Camryn and Peyton, and their energetic family cats, Liam and Sunny.

Rick Burton is the David B. Falk Professor of Sport Management at Syracuse University and chief operating officer for Playbk Sports. Burton is a frequent contributor to publications such as Sports Business Journal and Sportico, and coauthor of numerous books, including Business the NHL Way; Forever Orange: The Story of Syracuse University; 20 Secrets to Success for NCAA Student-Athletes; and Sports Business Unplugged. His latest World War II historical thriller, Into the Gorge, was published by Subplot in June 2023.

©2023 – CE Williams – V Williams