In the mid-1950’s, an all-Black school, Crispus Attucks, won the Indiana state high school championship in back-to-back seasons. The previous season, it lost to Milan, a much smaller school and the game on which the film Hoosiers was based. Three championship game appearances and back-to-back titles was a major accomplishment in the time of school segregation, even though it had just been declared unconstitutional. The story of Crispus Attucks and its most famous player, Oscar Robertson, is told in this book by Jack McCallum.

The story of Crispus Attucks cannot be told without background information on the social and racial climate of Indiana and its capital, Indianapolis, at that time. While the book does have enough basketball text to be considered a book on the sport, it does spend a lot of time on the subject of racism in Indiana – mostly off the court, but it does make its way into the game as well, such as several references to white players and teams getting favorable calls from referees. At times, the text feels a bit heavy-handed and repetitive – but that doesn’t take away the need to tell those stories, nor does it make the message any less meaningful.

Having not previously read any memoir or book on Oscar Robertson aside from his involvement in the early days of the NBA players’ union, I found some of the stories on him to be the best parts of the book. Here, McCallum did some of his best work and research since Robertson declined to be interviewed for the book. Nonetheless, a reader will be able to capture not only the greatness he was already showing on the court, but also the complicated personality of the young man. Having learned a lot about Robertson in this book when McCallum could not speak to him says a lot about the research done to portray “The Big O”.

Some parts of the book were a slog to get through and other parts were page-turning exercises because I couldn’t get enough. That averages out to a book that was a good one to pick but will not be one I will be reading again.

I wish to thank Grand Central Publishing for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

The Real Hoosiers was an in depth look at the legendary Crispus Attucks basketball teams and the events leading up to their legendary run of seasons.

I came into this book expecting it to be purely about basketball and Oscar Robertson. I was pleasantly surprised in the best way possible when I realized that I was also able to learn about the history of Crispus Attucks HS itself, along with the heartbreaking racial divide history of Indianapolis and Indiana as a whole.

I found the book to be extremely informative and nice slow burn with great buildup to the discussion surrounding Oscar Robertsons high school career. I would definitely suggest this book to anyone that might have even a slight interest in basketball or history, as it provides a healthy dose of both aspects.

This book was provided to me in exchange for a review but I would have purchased and read it regardless. I have enjoyed everything that I’ve read from Jack McCallum up to this point and will continue to seek out his work as I see new releases coming

This was an excellent recount of the Crispus Attucks Tigers basketball team. Oscar Robertson and the Tigers broke ground when they won the Indiana State basketball championship in 1955. They were the first all black basketball team to win the state championship. The story and facts flowed well for a historical biography. The role of the Ku Klux Klan and racism of the time was prominent in the story and time period. Oscar Robertson and the Tigers were true underdogs as a result of the prejudices of the time. It was assumed that the truly good black basketball players of would join the Harlem Globetrotters, and I respected Robertson’s rejection of that idea. McCallum was able to navigate the sensitive topics and the points of view for all were well represented. This story has been swept under the rug for too long, and I’m glad that McCallum was able to write such a thorough retelling of this history.

The Real Hoosiers is a story about basketball that all readers would be interested in. The book centers around Crispus Attucks High School an all black school in Indianapolis. Attucks attracted black kids form all over the city to attend school and subsequently developed a winning program. At the heart of this group was former NBA start Oscar Robertson. Despite dealing with no home court and biased racist officiating, Attucks was able to win the coveted Indiana State Basketball championship.
The author provides ample historical context regarding the Northern migration of black families and the veneer of ci.vility practiced by the white citizens of Indiana in the 1950's.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in US history.