If you grew up when the slam dunk was king, this is absolutely the book for you. The information and stories in this book are like candy! You just keep wanting more and more. For example, I had no idea Jackie Robinson was a basketball player and track and field athlete on top of his baseball accomplishments nor that the NCAA banned the dunk for the better part of a decade. This book takes you through it all from the documented first dunks (there is no way to know who was actually first) through to the peak of the Slam Dunk Contest in the late 1980s and even touches on today's perimeter-focused game.

One would think such a narrow topic (and one that is compelling for its visual, visceral excitement) would be a poor candidate for a deep dive in book format, but that could not be further from the truth. Mike Sielski has put in the work and has done a magnificent job researching the topic, interviewing players and their families, and, in some cases, visiting the places where the players' stories began. It all results in a highly readable and engaging book.

Landon Woodson is a phenomenal narrator for this book, and I highly recommend the audiobook for this one! He is authoritative while never being dry, which is a difficult balancing act that Woodson accomplishes with aplomb.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for provided an advanced copy of this audiobook for review purposes. My opinions are my own.