This book by Alexander is a heart warming story about two twin brothers who learn life's lessons through the game of basketball. Both brothers are basketball stars, but only one of them has a girlfriend. JB is on top of the world, while Filthy is feeling alone and neglected. To add to this turmoil, both brothers are dealing with the declining health of their father. Filthy apologizes to JB a zillion times, and towards the end of the book it seems to making a difference. Before the brothers are able to fully patch up their differences, their father DA MAN lands in the hospital, and the entire family is concerned he won't make it out. JB and Filthy go through a roller coaster of emotions while they wait for their father to come home from the hospital. In the end the their hero Da Man passes away from a massive heart attack, and the uncertainty of what lies ahead for themselves and their family lays heavily on both their shoulders. While Filthy is shooting free throws, his brother comes and joins him to his surprise. The brothers learn to put their differences aside, come together over their dad's championship ring. In the end, they lost their hero and are now both Da Man. The highlight of this book was how the author was able to interwine the poems to form a story. The reader can easily forget that they are reading a collections of poems, because the storyline draws them in. The poems in this book are full of voice, and the author does a wonderful job at bringing it out through the use of word art.This book is defnetly a must read for any one in the middle grades and up. Teachers will love the new take on poetry, and can use it as an example to motivate students to write,
