Synopses & Reviews
Most fans of womenandrsquo;s basketball would be startled to learn that girlsandrsquo; teams were making their mark more than a century agoandmdash;and that none was more prominent than a team from an isolated Indian boarding school in Montana. Playing like andldquo;lambent flamesandrdquo; across the polished floors of dance halls, armories, and gymnasiums, the girls from Fort Shaw stormed the state to emerge as Montanaandrsquo;s first basketball champions. Taking their game to the 1904 St. Louis Worldandrsquo;s Fair, these young women introduced an international audience to the fledgling game and returned home with a trophy declaring them champions.
World champions. And yet their triumphs were forgottenandmdash;until Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith chanced upon a team photo and embarked on a ten-year journey of discovery. Their in-depth research and extensive collaboration with the teammatesandrsquo; descendents and tribal kin have resulted in a narrative as entertaining as it is authentic.
Full-Court Quest offers a rare glimpse into American Indian life and into the world of womenandrsquo;s basketball before andldquo;girlsandrsquo; rulesandrdquo; temporarily shackled the sport. For anyone captivated by Sea Biscuit, A League of Their Own, and other accounts of unlikely champions, this book rates as nothing but net.
Review
and#147;A compelling narrative. . . . Highly recommended.and#8221;and#151;Choice
Review
andldquo;Bravo to Peavy and Smith for an excellent account of these Native heroes who deserve to be honored.andrdquo;andmdash;Indian Country Today
Review
and#147;A monumental achievement that deserves a wide readership among women, sport, and Indian historians.and#8221;and#151;David W. Adams, Western Historical Quarterly
Synopsis
How ten Indian girls became world champions
Synopsis
Most fans of womenandrsquo;s basketball would be startled to learn that girlsandrsquo; teams were making their mark more than a century agoandmdash;and that none was more prominent than a team from an isolated Indian boarding school in Montana. Playing like andldquo;lambent flamesandrdquo; across the polished floors ofdance halls, armories, and gymnasiums, the girls from Fort Shaw stormed the state to emerge as Montanaandrsquo;s first basketball champions. Taking their game to the 1904 St. Louis Worldandrsquo;s Fair, these young women introduced an international audience to the fledgling game and returned home with a trophy declaring them champions.
About the Author
Linda Peavy has published fiction, poetry, and drama in numerous literary journals and anthologies. She began collaborative work in womenand#39;s history and biography with coauthor Ursula Smith in Bozeman, Montana. Since then Peavy and Smith have coauthored ten books, including
Women in Waiting in the Westward Movement, Pioneer Women, Frontier Children, and
Frontier House. Currently residing in Vermont, Peavy has given presentations and workshops with Smith across the nation, including at the Library of Congress and the White House. With Smith she has been awarded a Redd Center for Western Studies Independent Research Award, a Smithsonian Short-Term Visitors grant, two nonfiction writing residencies at Centrum, Port Townsend, Washington, and two Paladin Awards for excellence in writing western history.
Ursula Smith pursued graduate work at San Francisco State University under a Ford Foundation Fellowship and taught in the San Francisco school system. She began collaborative work in womenand#39;s history and biography with coauthor Linda Peavy in Bozeman, Montana. Since then Peavy and Smith have coauthored ten books, including Women in Waiting in the Westward Movement, Pioneer Women, Frontier Children, and Frontier House. Currently residing in Vermont, Smith has given presentations and workshops with Peavy across the nation, including at the Library of Congress and the White House. With Peavy she has been awarded a Redd Center for Western Studies Independent Research Award, a Smithsonian Short-Term Visitors grant, two nonfiction writing residencies at Centrum, Port Townsend, Washington, and two Paladin Awards for excellence in writing western history.