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Ball Boy

Iowa Stater Book Club

Iowa Stater Book Club graphic with Ball Boy book cover.

Ball Boy follows the adven­tures of Gray Taylor, a 14-year­old who discovers basketball when his mother moves them from Los Angeles to Beaudelaire, a small town in Kansas. Taylor uses basketball to become someone people notice and later to save the town. Ball Boy is a book about growing up, about the impor­tance of community, and about the power of finding the thing that makes you feel special. 

  • February 7

    Virtual discussion

About the Author

Written by Paul Shirley ('00 mechanical engineering), a former Cyclone Basketball and NBA player, is the author of two humor memoirs, a novel, and a how-to book. He has written for ESPN.com, Slate, Esquire, The Wall Street Journal, and www.FlipCollective.com, a website for writers he founded.