the civil rights movement and basketball.

Strong Inside by first-time author Andrew Maraniss tells a story that many have never heard, about a kid who integrated big-time college basketball with very little support. Growing up in the midst of The Civil Rights Movement, in the South no less, it wasn't easy for Perry Wallace to become the first African American basketball player in the Southeastern Conference, but that never stopped him.

Andrew Maraniss did an amazing job chronicling Wallace's journey from North Nashville to Vanderbilt University. While reading, it never seemed that Wallace ever meant to be a trailblazer or a pioneer, he simply wanted a good education and to play ball, and that's exactly what he got, but not without some fight.