Sunday Money - by Maggie Hill (Paperback)

About the Book

Growing up working-class Catholic in 1970s Brooklyn, Claire Joyce--the youngest sibling of three street-smart older brothers, an overwhelmed, taxi-driving father, and an alcoholic mother--relies on the stability of basketball to usher her toward maturity and success, only to find her future jeopardized by the prejudices of her time.

Book Synopsis

It's 1971, but for Claire Joyce and girls' basketball, it might as well be 1871. Stilted rules (three-bounce dribbling, two roving players for full-court games, and uniforms that include bloomers) set their play unfairly apart from the boys' basketball Claire's older brother John has trained her in.

Basketball is the only constant in Claire life, and as she enters her teen years the skills she's cultivated on the court--passing, shooting, and faking--help her guard against the chaos of an alcoholic mother, an increasingly violent younger brother, and the downward spiral her beloved John soon finds himself unable to climb out of. Deeply cut from the cloth of the Catholic Church, Brooklyn's working class, and the limited expectations her world has for girls, Claire strives to find a mirror that might reflect a different, future self. Then Title IX bounces on the scene. Suddenly, girls' basketball becomes explosive, musical, passionate, and driven--and if Claire plays it just right, it just might offer a full ride to a previously out-of-reach college.

Sunday Money follows Claire as she narrates her way through 1970s Brooklyn, hustling on and off the court and striving to break free of the turmoil in her home and the rulebook "good" girls are supposed to follow.

Review Quotes

"Hill captures a watershed moment in the history of sports in a way that highlights how transformative athletics can be..."
--Kirkus Reviews

"As the novel stretches out over years, readers have the chance to see Claire grow both on and off the court, all during the political fight for women's equality. A great read for sports lovers."
--Booklist

"So well written, sharply paced, and all at once literary and colloquial both, Maggie Hill brings us a story that resonates as much today as it would have done a half-century ago."
--Colum McCann, National Book Award winner and journalist, author of Apeirogon

"Sunday Money succeeds in illuminating a girl's life and passion, which is not a typical one. It feels like a good time for a character like this!"
--Amy Hempel, short story writer and journalist, author of Sing to It

"Powerful, lyrical, confident writing filled with telling details, and pitch perfect dialogue. The voice is so believable, strong, and honest."
--Denis Hamill, journalist, screenwriter, producer, novelist