Missouri Valley Conference Books

"Life in the Valley of Death" by Edward R. Ward is an excellent and highly thought provoking book that can be appreciated by NCAA Basketball devotees and also the shrinking minority of social students looking to learn more about race relations, structural racism, and sociological interaction through the deceptively small scope of Missouri Valley Conference basketball in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Ward begins with a brilliantly and thoroughly researched guide through that brief period of college basketball history. He leads the reader through the information with intelligence, sensitivity and subtle humor.

He closes the book with a discussion of the philosophical and sociological implications of the tumultous time of sports history where segregation, contempt for black people and the desire to win was balanced on a political, social, and academic tight rope.

Any reader will find that once one finishes with the body of content, the actual reading is only half way over, as Ward has tightly packed his end notes with additional anecdotal and general facts, findings and reflections that range from Bill Walton's coaching tips to postmodern analysis of diversity within large institutions.

Ward's quality of prose never disappoints and shows that he not only possesses the ability to research, but also the skill of storytelling.

David Masciotra