Rules for Becoming a Legend (Timothy S Lane)

Jimmy Kirkus is a celebrity. In kindergarten,  the entire small Oregon town is abuzz. 5yr old Jimmy Kirkus sank  11 baskets on the schoolyard basketball court! He's a hero! He's a natural. Everyone is impressed -- except-- his father?

In Rules for Becoming a Legend, Jimmy's story is revealed in a series of chapters. Each chapter title is a rule for living. There are 26 rules. Rule one: Value those who keep your secrets. Rule 26: First time is rarely the charm. Each chapter has a subtitle placing the chapter's events on a time line. The center event of the time line is simply called "The Wall".

At the opening of the novel, Jimmy is 16 yrs old. He is in the gym, after practice. Jimmy repeatedly races into the gym wall at top speed. Over and over despite the injuries and pain, Jimmy runs into the wall.  All the events in the book are dated from this event. Hurting himself, beating himself, punishing himself. To understand "The Wall" the novel fills in key events on the timeline leading up to this event. The book interweaves events on the time line, without losing the thread of the story.  The sub-titles keep the reader aware "nine days after the wall" , "two year's before the wall".

I enjoyed this debut novel. The characters are well drawn and believable. Basketball is a major part of Jimmy's story, but this book is not a sports story. It is a story about youthful expectations and hopes and disappointment and tragedy. And most importantly it is about living despite it all.