<p><b>Winner of the PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sportswriting</b><br> <b>Winner of the Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Youth Sports</b><br> <b> </b><br>Eight years of unfettered access and a keen sense of a story's deepest truths allow Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist George Dohrmann to take readers inside the machine that produces America's basketball stars. <i>Play Their Hearts Out</i> reveals a cutthroat world where boys as young as eight or nine are subjected to a dizzying torrent of scrutiny and exploitation. At the book's heart are the personal stories of two compelling figures: Joe Keller, an ambitious coach with a master plan to find and promote “the next LeBron,” and Demetrius Walker, a fatherless latchkey kid who falls under Keller's sway and struggles to live up to unrealistic expectations. Complete with a new “where-are-they-now” Epilogue by the author, this thoroughly compelling narrative exposes the gritty reality that lies beneath so many dreams of fame and glory.<br>  <br> <b>NAMED ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE <i>LOS ANGELES TIMES • THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR •  KIRKUS REVIEWS</i></b><br> <b> </b><br> <b>Look for the exclusive conversation between George Dohrmann and bestselling author Seth Davis in the back of the book.</b></p>