Abraham Ken - More than rivals: a championship game and a friendship that moved a town beyond black and white

A riveting true story of friendship between two boysone black, one whiteduring the racially polarizing years of the Deep South. This book will inspire and touch the hearts of young and old alike.

Roscoe Orman , actor; entertainer; and for forty years played Gordon on Sesame Street

More Than Rivals , a book based on a true story from the 1960s, allowed me to reflect on how far we have come in this country and how far we still have to go. This book will make you laugh, cry, and want to get to know people who dont look like you or come from your same background. Unity is what will bring us together as a people, if we just take time to reach out and get to know others from a different race. I have learned over the years that real friendships are based not on the color of your skin but on the love and respect you have for one another. This book is a must-read for adults and teens.

Yolanda Conley Shields , CEO, Lets Go Innovate; author, Letters to Our Sons

One of the best heartwarming and inspiring books I have read. Wow, powerful. Amazing how one act can change everyones tone as it did that night in Gallatin.

Mark White , Tennessee state representative

Simple, direct, and powerfulthis is a story about how human kindness and understanding transformed a community. One act of kindness helped a community heal and transcend into a better, more inclusive town in the heart of America. A story of compassion that survives the decades of time... and the eternal truth that in the end, love wins. Add More Than Rivals to your library!

Jack E. Pattison , lieutenant colonel, infantry, US Army (retired); president and owner, Pattison Enterprises

More Than Rivals holds a candle with true light to a dark place we wish had never been. While it shares a painful journey, it also hints at a promise of the silver lining within the cloud, an engrossing history lesson in which spiritual redemption, sports, leadership, and brotherhood can bring young men and their town to an important crossroads. An informative and engrossing read that grabbed me in the first pages and never let me go.

Catkin Kilcher Burton , colonel, US Marine Corps (retired); president, Alaska Humanities Forum Board of Directors; CEO, Eagles Enterprises

More Than Rivals offers a rewarding reading experience. You are taken back in time to witness the nostalgia of small-town America and the struggles of the segregated South. I strongly recommend that you purchase a copy of More Than Rivals and read it immediately. It is truly an outstanding story and shows me that Eddie and Bill (now adult friends) continue to have an important role in the lives of children and youth in Gallatin and throughout the New South.

Charles Martin C.M. Newton , former basketball coach, Transylvania University, the University of Alabama, and Vanderbilt University; former athletic director, University of Kentucky; former chair, NCAA Rules Committee

Ken Abraham is one of my favorite writers. More Than Rivals is a monster slam dunk that will impact your life in a powerful fashion.

Pat Williams , founder and senior vice president, Orlando Magic; author, Its Not Who You Know, Its Who You Are

A championship basketball game was much more than what it appeared. The year was 1970, and this game was a reflection of a community on edge, at the crossroads of racial tension and hope. More Than Rivals is a true story about a friendship that transcended the past, reconciled the present, and imagined a new future.

Skip Prichard , CEO, OCLC; leadership insights blogger at Skipprichard.com

I think the best stories in the world are the ones youd never expect. Leave it to Ken Abraham to keep finding true stories that absolutely must be told.

Dave Ramsey , New York Times bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio show host

Dick and I played high school basketball in Indiana in the 60s, so More Than Rivals brought back many great memories for us. We loved the diversity of sports and loved playing, traveling, and living with teammates of a different color. If everyone would love like that, despite differences in skin color, it would be a better world. The players accepted and loved and appreciated one another. Most of all, we understood one another. The relativity of the blending of sports and race relations is more important today than ever before. More Than Rivals gives the reader a little of both sides.

Tom & Dick Van Arsdale , Indiana University All-Americans; twelve-year NBA players; three-time NBA All-Stars