From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. For anyone who thinks of high school debate and envisions nerdy teens， the story of the Kansas City Central debate squad will be eye-opening. Despite the inner-city school's academic deficiencies， and the students' own turbulent home lives， the young African-American debaters have been able to carve out a sphere of success for themselves—in part by making the racial issues surrounding their participation a key part of their arguments. Miller， a local reporter， spends most of his time with two teams of debaters: underclassmen Ebony and Antoine， who are still learning the ropes， and seniors Marcus and Brandon， working their way toward a national championship in Atlanta. Miller embeds himself deep into their lives and is forthright about how his journalistic objectivity slowly eroded. (First， he tells Marcus not to skip a debate; eventually he becomes the team's assistant coach.) Convinced by the energetic competitions that debate is "the best education-reform tool I've ever seen，" he attacks the bureaucratic red tape of a "dysfunctional" school system that forces the students to break the rules in order to travel to out-of-state events. The reporting is both lively and engrossing， and even at nearly 500 pages， the book encourages most readers to learn more about these remarkable teens. (Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information， a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From School Library Journal Adult/High School—Kansas City's Central High is a designated underachieving Missouri school with a dismal record. It has， however， a strong debate team that has qualified to compete in the Tournament of Champions on the national level. Miller spent several years in the city's debate scene while writing this book， although his primary focus here is on one season with the top team. He follows the students as they cope with the highs and lows. To his credit， the author admits that his journalistic objectivity was compromised by spending so much time with his subjects. However， it is that commitment that makes this book an engaging read. Debate on the national circuit is political， occasionally nasty， and as much about style as it is about substance， and Miller exposes these facets， while taking readers into the lives of four teens surviving in a poor school and poor homes. The story is about race， teens， and the art and science of debate; it is also an indictment of public education. YAs will find the lives of the participants， particularly aspects of college recruitment and the daily school environment， as interesting as the details about how the team wins.—Mary Ann Harlan， Arcata High School， CA Copyright © Reed Business Information， a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. See all Editorial Reviews