Heaven Is A Playground

[jerseyshorejohnny]

Just read:

Heaven is a Playground by Rick Telander (4th Edition)

Great book and a quick read,

Takes place in The Brooklyn schoolyards of 1974.

Fly Williams and Albert King are prominent characters in the book.

 

[BrookJersey Redmen]

Foster Park where I grew up in Flatbush was the setting for the book.

I could go on and on about that playground as I spent the formative years (age10-20 playing ball at that park on the corner of Foster and Nostrand Avenues.

The book took place a little after my friends and I moved on, but a main character ---a street hustler named Rodney--- was a fixture at Foster Park well before that. Everybody knew Rodney. About a15 years ago I met him outside the Garden before a St. John’s game, he was hustling tickets, and he remembered us guys. I think I heard he has since passed away.

Rodney had a daughter out of wedlock, and the girl never knew her real dad was Rodney until years later, they made a movie out of that story and it is called “Little White Lie”, on Netflix, was a PBS documentary on race. The girl was told her father was Jewish not African American.

 

[panther2]

Foster Park where I grew up in Flatbush was the setting for the book.

I could go on and on about that playground as I spent the formative years (age10-20 playing ball at that park on the corner of Foster and Nostrand Avenues.

The book took place a little after my friends and I moved on, but a main character ---a street hustler named Rodney--- was a fixture at Foster Park well before that. Everybody knew Rodney. About a15 years ago I met him outside the Garden before a St. John’s game, he was hustling tickets, and he remembered us guys. I think I heard he has since passed away.

Rodney had a daughter out of wedlock, and the girl never knew her real dad was Rodney until years later, they made a movie out of that story and it is called “Little White Lie”, on Netflix, was a PBS documentary on race. The girl was told her father was Jewish not African American.

Thanks for the information. I had heard about "Little White Lie", but did not know that Rodney Parker was the father. I spent some time with Rodney and while he was a hustler, he always looked out for the kids that he was involved with. He was also a fun person to hang out with and had all kinds of stories. May he RIP !!!!!