As a star basketball player in her last year of high school, Nancy Takahiro's life is about to change forever. Faced with the college recruitment process and unsure where her skill will take her, Nancy is not prepared for meeting Raina Webber, an All-State shooting guard whose passion for basketball is matched only by her talent for it.
When Nancy's father and Raina's mother move in together, the girls are faced with the challenge of negotiating their already intense rivalry and friendship. As Nancy's love for Raina grows and both prepare to leave the inner city neighborhood that has nurtured them, they find themselves looking toward a future that is no longer easily defined.
Set against a backdrop of racial tension between the Asian-American and African-American communities of Los Angeles and infused with tenderness and passion, The Necessary Hunger explores not only the intricacies of the game of basketball, but also the very nature of the relationships young women create in the face of odds that are stacked against them.
"Beats with the pulse of life. A smooth, insightful read."
-- Time Magazine
