Booklist reviewer Craig Clark praises Strong Inside as a “detailed picture of the civil rights movement on several fronts.” The complete review:(Andrew) Maraniss, a Vanderbilt graduate and son of author David Maraniss, presents a thoroughly researched and compelling account of Perry Wallace, the first African American to play basketball in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Wallace did not set out to be a pioneer when he accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Vanderbilt in 1966. The Nashville native looked to basketball as a vehicle for a first-class education. He suffered verbal and physical abuse on the court and isolation on a campus that accepted black students but didn’t comprehend the complexities of integration. As much history lesson as biography, Maraniss’ account paints a detailed picture of the civil rights movement on several levels: in gymnasiums, on campuses, in Nashville, and across the nation. Amid the chaos of the late 1960s, Wallace grows from an intellectual athlete who quietly endured, to an eloquent and determined advocate for true integration on Vanderbilt’s campus. The combination of sports and sociopolitical history will appeal to both basketball fans and students of civil rights.
— Craig Clark