Covering Super Bowl XLIX in Phoenix a few years ago, New York Times journalist Michael Powell, disheartened by the commercialism of the big game, drove north into Navajo country to spend time with a community known for its love of basketball. He ultimately spent six months with the Chinle High School Wildcats as they pursued a state championship. The result is his book, Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation. "Basketball is a passion play there. In a town of 3,000," Powell told KUNM, "5,000 will show up on the night of a big game."

Powell talks in greater detail about his time in Navajo country in this more complete version of the interview.

This excerpt from Canyon Dreams appeared in the New York Times in December 2019.