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suebrownreads's review against another edition
2.0
Couldn't finish this one. I guess you need to be a football fan.
shelvesofotherworlds's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
abbeyhar103's review against another edition
4.0
A great documentation of west Texas life and football, which inspired one of my all time favorite tv shows. This goes into issues of race and education, as well as the economic state of the town of Odessa and how that relates to football, which was very interesting. It's a way of life that is completely foreign to me, but Bissinger certainly brought it to life. Sometimes his writing leaned a bit towards the sensational, with sudden flashbacks, sub plots or the use of way too many hyperbolic adjectives, but overall he told this story nicely. It was also very obvious how much he cared about the students on the football team, as well as the residents of the town.
jhommas's review against another edition
4.0
If you are a fan of high school football ball and the the inter working of a team, coaches and community read this book. It is not the TV show. The book is so much better.
graemeh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
maa_pix's review against another edition
3.0
A good read about high school football, it covers the season of the Permian Panthers of Odessa Texas in 1988. But more than that, the author goes into great detail about the history of the community and it's relationship--it's obsession--with the game.
For those who have seen the movie, the book is very much more in-depth, and focuses a lot less on the coach and much more on the players. Plus it was interesting to see how the movie changed the real story to make things more dramatic, the story of Boobie Miles in particular. I found his real story more compelling.
For those who have seen the movie, the book is very much more in-depth, and focuses a lot less on the coach and much more on the players. Plus it was interesting to see how the movie changed the real story to make things more dramatic, the story of Boobie Miles in particular. I found his real story more compelling.
shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition
3.0
We recently started watching, through netflix, the Friday Night Light television series based on this book. I figured I should check out the original story. I didn't realize it was a non-fiction account of a small town in Texas and its ridiculous (in my opinion) emphasis on high school football. It made for a good story but the racism and corruption were very upsetting even if football did provide a 'way out' for young men living in a severely economically depressed area. The good, the bad and the ugly are all very visible here.
grace1994's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliantly written and such a fascinating topic. I've loved the show for years but hadn't read the book or seen the film (which it turns out are very different from the show). The book really drives home just how heartbreaking this life can be for almost everyone involved and just how unfairly these boys are treated - either cast aside if they get injured or made to feel invincible until they graduate when real life hits them and they're entirely unprepared. The racism was also shocking but shouldn't be too surprising since this is Texas in the late 80s. Overall, I was really captivated by this book and feel that H.G. Bissinger is an amazing writer who clearly cares deeply about these boys and (to a lesser extent) this town. He writes with a lot of heart but is still willing to write about what he saw with all its ugly truth.
5/5
5/5
rafimatchen's review against another edition
5.0
Of all the books that are “about X, but really about America” (here, X is Texas high-school football) this is the best one that I have read.