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A review by maryehavens
Friday Night Lights: a Town, a Team, and a Dream by Buzz Bissinger
5.0
I would like to think that much has changed in the realm of high school football since 1988 but I know that's not true. In fact, the privilege extended to high-performing athletes has bled into other sports (ex. Stanford rape case) and while this book only shed light on questionable academic practices, it's easy to see that the situation has likely intensified instead of diminished.
Does reading this book extinguish my love of football? No. I was still rooting for Permian despite all the "sausage making" that came with reading this book. But I hope that rabid fans would step back a minute and see these student athletes for what they are: 18 year old kids with intense pressure mounting on their shoulders.
The pacing of the book is excellent although I got a bit confused on the timeline (it jumps around a bit). I loved all the backstory of West Texas history and the hopes and dreams of the peoples of Odessa and the surrounding areas. I think this sociological study is what makes this book so incredibly good. It doesn't get mired in the technical like The Blind Side did (and I'm grateful for that). I'll admit that I was more invested in this book because it uncovered so much Texas history.
I would recommend this book for Texas History buffs. I'm not much of a sports reader but you really don't have to be to enjoy this book. Bissinger writes so well, you can easily get swept in the momentum of the story if all you ever did was attend high school football games.
Does reading this book extinguish my love of football? No. I was still rooting for Permian despite all the "sausage making" that came with reading this book. But I hope that rabid fans would step back a minute and see these student athletes for what they are: 18 year old kids with intense pressure mounting on their shoulders.
The pacing of the book is excellent although I got a bit confused on the timeline (it jumps around a bit). I loved all the backstory of West Texas history and the hopes and dreams of the peoples of Odessa and the surrounding areas. I think this sociological study is what makes this book so incredibly good. It doesn't get mired in the technical like The Blind Side did (and I'm grateful for that). I'll admit that I was more invested in this book because it uncovered so much Texas history.
I would recommend this book for Texas History buffs. I'm not much of a sports reader but you really don't have to be to enjoy this book. Bissinger writes so well, you can easily get swept in the momentum of the story if all you ever did was attend high school football games.