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2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Bad writing, made boring. Needs to learn something about style. May 29, 2010
By Ben L. Rushing
I bought this book from Amazon based on the author's own recommendation. His writing style bored me immediately and made me not want to finish the book. I'll try to finish it someday. The editing and proofreading were so off, that I just couldn't bring myself to even try to finish it.
On page 9 he has a spelling error that anyone who would have read over should have caught. He makes what might have been a great story into a made for TV after school special, except that it is in book form.
I am truly disappointed in this purchase and I think that the author should maybe shorten the length of the book or look over it again and correct his errors and then make his story style better than it is now.
In all honesty, he claims to be a coach, so it makes one wonder if he couldn't get the English department to read through this and edit it instead of Microsoft Word's spell and grammar check.
Let me give an example of how you can tell that this is the case; when reading a book, it is perfectly fine not to make the word "ok" in all caps. Clearly someone didn't know that it is fine to just write it as ok. When you are reading a book and a sentence has the word "OK" in it, it interrupts the overall tone and makes the reader subconsciously think that the production was amateur and cheap. There is nothing wrong with being amateur or cheap, but someone should have read through this first and caught such awful story telling skill such as: Coach worked at McDonald's, he liked a girl who was going to a powder puff football game. He got her attention by flirting with her and talking about football since he knew that she liked football. The rest was history and they got married.
This is the type of thing that as a writer, you should see and think, "You know, this is a bit superfluous. I think that my mostly young male readers could care less about this." Do this enough times and the book goes from 273 pages to 200 or maybe even less. Less is more in this case and it seems that the author cares more about quantity and less about quality.
Much like Sara Palin's Going Rogue, he skips over details that would be very interesting in favor of those that are not and still manages to bore his readers and provide them with a book that waxes way too long on topics that they may not find as enlightening or fulfilling as the author has.
I normally don't give reviews, especially bad ones, but I felt that it would be a disservice to all readers not to give this book its proper attention. Maybe if you are familiar with the area or the program, you might find this interesting. For an outsider like me however, this book just doesn't cut it. I'll try to pick it up and force myself to read it, and one day when I finish if it gets any better, I'll write a better review, and retract this one. Other than that, this book is pure garbage and should be revised immediately before anyone else makes the same mistake that I made by buying it.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
A Terrible Effort Jul 15, 2010
By Fontana Graduate
I bought this book as a matter of curiosity. I lived in Fontana for all my youth and into my 20s. I have followed the program for many years. I would be very eager to read an interesting book on something very close to me. There is definitely enough substance in the rich tradition and community pride in Fontana that in the right hands a very compelling story could be made. I witnessed something very special during the glory years of this football program complete with a legendary coach. This book is the furthest thing from enriching that experience. I have only begun this book as well. It is dreadful I'm afraid. It is an amateurish effort from the front cover to the back. The writing is terrible with grammatical errors galore. It has very little flow and builds, if it does at all, in awkward fashion. Wow, it is difficult to read. The graphics are worse without any concept of page layout. The production values are non existent. You would think that someone at the very least would have a halfway decent scanner, knowledge of scanning at a proper resolution, and proportion the photos to be somewhat visible. Photo correction? Forget it! I don't feel compelled to finish it either. It is that bad.
I have also found it very disturbing that he seems to relish aspects about the program that he sentimentalizes as wonderfully brutal. He proudly boasts about a lack of ethics in a prep arena. Kicking and spitting were recalled with fondness. From this proud Fontanan, it is embarrassing to be sure. It's without a doubt that the legendary coach himself said the author took great liberty with the facts. Author Dennis Paulson obviously saw an opportunity here. Too bad he didn't grab it to reflect his pride and/or education at the school. His lack of concern or pride in presenting his product serves to diminish what happened with the football team. I hope that what he wrote is not true in some instances to be perfectly frank. Thank god for Dr. Reuben Henderson. I'm sure he could articulate a far superior Fohi story and a better portrayal of Steeler pride during his days there. Then again, as a doctor, he's not desperate for money.
The person who reviewed previously is identified as a supporter in the book and who is a family member of someone I knew personally in Fontana. Hardly objective Mr. Rusich.
Don't waste your money on this book.
 A passionate effort... Oct 11, 2009
By Peter Choadley
Having grown up in Fontana and bearing firsthand witness to the building of the Steeler empire, I was justly curious to read an account of happenings in my home town, having relocated to the south of France some 20+ years ago. I was not disappointed in the least with my purchase.
Mr. Paulsons obvious passion for all things Fontana shines through with every page turned. I found myself immersed immediately and simply could not put it down, staying awake til the wee hours of the morning poring over it. First hand accounts, told in gritty detail, will keep any reader on the edge their seat. A deeply researched town history opens the story, complete with compelling photos, and flows seamlessly into the tale of Coach Bruich and his staff putting together a dynasty that struck fear into every high school team in Southern California.
All Fontana alumni, or any high school football fan for that matter, would without a doubt love this book, which I was taken aback to learn was Mr. Paulsons first venture into the world of writing. I, for one, am keeping my fingers crossed for some type of follow up book from the author. We need more authors out there who really get it and tell us stories straight from the heart... Great story, great read and just a great overall effort, Mr. Paulson
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
best high school football story ever. informative Sep 03, 2009
By Steve Rusich
best high school football story ever. very informative. author must have done years of research.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Good book Jul 21, 2010
By elias lopez
Solid read....... The book goes into great detail about the program. A must read for people that love H.S. football. The book goes into great detail about the town, and the teams history, including some of their rituals.
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