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HomeShop at BookSurgeFictionSportsThe Witch's Season: The Novel: A Team, A Town, A Campus, The Times |
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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 2 customer reviews )
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2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
An exceptional story about the college campus and football in the 70's Oct 23, 2009
By Charles M. Neinas
"chuck neinas"
Interesting and entertaining. You don't have to be a football fan to enjoy the book. Similar to "Friday Night Lights", the writer analyzes the problems that existed on a college campus during the Viet Nam war with football serving as a platform for the story. One of the star players also was involved in protesting U. S. involvement in View Nam and the personal conflicts that confronted him.Simply stated, a damn good read for those of us who remember the late 60's and early 70's.
Days Of Future Past Feb 19, 2010
By Doc K
"the rock & roll Dentist"
Presented as a sports book, this is more about the confusing changes baby boomers were confronting as the 1960s dwindled - and no less what those changes meant to parents and those in authority. There was the unrest about the Viet Nam war and more pressure than ever for equality of the races and sexes. In the face of that there was an old guard that didn't understand or want change and felt threatened when a bunch of hormonally imbalanced kids wanted to turn the world upside down idealistically, culturally and politically. One of the protagonists of the book is a college football player who has to balance the supposed Cro-Magnon jock mentality with a strong sense of political purpose intent on overthrowing everything that the jock mentality embodied. As someone who remembers the ambivelant feelings of being awarded a sports letter in front of all his cool long-haired friends in that era, this certainly hits home.
The book doesn't only focus on that one character which makes it far more interesting. What emerges is that in many ways the most compelling and sympathetic characters are the President of the College and even more the head football coach. They come across as far more astute and savvy than the kids around them probably would have acknowledged back in the '60s. I'm certain that anyone like me now old enough to understand what those people went through have apologized for being idealistically shallow when all those parents/authority figures wanted to do was earn a living to help their kids to a better life.
That is what this book is about - exposing the confusion of 1968 in an entertaining fashion (Hollywood, are you listening?). "It's hard for one person to change the world; but maybe no less important to change a life." That is from page 100 and sums up this book beautifully. As we now know, not everything has a tidy ending and if you want to wonder how the characters may turn out in life - stop without reading the last chapter. If, however, you like the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance sort of story - read Chapt. 38. (By the way, if the first listed reviewer is THE Chuck Neinas - former Big 8 Commish, CFA Exec, etc - then this reviewer is humbled to second his opinion about the worth of this book.)
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