Crackback by John Coy

I hate football. I really do. Wait, no I don't. I hate the fans. I've always hated how mindlessly aggressive people get about things that just don't matter really. I hate sitting through mind numbing conversations with people rehashing things that didn't happen to them and that would change nothing fundamental in the world if they went differently. I hate the posturing and the posing. I hate it all. (This is related to my celebrities are just people thing)

Before people get feisty with me, I understand the economics surrounding professional sports. I still wish we were a better and more rational species that venerated things that had lasting value over transient and false glory.

I actually really like sports. I like playing them. I enjoy being competitive, perhaps a bit too much at times. There is a point to playing sports...slavishly spectating sports teams and getting into combative arguments with other fans...not so much.

All of that is a roundabout way of saying that I didn't expect to like Crackback. I read it out of a sense of duty. I teach a lot of teenage boys who only feel successful in physically competitive arenas. It goes with the LD population. In my overarching goal to get more kids reading, I quickly realized I needed a broader base of entry points to start kids on.  Hence me reading a book about high school football.

It's a good book. I admit it. It might even be a great book.

Miles Manning, the protagonist, is a junior in high school and a starter on the defensive line. He's good at what he does and he's smart. He really thinks about the game and is a natural tactician. Unfortunately, things quickly start to go wrong. Manning has a difficult home life and buts heads with the assisstant coach. When the assistant coach becomes head coach, Manning loses his position as a starter. Refusing to use steroids loses him his best friend. With no one to talk to and under pressure at home, Manning does a lot of thinking and a lot of growing.

Oh, and he meets a girl.

This is a good book for both middle and high school readers. Excellent readability and relatable main characters, but most definitely aimed at the boys.