Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team and a Dream

published	October 8th 2003 by Da Capo Press
first published	1988
binding	Hardcover
isbn	0306812827 (isbn13: 9780306812828)
ebook
pages	384
description	Secular religions are fascinating in the devotion and zealousness they breed, and in Texas, high school football has its own rabid hold over the faith...more [close] Secular religions are fascinating in the devotion and zealousness they breed, and in Texas, high school football has its own rabid hold over the faithful. H.G. Bissinger, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, enters into the spirit of one of its most fervent shrines: Odessa, a city in decline in the desert of West Texas, where the Permian High School Panthers have managed to compile the winningest record in state annals. Indeed, as this breathtaking examination of the town, the team, its coaches, and its young players chronicles, the team, for better and for worse, is the town; the communal health and self-image of the latter is directly linked to the on-field success of the former. The 1988 season, the one Friday Night Lights recounts, was not one of the Panthers' best. The game's effect on the community--and the players--was explosive. Written with great style and passion, Friday Night Lights offers an American snapshot in deep focus; the picture is not always pretty, but the image is hard to forget. [close]
date added	05-13-07 edit book

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Michael rated it:

(review of isbn 030681529X)

03/18/08

Read in March, 2008

"Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and A Dream"
By H.G. Bissinger

Before I knew of the book, I knew of the TV show, which itself grew out of the film adaptation. And I knew it was about high school football in the heart of Texas where football and religion were one and the same. I don't count myself as a fan of sports movies but I do watch them from time to time, but you won't find me actively searching for one. So it went with "Friday Night Lights". The film adap...more "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and A Dream"
By H.G. Bissinger

Before I knew of the book, I knew of the TV show, which itself grew out of the film adaptation. And I knew it was about high school football in the heart of Texas where football and religion were one and the same. I don't count myself as a fan of sports movies but I do watch them from time to time, but you won't find me actively searching for one. So it went with "Friday Night Lights". The film adaption came and went in theaters and I thought nothing of it. The same went for its DVD release. And pretty much the same thing happened for the first season of the TV series. But slowly I started to hear things about the franchise, especially the TV series. One of the things I heard was that the TV series expanded on the themes and ideals that were explored in both the film and the book.

And before I knew it, within a month's span, I picked up the first season of the TV series, the DVD of the film, and with luck on my side I found a copy of the book at the bargain bin center of the bookstore. I watched the film and the plight of the Permian Panther's bid for the 1988 Texas State Championships and for a brief moment realized the intensity that came with the game. But two hours was just not enough. I wanted more. So I went to the TV series and devoured it up. It touched on many things that movie danced around and by the time I finished the season, I decided I had to read the original source material that started it all.

It's the middle of March now and I remember starting the book at the start the year. I had watched the movie back around November and I wasn't sure if I would remember the characters but sure enough I soon did. Before long, names such as Boobie Miles, Mike Winchell, Billingsley, Chavez, and Coach Gary Gaines lived in my mind as I read the book. Though I knew of what was going to come because of the movie, what I didn't account for was the wealth of information that H.G. Bissinger had incorporated in the book. There were histories towns, people, racism, and the Permian Panthers themselves. This book was not simply about football in West Texas but it is rather a bigger picture at a slice of life in this section of America.

In some ways Texas is a microcosm of the nation. Both Texas and the nation went from boom to bust in the Eighties during the time of 'big oil'. Racism was as much as a hotly debated topic of concern as it is for the nation. Football itself for the area has strong ties to racism and town histories and state championships.

But it's the concentrated concern of the high school football athletes that's always front and center. Just as most of the world seems concentrated at the years of high school and college, it is this sentiment seen at its height and ugliness with high school football. Boys have been brought up with the desire to play football and go all the way. Just like ancient gladiators or Spartans or Romans, do they fight with all their might on the field. The towns cheer for them. The towns cheat for them. The towns fight for them. The towns live through them. And all this comes to a head on a single day, on a single night: Friday nights.

- Michael Midnight...less

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