Behind the Book: Reader Interview with Enzo Magrin

The Boys in Brown was released on Sept. 1 by Last Mile Publications. Author Jon J. Kerr interviews readers of the book each Thursday.

Every story needs a muse. In The Boys in Brown, there were several. One of them was Enzo Magrin.

A 1970 graduate of Carmel, there isn’t much Enzo hasn’t seen. Football is high on the list–he’s only missed nine games since 1965.

In The Boys in Brown, Enzo was a prayer whisperer, someone whom I could speak to about the importance of faith and spirituality. He had an almost ubiquitous presence around the program, as written in Chapter 25:

On this mid-November late afternoon, the view from Enzo’s Prayer Cave is wondrous. Snowflakes glitter in the artificial light. The natural autumn shade mixes harmoniously with football’s classic soundtrack–shouts, shoulder pads and whistles. The accumulation of snow makes it hard to stand. But when one strolls through the clouds, the ground beneath is often hard to feel.

As part of a new Behind the Book series, I interviewed Enzo. Here is an edited version of our conversation:

WHAT ARE YOUR GENERAL THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK?

I thought it was very touching. I liked the people, the way the personalities were brought  out and their philosophies on life and family.

HOW DID YOU FEEL YOUR CHARACTER WAS DEPICTED?

I felt like i was depicted truthfully. I felt kind of bad that Frank Rejc wasn’t in the book. He’s one of the hearts and souls of the program. He’s seen almost every game.

WHO IS FRANK?

The lead camera man of the football team. He is the father of Jim and Jerry Rejc (coaches on the 2010 team). He’s been there since 1967. He was there when they were taping and after a game he’d have to go into the city and get the film processed so the coaches could stay up all night and watch film. He gave a lot. He was the head photographer for Abbott Labs. A sniper during World War II. He’s just an amazing guy. On the St. George at Evanston National Championships high school football team. A semi-pro football player and amateur baseball player. A wealth of stories.

WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON THAT SEASON WHAT STANDS OUT?

I knew Jordan Kos would be good but not as good as he became. Michael Panico’s speed. The team came together more than other teams. The defense. The linebackers were so good. And the strength of the defense. I think the coaches were very good as people and as coaches.

WERE THERE ASPECTS OF CARMEL YOU LEARNED ABOUT FROM THE BOOK THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW BEFORE?

For me, i was really worried when we starting losing priests and brothers at the school. I started thinking, ‘where are we going?’ I knew there was always prayer in school. I’d like to see more but there’s more than I thought. I didn’t know they were having mass before home games or away games or prayer meetings that Fitz was running. That really touched my heart. You could see the religious aspects that God was always hovering around. That is what I would want for Carmel. That’s another reason I liked it. In the scenes that depict Kairos, to read how the people really thought and their feelings. I’ve talked to kids who have gone there. But with LaRon, he was having problems I didn’t realize. He’s talking about his feelings, about the after life. It made me glad to read that he thought about an after life. I don’t he would have done that as deeply unless he’d gone to Carmel.

WAS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF MARION YOU RELATED TO?

I taught at a place for disabled kids and there were many people like her. She could have been one of our staff members. We had a lot of people that truly cared about kids and adopted people Our people adopted people as adults, Marion knew there would be problems with LaRon but did not know all of what she would have. I wish I’d gotten to know her. She seemed like a great woman.

WHAT WOULD YOU WANT READERS TO GET MOST OUT OF BOOK?

That God is behind everything. And everyone. In every way. They can expect that God will be there. Things won’t always go right but they should be at peace about things knowing God is directing them. Parents should know that if they send their kids to Carmel they are going to get a good education, get people who care. And that we are not going to agree all the time in everything but we are going to respect one another and try and see the other person’s view point and come to some consensus with what should be done with a problem and always with the guidance of the Holy Sprit.

The Boys in Brown is now available on Amazon.