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Deep South Books
The Forever Season: A Novel
The football novel that has taken the South by storm, The Forever Season is "powerful and engrossing . . . (and) hits with a sledgehammer impact" ( Birmingham News). A young college student receives a scholarship to a major university, and, as he tries to fulfill his desire to play the game he loves, satisfy his thirst for knowledge, and maintain his identity, finds his path blocked from all directions.
- GenresSports
276 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1995
About the author
Don Keith
73 books56 followersAward-winning and best-selling author of more than 40 published works, Don Keith was born in 1947 and has lived in the South all his life. He attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where he received his degree in broadcast and film communication with a minor in English and literature. While working as a broadcast journalist, he won awards from the Associated Press and United Press International for news writing and reporting. He was also the first winner of Troy State University's Hector Award for innovation in broadcast journalism. As an on-the-air broadcaster, Don won the Billboard Magazine "Radio Personality of the Year" in two formats, country and contemporary. Keith was a broadcast personality for over twenty years in Birmingham and Nashville, and also owned his own consultancy, co-owned a Mobile, Alabama, radio station (WZEW-FM), and hosted and produced several nationally syndicated radio shows.
His first novel, THE FOREVER SEASON, was published by St. Martin's Press in the fall of 1995 to commercial and critical success. It called heavily on Keith's own athletic and academic experiences. Reviewers praised its unique approach and powerful story. The novel won the Alabama Library Association's "Fiction of the Year" award in 1997, joining works likewise honored from Harper Lee and others, and was re-issued in the fall of 2002 by the University of Alabama Press as part of its prestigious Deep South Books series.
He has written both fiction and non-fiction, including several books on WWII history, biographies, and military thrillers. His co-written thriller, HUNTER KILLER, was the basis for the hit movie starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman.
His first novel, THE FOREVER SEASON, was published by St. Martin's Press in the fall of 1995 to commercial and critical success. It called heavily on Keith's own athletic and academic experiences. Reviewers praised its unique approach and powerful story. The novel won the Alabama Library Association's "Fiction of the Year" award in 1997, joining works likewise honored from Harper Lee and others, and was re-issued in the fall of 2002 by the University of Alabama Press as part of its prestigious Deep South Books series.
He has written both fiction and non-fiction, including several books on WWII history, biographies, and military thrillers. His co-written thriller, HUNTER KILLER, was the basis for the hit movie starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 25, 2022
An absolute hidden gem. My friend and I were calling each other on the phone and screaming after we finished certain chapters (if you've read it I'm sure you know the ones). This needs to start getting more respect and should be considered part of the Southern Gothic canon.
December 20, 2024
This book deserved a solid 5-star rating. It was exciting and always had me interested and I couldn't stop reading. I gave the book 5 stars because it was about a subject I like in American football. The character traits were very well developed. Usually, I wouldn't say I like reading books in 1st person, but it was well put together and thought through.
My favorite quote from the book was, "Maw told me my angel was out there,"(276). This quote leaves the reader imagining the possibilities after the book ends. I love cliffhangers like this and it really shows that the writer knows what's happening. This quote adds a lot to the book in general, it is used by C.P.'s mom in many ways. She says it when she killed her disabled son and when she killed her husband. When she shot C.P. she also said that she was going to send him to his guardian angel. It is a full-circle moment when in the end C.P. says he knows that his gaudian angel is waiting for him.
The story starts with C.P. being the narrator telling the readers how it feels to be dead, the whole story is written in the past He starts by living in a small apartment in a city, he goes and sees a football game and realizes that it is what he wants to do the rest of his life. He moves a few more times until they settle on Signal Mountain. He grew up and learned a lot while living there he became very smart and became very good at football. One summer when working in a neighbor's yard she invites him in and tries to seduce him. This changes him through the rest of his life. It is his senior year and he starts getting visits from football coaches, but one stands out the most, Tack Rankin from Sparta University. Later he goes to Sparta and starts football and college classes. At first, he is treated as a jock and gets bad grades. But then all of a sudden all the teachers and people of authority start treating him like a king. On the football field, he gets a chance to start at linebacker and makes the most of it. He meets a girl named Maggie and they start to get close they start to see each other every day. They play the best team in the nation and C.P. has a great game and Sparta wins. After the game, he goes to see his parents but something is off. It turns out his mom shot his dad. Then she tells him that he is in too much pain and shoots him 3 times. After this, she jumps and kills herself. 20 years later we see that C.P. did not die but was in a coma for 20 years. The last scene is Maggie with their kid at C.P.'s hospital bed.
My favorite quote from the book was, "Maw told me my angel was out there,"(276). This quote leaves the reader imagining the possibilities after the book ends. I love cliffhangers like this and it really shows that the writer knows what's happening. This quote adds a lot to the book in general, it is used by C.P.'s mom in many ways. She says it when she killed her disabled son and when she killed her husband. When she shot C.P. she also said that she was going to send him to his guardian angel. It is a full-circle moment when in the end C.P. says he knows that his gaudian angel is waiting for him.
The story starts with C.P. being the narrator telling the readers how it feels to be dead, the whole story is written in the past He starts by living in a small apartment in a city, he goes and sees a football game and realizes that it is what he wants to do the rest of his life. He moves a few more times until they settle on Signal Mountain. He grew up and learned a lot while living there he became very smart and became very good at football. One summer when working in a neighbor's yard she invites him in and tries to seduce him. This changes him through the rest of his life. It is his senior year and he starts getting visits from football coaches, but one stands out the most, Tack Rankin from Sparta University. Later he goes to Sparta and starts football and college classes. At first, he is treated as a jock and gets bad grades. But then all of a sudden all the teachers and people of authority start treating him like a king. On the football field, he gets a chance to start at linebacker and makes the most of it. He meets a girl named Maggie and they start to get close they start to see each other every day. They play the best team in the nation and C.P. has a great game and Sparta wins. After the game, he goes to see his parents but something is off. It turns out his mom shot his dad. Then she tells him that he is in too much pain and shoots him 3 times. After this, she jumps and kills herself. 20 years later we see that C.P. did not die but was in a coma for 20 years. The last scene is Maggie with their kid at C.P.'s hospital bed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2009
This is the first book by Don I ever read and it was well worth the time it took.
It moves very well and you have to watch the suprise ending!!!!!!
I would put it on my MUST READ list.
I have to say I recommend ANY book Don has written!
It moves very well and you have to watch the suprise ending!!!!!!
I would put it on my MUST READ list.
I have to say I recommend ANY book Don has written!
December 21, 2011
Well written; but every conceivable disaster hits the main character making it just a little too unbelievable.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews