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Summary: Jennifer's Review
Review: I really enjoyd Friday Night Lights. I love sports and I have never read a book about sports that could hol my attention like this book could. I would Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger to anyone who likes sports or enjoys a good book.
What made me enjoy this book the most was how much I could relate to the feelings the characters were feeling. I played softball for our Recreation Department in elementary school, for middle school, and in high school. I know how it feels to want to win state so bad. The four years I played in high school, we had never made it to the state play-offs until the last year. Our coaches pushed us to play our best and become better. They also taught us that when we were behind to always keep a cheerful spirit and not get down. They knew we wanted it, and so did everyone else. I knew that year had to be it because afer that, I would be graduating and no longer could play softball for our school.
I know all the agony of the practices in the hot sun when it's 99* and practicing for two, three, sometimes even four hours at a time and being so tired when you get home that you could not even take a shower. It was all worth it hen we made it to the state play-offs. Just like Permian, though, we lost out before we could win. I know how the players felt after they worked so hard and were defeated right when they were about to step over the finih line first. It hurts. It really does. The pain does eventually go away with the tears, but memories are always there, the good and the bad.
Even after I have not played softball for almost a year now, when I go back to watch my team play the teams I used to play, I get jealous and wish I could take their spot on the field. I want another chance to go to the state play-offs and be the champions! But life goes on, and there are bigger and better things in my future. When I read Friday Night Lights all my memories came flooding back to me, and I am sure there are others out there that wil enjoy it as much as I have.
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Summary: WOW....I liked a sports book.
Review: I read this book for my culture of sports class in high school. I'm not much of a sports fan, so I was reluctant about reading the book at first. However, as I started to read, I came fascinated by the world of Mojo and its characters. Even for someone who doesn't understand all the technical aspects of football, this was an emotionally charged book that was a lot of fun to read.
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Summary: Time Marches On
Review: I am a 2001 grad of Permian High School and I can say that I remember the East Side of town getting carried away with Permian football when I was younger. However, I do not remember any significant racism at all and didn't know what the "N" word meant until junior high. Odessa has changed dramatically since 1988 - the economy is much better, has more diversity, and has more stability than it used to; more businesses and corporations are coming to Odessa; our schools are much better academically; and our medical facilities are now some of the best in the state. Football also has a different place now. The Panthers have not been to the state playoffs since 1998 and have not had a winning season since then - in '99 they went 4-6 and in '00, '01, and '02 they went 5-5. This has been a mixed blessing because it has allowed other sports and also the fine arts to receive proper recognition. Friday Night Lights is a book about what Odessa used to be, not what it is now.
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Summary: Pros and Cons
Review: I do recomend this book to readers at all ages, but before reading it, know that just because the book is truthful it doesn't speak for all people involved or about the community of Odessa, Texas. Yes in West Texas football is a religion....as said in many football books/movies about West Texas football these towns have made up their own unspoken rules, football is a way of life, no one questions the sanctity of football, they just try like hell to win and do everything that the coach says. The Permian Panthers "MOJO" program is different than it seems in the book, especially now. If you take into the consideration how far society of all kinds and places has come since 1988 you understand not to judge today's Odessa for this book. Also when reading the book you have to remember this man only lived in Odessa for a year, while most of the people he was writing about and talking to for reference were life citizens of this West Texas town. Don't think that this is all there is to Football in West Texas, although it begins to paint a perfect picture. Thank you for taking time to read my review.
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Summary: A story about a team who tries to win in a racist town.
Review: I would recommend this book for anyone, of any age, because it would teach younger children about the wonders of football, and what it feels like to live in a racist town where the people only like you if you take their team to a championship. And for the older ages this book is very good you will not want to set it down, it will entrance you.
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Summary: A football Story that Goes Beyond Football
Review: Friday Night Lights by H.S. Bissinger is one of the best, if not the best book I've ever read. I picked up the book from my library at school to read for my Junior English class, and found myself not being able to put it down. I expected a regular football story with twists and turns, but I got a story that went beyond football, and into the very lives of the players from Permian High School in Odessa, TX. This is one of few books that have kept my attention for it's entire length, and I highly recomend it to anyone at any age, for it is a story that all can appeal to.
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Summary: What America Has Become
Review: Maybe you watched the movie Varsity Blues and thought the culture of that town was a little farfetched. After reading this book you may gain an appreciation for (or sickness from) this culture. The football razy states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Texas have towns where high school football is the main attractions, high school stadiums are rivals to the Roman Colliseium, and high school football players are, sadly, gods.Now, follow this idea as the author takes through one year following one of these teams in Odessa, Texas (the town where George H. Bush began his venture into the oil business). It is a town where life and the quality of it relies on oil. When the oil prices are up, life is good and people are wealthy; when they are down, depression lingers and poverty flourishes. Racism divides the town and being good at football is an easier way to pass classes than hard work. You will follow the team through one year of their high profile life as they play in stadiums that are sold out in advance and people wait in line for two days to get tickets to. You will see what happens to one of these kids when they are no longer needed by the team and the heartache that befalls the town when the team loses. There are many lessons in this book. America has become enamoured with sports and forgotten academics, for one. While you may grow disgusted with the environment of the town, you will no doubt find yourself rooting for these boys. You will begin to hope that everything works out and that they can win it all. It is a very intense and well written work. I think that is a must read for anyone looking to know more about the culture of America or in serach of book that get them to think. And, if you are a fan of football, you may see where these kids are coming from and why colleges from Texas tend to field good football teams.
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Summary: Powerful look at sports as religion
Review: Schoolboy football knits together the West Texas town of Odessa in the late 1980s. But as Permian High grows into a dynasty, the locals' sense of proportion blows away like a tumbleweed. A brilliant look at how Friday-night lights can lead a town into darkness.
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Summary: Friday Night Lights- Odessa: The Temprary Utopia
Review: Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissinger, is a true story about a town, Odessa, and its obsession with football in the fall of 1987. Bissinger mainly focuses on Permian High School, which is the home to one of the best high school football teams in Texas. Being a football player at Permian High School has its pros and cons. As a football player at Permian High, those four years may seem like a utopian experience. First, every starting football player there is assigned his own cheerleader for the season. Before every game the cheerleader decorates his yard thoroughly. The cheerleaders would act as their slaves. Second, since the high school concentrates so much on football, every player on the team is very skilled. Every player will most likely be asked to play for at least one college. Lastly, the majority of Odessa loves the football players at Permian High, especially the authorities. The police are very lenient toward the players and will let them get away with just about anything, such as under-aged drinking. However, with every pro there is a con. There are many negative reasons for being a Permian football player. Most of the players on the team were not the smartest people. Many of the players took minimum requirement classes and would have a hard time passing those. Some players would ask the teachers to raise their grades in order for them to play college football. If the teacher did not do so, he/she would be hearing from the principal. The Permian football team thought thinks that they are untouchable. When some of the players are exposed to the harsh realities of life they are not as content as they used to be. Permian High School represents a temporary Utopia for football players attending that school. The players love life until they find out that if they cannot play football in college they have almost no future ahead of them. Permian football has its good side and its bad side.
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Summary: Fantastic Story. Author With A Death Wish ?
Review: In 1970, having won district and bi-district championships, my high school football team played the Odessa Permian Panthers for the regional crown -- and they creamed us. Most frightening was the crowd that came to Abilene from Odessa to watch the game. They wore solid black (Panther colors) and they were FANATICS. When the Panther band spelled "MOJO" on the field (I'd never encountered that term before) they went absolutely NUTS. I finally understood the program a little better after reading Friday Night Lights, a terrific examination of the semi-pathological football infatuation in Odessa. And I can't believe the author would ever return there, if he valued his life, because he certainly did not paint a flattering picture. This book is WELL worth reading. Everyone who ever went to high school will glean something valuable from it. Most touching and telling, I thought, was the scene at the end of the book, after the season had ended, wherein the coach took down the slips of paper showing the names of the seniors who were on the team that year, and unceremoniously dumped them into the trash can. That metaphorically demonstrated the entire town's ethos toward its high school football heroes. After they no longer played for the team, they were just plain trash like everyone else.
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