Jerry Downing the star quarterback has a reputation to repair after a drunken driving accident almost killed one of his classmates. Carla Jensen a star soccer player has just torn her ACL disrupting her soccer career. Carla who is also the sports reporter for the school newspaper recruits Jerry to help her write her blog. They will tell the story of football in the small town of Kendall from different points of view. Jerry as the star player and Carla as the sports reporter.
Now that Carla is side lined from playing soccer she has become interested in sports injuries especially in contact sports and the evolving science of head injuries. When Jerry takes a hit Carla starts the process of learning everything she can. Then Danny, Jerry’s teammate takes an even harder hit and is sent to the ER. As the team gets closer to the state championship game Carla wants to publish her story but the principal threatens her to not publish it and disrupt the town’s obsession with football.
Carla believes strongly about what she is doing and is willing to publish her story but is it worth the repercussions that could follow? Would they really kick her out of school? Would she lose any chance to be accepted into the college she wants to go to? What about freedom of speech? As Carla fights with her moral dilemma Jerry ‘s eyes are becoming more open to the possibility that maybe there is more to these head hits than what people want to believe. But will he make the right decisions when it comes to his team and his friend Danny?
Told in alternating chapters through blog post and emails you read the personal and alternating views of Jerry and Carla as only they can tell them.
This would be a great companion book to The Last Dance by Kiki Hamilton. Also a book about brain injuries from football.
279 pages Ages 12 and up 978-0374379964
Editor's Note: Additional keywords are sports injuries, school newspaper, brain injuries, blogs, freedom of speech
Recommended by: Joleen Waltman, Librarian, Idaho USA
978-0374379964
