“A Hindsight 20/20 Book Review: Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissinger”
For today’s post I’ll be writing a book review and discussing my thoughts on a timeless, sports-themed literary classic: Friday Night Lights, by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, H.G. Bissinger. Friday Night Lights is a New York Times #1 bestseller about the Permian Panthers football team and their infamous 1988 season, as told through Bissinger’s eyewitness account from the center of the high school football universe in Odessa, Texas. The book is the inspiration behind a major motion picture and television series, and as one of the most recognizable titles in the history of sports-writing, has been near the top of interest lists for fans of sports-themed literature for over thirty years. Regarded as one of the most accomplished sports books of all time, it could be argued that Friday Night Lights should serve as a litmus test for any sports-themed novel that would follow it. I’ve always considered Friday Night Lights to have some mystique about it, and when I first sat down to read it my expectations were admittedly high. After finishing the book, I’m pleased to report that the writing didn’t disappoint.
In 1988, H.G. Bissinger left his job at the Philadelphia Inquirer and moved his entire family to Odessa to immerse himself in the journey of the Permian Panther team and football culture of the city. He wrote his book in parallel form, chronicling the team’s pursuit of a state championship, along with the historical and present-day tribulations faced by the city of Odessa. There are a number of central characters whose storylines are clearly poignant to Bissinger, as he dedicates substantial portions of his writing to them. They include: James “Boobie” Miles; a mercurial running back whose once-promising career would be derailed by a catastrophic knee injury; Mike Winchell; the team’s starting quarterback who often struggled to live up to the expectations that came with his position, particularly in high-pressure situations. Jerrod McDougal; an overachieving yet undersized offensive lineman who, for better or for worse, knows that his senior season will likely be the highlight of his life. Brian Chavez; the only Hispanic starter on the team, a relentless player on both sides of the ball, and the class valedictorian who would go on to attend Harvard University. Gary Gaines; the team’s head coach and a lightning rod for criticism in the football-fanatical Odessa community. The storylines of these characters and more allow the reader to connect with Bissinger’s writing on a level that feels personal, and their journeys of growth and failure prove just as riveting as the greater account of the football team’s ambitions for championship glory.
Friday Night Lights is more than just a sports book. While it does tell the story of a football team whose players and coaches represent one of the most successful programs in the history of Texas high school football, it also offers a revealing portrayal of the greater city of Odessa itself, whose notoriety as one of America’s last true boom-or-bust oil towns is as harrowing as its roots of racial division and economical impoverishment. Of all the problems in Odessa, nowhere are the ramifications of social-priority misplacement more evident than in the travesty of its educational system. This, as we learn in Bissinger’s story, is the unfortunate consequence that must be paid when generations of everyday citizens give up the pursuit of their own dreams by embracing a grass-roots culture of sports madness, where athletes are revered with the same veneration as modern-day Roman gladiators.
Friday Night Lights is a testament to the inimitable, all-consuming grip that the power of sports can have on coaches, athletes, and in a case like Odessa’s, an entire city. Bissinger draws the reader in and emotionally connects them to the ’88 Permian team not from the perspective of a detached observer, but as if they were there, in real time, playing before the packed houses of 19,000-plus supporters from those Friday night home games at Ratliff Stadium. The bonds he shared with many members of the team are obvious in his writing, and although the journey he recounts is filled with insatiable highs and unfathomable lows, the camaraderie between teammates remains a steady constant, which is something all readers with experiences in competitive athletics can relate to. He explores the lives of fascinating characters using detailed narrative before, during, and after their athletic conquests, and along the way reveals the best and worst aspects of the Odessa community. He writes with empathy, despite the obvious flaws that so many of the coaches, players, and community members have, and by no small feat casts them in a light that isn’t so much xenophobic, shameful, or weak, as it is human.
Bissinger does a remarkable job of balancing the journey of the football team with his introspective depiction of Odessa. He leaves no stones unturned in his research of the city, from its earliest settlement, its birth and relevance in the oil industry, its cyclical periods of economic growth, hardship, and financial ruin, its longstanding ambivalence toward racial discrimination, and eventual forced hand at the government-mandated desegregation of its school district. Upon the release of Friday Night Lights the book proved predictably controversial. A number of aspects to Odessa were cast in a grim light, in particular how overtly racist so many people in the city are, not to mention on the Permian team itself. The writing also emphasizes the chew-you-up, spit-you-back-out, and, win-at-all-costs mentality of the city, school district, and athletic program. The book was a frequent target of school board debates and would-be censors, and while closure has come for many citizens of Odessa in the years that have passed since it’s initial publication, Bissinger’s forgiveness is a matter which, for others, will never be fully granted.
Friday Night Lights is a fascinating read that I recommend to all fans of sports writing. Prospective readers should be aware that the book does contain coarse language and racist commentary, so discretion should be used in terms of age appropriateness. I hope you’ve enjoyed my review. As always, feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
Thanks for your time, everyone!
- Todd
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