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Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream Paperback – Special Edition, August 11, 2015
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Return once again to the timeless account of the Permian Panthers of Odessa -- the winningest high-school football team in Texas history. Socially and racially divided, Odessa isn't known to be a place big on dreams, but every Friday night from September to December, when the Panthers play football, dreams can come true.
With frankness and compassion, Pulitzer Prize winner H. G. Bissinger unforgettably captures a season in the life of Odessa and shows how single-minded devotion to the team shapes the community and inspires -- and sometimes shatters -- the teenagers who wear the Panthers' uniforms.
The inspiration for the hit television program and film of the same name, this anniversary edition features a new afterword by the author.
- Print length432 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherDa Capo
- Publication dateAugust 11, 2015
- Dimensions5.5 x 1.13 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100306824205
- ISBN-13978-0306824203
- Lexile measure1220L
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"[An] inspiring story about a small town and it's unbelievable football team. Starring unforgettable characters in a setting you'll never want to leave, this is a must-read for true fans."―Bustle.com
"Groundbreaking."―Austin American-Statesman
"About more than football. Buzz Bissinger's story about the 1988 Permian High School Panthers football team from Odessa, Texas, is a critical look at the impact of high school football on a football-crazed community. It's not but about 365 pages long...but sometimes, even in the fall and winter, you need a brisk read that's not too heavy."―Arkansas Democrat Gazette
“The movie and TV show are good, but the book that inspired them is even better…[A] compelling look at how the high school dynasty shapes the pigskin-crazed small-town community of Odessa, Texas.”―Men's Fitness
"Bissinger makes you feel the tensions of the kids, who are not just playing a game, but literally fighting for the honor of their town. He also accomplishes the more difficult feat of making the team's rabid fans sympathetic. His language...[echoes] the mythical proportions of the game and a season that will render the rest of the players' lives a dull denouement. Fascinating even for those, or maybe especially for those, with no interest in football."―Library Journal
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Da Capo; Special Edition (August 11, 2015)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 432 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0306824205
- ISBN-13 : 978-0306824203
- Lexile measure : 1220L
- Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.13 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #28,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7 in Sociology of Sports (Books)
- #60 in Football (Books)
- #212 in U.S. State & Local History
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Buzz Bissinger is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of four books, including the New York Times bestseller 3 Nights in August and Friday Night Lights, which has sold two million copies and inspired a film and TV franchise. He is a contributing editor for Vanity Fair and a sports columnist for The Daily Beast. He has written for the New York Times, The New Republic, Time and many other publications.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book engaging and captivating. They appreciate the powerful storytelling style and insight into American life. The book provides a deeper reflection on cultural and emotional significance, capturing the feeling of community. However, opinions differ on the writing style - some find it smart and well-written, while others feel there are too many cuss words and profanity.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They find it a quick read that provides insights into small-town life, especially football. The book is relevant today and a good choice for school reading.
"...picture of the players, coaches, and community, making it an unforgettable read for anyone interested in sports, social issues, and human resilience...." Read more
"...It is such a great read. I reiterate, this is a fantastic read; and I am not even that into sports and football...." Read more
"...I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read that will leave you questioning your goals and the work you put into reaching..." Read more
"...In sum, Friday Night Lights is a quick read that goes way beyond football to say something about the human condition." Read more
Customers appreciate the author's storytelling style. They find it powerful and poignant, with a beautiful depiction of a small town and its history. The book provides an in-depth look at the passion, pressure, and challenges of the sport. Readers mention that the lessons are timeless and the historical context of the Texas high school football scene is well-presented.
"Friday Night Lights is an incredible, in-depth look at the passion, pressure, and challenges surrounding high school football in Odessa, Texas...." Read more
"...This is simply a beautifully-told story of a town, its history, its residents, its values and its cultural and socio-economic state...." Read more
"...Friday Night Lights explores racial and social issues through the story of a small Texas town’s football team and their big dream of winning a state..." Read more
"...At think at the end of the day, it is a very human story of a longing for something greater than the previous generation had or wanting something..." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's depth. They find it entertaining and fascinating from a sports perspective. The book is a great way to learn more about an area and thought-provoking. Readers praise the brilliant research, reporting, and writing.
"...it knowing the characters (featured players, coaches, and residents) intimately. The prose is eloquent and reads with ease...." Read more
"...team and the players and their journey in the 1988 season is very in depth and entertaining from a sports standpoint and a writing standpoint...." Read more
"...this book, but am doing some work in this part of the country, It is fascinating and combines edge of your seat sports writing and ethnography...." Read more
"...This book can be heartbreaking, heartwarming and is one of the most fascinating things I have ever read...." Read more
Customers appreciate the ethnography in the book. They say it offers a deeper reflection on the cultural and emotional significance of Odessa. The book captures the feeling of community that the football team brings to Odessa.
"...The 25th Anniversary Edition offers a deeper reflection on the cultural and emotional significance of the sport in this small town...." Read more
"...a town, its history, its residents, its values and its cultural and socio-economic state...." Read more
"...The book captures the feeling of community that the football team brings to Odessa perfectly...." Read more
"...It is fascinating and combines edge of your seat sports writing and ethnography...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style. Some find it smart, eloquent, and easy to read. They say it combines sports writing with ethnography in an engaging way. However, others felt there were too many cuss words and profanity.
"...The prose is eloquent and reads with ease...." Read more
"A bit of bad language in book but that my fault. Enjoyed read while I was in Yosemite. Going back in October" Read more
"I devoured this book. The writing style is smart, quick and comes across as a person living in the city he profiled (which he did)...." Read more
"...a very well-written, gripping, and empathetic account of the '88 Permian Panthers and..." Read more
Reviews with images
Read This Without Question. Brilliantly researched, reported and written.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2024Friday Night Lights is an incredible, in-depth look at the passion, pressure, and challenges surrounding high school football in Odessa, Texas. The 25th Anniversary Edition offers a deeper reflection on the cultural and emotional significance of the sport in this small town. The book paints a vivid picture of the players, coaches, and community, making it an unforgettable read for anyone interested in sports, social issues, and human resilience. I’d love to explore more works by this author—powerful storytelling and insight into American life!
- Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2024Youth and football
- Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2020This is a must read, particularly for anyone interested in sociology, Texas, and/or team sports. Neither the film nor the television show can honestly compare to the depth of Buzz Bissinger’s reporting in this text. The reader finishes it knowing the characters (featured players, coaches, and residents) intimately. The prose is eloquent and reads with ease. The memory of the significance of this book’s contents will not be forgotten and it’s lessons are timeless. It is such a great read. I reiterate, this is a fantastic read; and I am not even that into sports and football. This is simply a beautifully-told story of a town, its history, its residents, its values and its cultural and socio-economic state. It’s as important today as it was in 1988 when Bissinger lived for a year in Odessa to research and write about the town and its Permian football team.
5.0 out of 5 stars Read This Without Question. Brilliantly researched, reported and written.This is a must read, particularly for anyone interested in sociology, Texas, and/or team sports. Neither the film nor the television show can honestly compare to the depth of Buzz Bissinger’s reporting in this text. The reader finishes it knowing the characters (featured players, coaches, and residents) intimately. The prose is eloquent and reads with ease. The memory of the significance of this book’s contents will not be forgotten and it’s lessons are timeless. It is such a great read. I reiterate, this is a fantastic read; and I am not even that into sports and football. This is simply a beautifully-told story of a town, its history, its residents, its values and its cultural and socio-economic state. It’s as important today as it was in 1988 when Bissinger lived for a year in Odessa to research and write about the town and its Permian football team.
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2020
Images in this review - Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2016I am a Junior at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton California. For my English class we were assigned to pick a nonfiction book to read independently. I originally chose Friday Night Lights because I had watched the television series. I was expecting the book to be just like the television show but I was presently surprised that it was much different.
Friday Night Lights explores racial and social issues through the story of a small Texas town’s football team and their big dream of winning a state championship. The Permian High School Panthers are the biggest thing in Odessa Texas. They carry the town on their back as they take the field every Friday night to defend their school and town’s name. With this comes a lot of responsibility and pressure for these athletes.
B.H. Bissinger, the author of Friday Night Lights, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and is now a Pulitzer-Prize winning author. Bissinger started as a sports editor at a small newspaper but eventually wrote columns for the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated, and other magazines. In 1988, Bissinger moved to Odessa Texas to write Friday Night Lights which became a New York Times bestseller.
Bissinger’s purpose was to explore Odessa and it’s culture and the hopes that the Permian Panthers football team brings to the town. Friday Night Lights is intended for young adults specifically high school students who can relate to the pressures and expectations that the football players face during the fall season.
Bissinger was successfully able to portray the atmosphere of Odessa Texas. He was able to transform a small, working-class town into a place of community where dreams come true. Intertwined are racial and social justice issues, along with the struggles that many high school students face when it comes to academics and athletics. Friday Night Lights relates to my life because I am a student athlete and with that title comes a lot of responsibility. Like the Permian Panthers football players, my parents, peers and teachers all expect a lot out of me. This book helped me understand that many kids have similar expectations, and that it is very possible to balance all variables and in the end still reach your dreams.
Friday Night Lights is a well written book that all young adults should be able to relate to. The book captures the feeling of community that the football team brings to Odessa perfectly. The true sense of hope is created through the team and towns’ quest for a state championship. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read that will leave you questioning your goals and the work you put into reaching them.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2016After reading Friday Night Lights, I certainly understand why the author may have felt trepidation in going back to Odessa Texas because he doesn’t pull any punches. One will just have to gather all the evidence on whether he misquoted people or potentially did worse and make up their own mind. I think what is clear is that this football team was a glorified institution for this town that often did not have much to cheer about sometimes.
At think at the end of the day, it is a very human story of a longing for something greater than the previous generation had or wanting something greater for yourself. Yeah the town comes across as prejudiced (in a most charitable reading) and the football team more like an athletic cult of sorts that shapes and molds people to the institution and leaves them wandering after it tosses them out after senior year. But wrapped in all this, are the very human elements that are striving for something better and see it in this jewel in the rough of a football team.
In sum, Friday Night Lights is a quick read that goes way beyond football to say something about the human condition.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2016I devoured this book. The writing style is smart, quick and comes across as a person living in the city he profiled (which he did). It's unfortunate the things that are uncovered in this book regarding how much corruption goes on to keep the football team winning. The good thing about this book is that while it reveals how s***ty high school football truly is, the author doesn't paint the town, teachers, coaches, parents and students as awful. Rather they are presented as being caught up in something bigger than themselves, which in a way they are. I imagine that the majority of people involved with the football program wouldn't stand for most of the things that happened, but when you put them together, collectively their conscience is lost and the only thing that matters is winning. I would recommend this book to anyone, whether they like sports or not.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2016Yes this is probably the best football book of all time, and maybe even the best sports book of all time. But it is so much more than a sports book; in fact that non-football content in the book is better than the football content. This is a no brainer to read if you love sports, especially football, and just as much a no-brainer to read if you've been out of High School more than a few years and want to be reminded just how good those years were.
Top reviews from other countries
- James WattReviewed in Canada on December 21, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Gift for my wife
Wife is on cloud nine having
A book to read before she goes to be at night. Says she loves the book!
-
PepetonioReviewed in Mexico on July 18, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reality based story
Being a college sports student this story resonates and sparkles good and not so good memories. Victory and Defeat, and the price to get or suffer are elements that are brilliantly discussed in the book. Without ever living in the US, this story is so well written that I could still relate to most of its content.. the circumstance, the environment but most of all the drive.... to be someone, to become someone. A lot to learn from it, as the situation could be not only for football, but for almost anything related to growing up, meeting parent's expectations and as parents to question ourselves to know bettter on what is best for our kids.
- AlopezReviewed in Spain on April 4, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book. Just love it. I bought it again for a present
I loved the movie, not so much because of the football (I barely understand the game), and tht got me interested in the real story, so I read the book, and I loved it even more. It makes for a fascinating read, to learn about that small and kinda hopeless town that puts all their illusions on a bunch of teenagers, there is an air of melancholy that impregnates it all. Later I loved the TV show even more, and I think that it makes for an even better adaptation of the book, not the facts, but the spirit. Its a great read for fans or not fans of football.
- Nevin FishmanReviewed in Canada on May 21, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
What a great read. More about sociology than football. I think it’s part of the US educational curriculum.
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on September 8, 2024
1.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expect
Hi, every page has notes, underlining and comment. Not what I expected, my son needs it for Monday, so he is fine with it. I have purchased used books before and was expected it to be in better condition, given it was listed as good condition.
Amazon Customer
Reviewed in Canada on September 8, 2024
Images in this review