Muck City: Winning and Losing in Football's Forgotten Town
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.41 (972 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B06ZYRWP8F |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 235 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-09-12 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
In a town deep in the Florida Everglades, where high school football is the only escape, a haunted quarterback, a returning hero, and a scholar struggle against terrible odds. The industry that gave rise to the town and its team also spawned the chronic poverty, teeming migrant ghettos, and violence that cripples futures before they can ever begin. Muck City tells the story of quarterback Mario Rowley, whose dream is to win a championship for his deceased parents and quiet the ghosts that haunt him; head coach Jessie Hester, the town's first NFL star, who returns home to "win kids, not championships"; and Jonteria Willliams, who must build her dream of becoming a doctor in one of the poorest high schools in the nation. Many of these were children who honed their skills along the field rows and started one of the most legendary football programs in America. For the coach, good intentions must battle a town's obsession to win above all else. Without football, Jonteria and the rest must make it on brains and fortitude alone. Beyond the Friday night lights, this book is an engrossing portrait of a community mired in a shameful past and uncertain future but with the fierce will to survive, win, and escape to a better life.. For boys like Mario, being a Raider is a one-shot window for escape and a college education. Belle Glade's high scho
Rational Shamanist said Excellent, not all I was looking for but still very interesting.. This should interest anyone who looks to the human side of sports for good examples of the human condition.It does raise the question how Glades High has had such a long run producing football players who end up in the pros (the last I checked no high school had produced more players going to the NFL and Canadian Football Leagues) because it does focus so much on a few individual players and not on the program itself. That may not be of interest to you but my family is from Belle Glade, my grandfather was the first mayor o. Football and then some! Mark Goodman I was expecting a "Friday Night Lights" type treatment of a high school football program and run for a title. This book is that and a whole lot more. In fact, it is an extremely well written social commentary on community, education, absent fathers and a whole host of related issues which need front and center attention. The young people and the adults are compelling and their stories combine to paint a vivid and realistic picture of life in a place that does not feature "privilege" or the excesses of our techno age. The c. Sand shark said Great Football Story. I live and play in South Florida and follow the high school recruiting process every year. Until I read this book I was only aware of Glades Central football because of some of the players that attended the University of Miami. This book was inspirational. It not only tells the story of a powerhouse football program, but it also tells the story of a young girl trying to find her own way out of the muck. It touches on the disparity in income levels, the hard work of educators, and the great football coaches who not only tea