by H. G. Bissinger

H.G. Bissinger, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, writes a stinging critique of small-town high school football. Zeroing in on Odessa, a small West Texas city, he profiles a season (1988) in the life of the Permian High School Panthers--the team that embodies the failing hopes and dreams of the citizens of a desperate place, formerly an oil boomtown but now deep in economic depression. With unflinching honesty that has reportedly gained him death threats, Bissinger takes a hard look at the town's fanatical devotion to its team and sees unbearable pressures on the players, blatant racism, vicious competitiveness, and vengeful violence when the team loses. Bissinger zeroes in on the individuals involved--coach, players, students, parents, fans--and emerges with a sad and frightening portrait of small-town America at a time when the only way for the average person to win is vicariously, through the local sports heroes.