by Joe Drape
First published 2012
Quarterback Trent Steelman leads the Army Black Knights through a season where every game carries weight beyond the scoreboard. At West Point, football players endure the same rigorous military training and demanding academics as every other cadet. While athletes at other colleges receive special treatment, these young men know their future lies not in professional sports but in combat zones around the globe. Coach Rich Ellerson works to rebuild a struggling program alongside key players like linebacker Steve Erzinger, who overcame early doubts about his place at the academy, and scholar-athlete Andrew Rodriguez, whose father serves as a general. Backup quarterback Max Jenkins balances his role as second-in-command of the Corps of Cadets with his athletic duties. First-year running back Larry Dixon brings fresh talent to a team carrying the hopes of an entire military community. As the season builds toward the crucial Army-Navy game in December, these soldier-athletes face tests that will shape them long after their playing days end.
Genres: american-fiction, american, military-fiction, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, sports
Setting: West Point, Army
Period: Season
288 pages · Hardcover · Times Books