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Cracking the Bell

by Geoff Herbach

Football, identity, and the cost of playing

Regular price $12.76 USD
Regular price $21.27 USD Sale price $12.76 USD
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Paperback New English

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Football, identity, and the cost of playing

A concussion forces high school team captain Isaiah to weigh football against the life he has built around it. The sport has given him structure after his sister’s death, connected him to his friends, and made a Cornell scholarship possible. But his recovery raises questions about what continued play could cost—including his health and the stability he fears losing at home. The novel places one player’s decision within the broader issue of concussion risks in football, while tying that choice to grief, family, and the pressures surrounding a young athlete’s future.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teens and young adults interested in football-centered fiction.
  • Readers interested in stories about concussion risks and difficult choices in sports.
  • Readers drawn to coming-of-age stories involving grief, family, and athletic ambitions.

Themes

Football and concussion risksGrief and family bondsAthletic identityScholarship pressure and future choices

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Friday Night Lights meets Concussion in this powerful and important novel by Geoff Herbach, author of the Stupid Fast series, exploring the dangerous concussion crisis in football through the eyes of a high school team captain.

Isaiah loves football. In fact, football saved Isaiah's life, giving him structure and discipline after his sister's death tore his family apart. But when Isaiah gets knocked out cold on the field, he learns there's a lot more to lose than football.

While recovering from a concussion, Isaiah wonders what his life would look like without the game. All his friends are on the team, and Isaiah knows they can't win without him. The scholarship offer from Cornell is only on the table if he keeps playing.

And without football, what would keep his family together? What would prevent him from sliding back into the habits that nearly destroyed him?

Isaiah must decide how much he's willing to sacrifice for the sport that gave him everything, even if playing football threatens to take away his future.

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