Many times when I request a review copy of a book and the publisher does not grant it, I will look for the book in the library after its publication date. While often I won't review a book here if that is the case, this book made such an impression on me that I had to write a review of the library copy.
Title/Author: “Hometown Victory: A Coach’s Story of Football, Fate and Coming Home” by Keanon Lowe with Justin Spizman
Rating: 5 of 5 stars (excellent)
Review: Thanks to a specific incident
at the school in this book, (Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon) that
school’s football coach who was also a security guard became a hero in the eyes
of many. However, as this memoir shows,
there are other ways in which a person can be a hero without stopping a
potential mass shooting incident that made the author of the book, Keanon Lowe,
this “hero.”
The incident is near the end of the book, but what is even
better about this book is the manner in which Lowe, after taking over as head
coach of a struggling football program, saw the good and the potential in each
one of his players, even if they had not won a game in over three years.
Without going into too much social commentary or emotion,
he does speak often about his players who have many issues outside of football
that need extra attention. Most of the
ways he addresses these do affect the football team but Lowe looks beyond that
and writes about how his actions will help these young men in other parts of life
more important than football.
While this type of story is not completely uncommon as many
football coaches (and coaches in other sports) will help their young players overcome
the burn of unfair life situations, what makes this a little different is that
Lowe wanted to come home (he was a native of Portland) and left a career in NFL
coaching to coach this football team. He
was a young rising star in the coaching ranks and even had experience in
dealing with issues beyond the football field as he was a San Francisco 49ers assistant
coach when Colin Kaepernick made his protests against police violence. While this is not comparing that to situations
such as young players defying a coach or parent, not attending school or practice
due to transportation issues or losing loved ones to drugs or violence, it does
show that Lowe knew how to deal with issues from a football team or player that
had nothing to do with the game on the field.
Speaking of that, there is plenty of football action, both
in practice and in games, in the book.
Parkrose did break their losing streak and made great strides in the
first two years of Lowe’s coaching career there, but that is not what make the book
so good. What does make it one that I
had a hard time putting down was the care and compassion Lowe showed to the
young men he helped. This was especially evident in the writing he did about
them, emphasizing that they needed this guidance to be prepared for life outside
of football and high school as well. That is what made this book such a joy to
read.
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