Cracking the Bell

by Geoff Herbach

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.

• ISBN10: 0062453149
• ISBN13: 9780062453143
• Publish Date: 10 September 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 256
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.com.au/9780062453143

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Isaiah was on a downward spiral following the death of his sister and grandfather, but football provided a way for him to channel his pain. With many college coaches knocking on his door, he suffers another concussion, one he was unable to hide. As he processes the possibility of his life without football, he also confronts his grief regarding the losses his family suffered and the subsequent fallout.

This was an interesting journey. I sort of wish I had read instead of listened to the book, because there were a few times I got lost in the back and forth. Isaiah was an interesting and rather deep character. There were a few times I really felt his pain, and cried for him. This young man had some big choices to make, and he really didn't have much of a support system to help him. I really appreciated his struggle, and was proud of how far he came over the course of this book.

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