Friday Night Lights, Week 4

Welcome to our final Online Book Club discussion of Friday Night Lights!

What did you think of the ending? Were you surprised that the team didn't win the state title? What did you think of the afterward? 

Could you believe that the fate of the Permian team rested on a coin toss? That is just such a weird, and kind of unfair way to decide which teams would go the playoffs. I would have been so nervous that I probably would have just dropped the coin on the floor.

I was so frustrated by the Carter Cowboys and the grade scandal described in chapter 15. It was so upsetting to read about Gary Edwards' grade change and the horrible treatment that Will Bates had to endure for giving Gary a fair grade. Could you believe that Bates had to move to a new building, teach a new subject, and endure a year's probation, just for giving a student the grade he deserved? I was flabbergasted by the whole thing. I have heard stories like that come out of colleges, but I didn't think things like that would happen at high schools. It was sad to read about. If you're interested to learn more about the Carter team, check out the video below. It's a trailer for an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about the players and the team. 

If you enjoyed the afterward and seeing where the boys were 10 years after the events of the book, you might be interested to check out another follow-up that H.G. Bissinger wrote for Sports Illustrated 25 years after the book was published. Make sure to watch the video clip at the top because it shows some of the former players talking about their experience. I think Brian Chavez's story is really sad—make sure to leave me a comment to let me know what you thought of his story after he graduated from Harvard.

I hope that you enjoyed reading with us this month. Please let me know any of your thoughts in the comments section. I really want to know what you thought of the last section, especially the parts about the Carter Cowboys.

If you enjoyed Friday Night Lights, check out this list of books and movies with similar themes. Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on this list!

Please make sure to join us again next month as we read Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. It's a different type of book than Friday Night Lights was, but I hope you'll enjoy it just the same.