Title: One Season of Hope (Homecoming Historical Series #1)
Author: Jim Stovall
Pages: 170
Year: 2015
Publisher: Sound Wisdom
Note: I received a free copy of this book through The Book
Club Network in exchange for my honest opinion.
About the book:
Bestselling
author Jim Stovall's latest offering and first title of his Homecoming
Historical Series, One Season of Hope, is a rare combination of tear-jerking
emotion, powerful wisdom, and inspiring hope. Written in Stovall’s signature
easy and economical style, the story is told through the perspective of Glen
Fullerton, “a man for the last forty-two years in the Truman High universe,
simply known as Coach.”
Welcome to the
Friday night lights of Harry S. Truman High School football stadium. Coach knows
the roller-coaster ride of a high school football season better than anyone.
But this season is different than any he has experienced in all his years of
coaching. It is one of life and death suspense and gripping lessons in the
value of humanity.
Regular,
reflective “conversations” with the late President Truman give guidance, mined
from the coach’s love and study of history, to help him through the most
challenging season of his long and storied career at Truman High – a season
that he will forever remember as “One Season of Hope.”
My review:
WOW! Jim Stovall
delivers a winner!
I am not a
football fan to speak of. I normally wouldn't pick up a book about football.
The name Jim Stovall is what caught my attention and caused me to pick this one
up and give it a chance. I am so glad that I did!
This book is not
so much a football story as it is a lesson in character building. By that I don't
mean the development of fictional characters. I mean the building up of
individuals to be strong, mature people with incredible integrity who know how
to treat others right. The main way that football plays a part in the story is
that the book is written from the point-of-view of a high school football
coach.
I absolutely love
the fact that throughout the story there are great details presented about
President Harry S. Truman. Coach Glen Fullerton is not only the football coach
but he is also the history teacher. With that love of history the way is opened
for these details to be presented without them being forced. They just
naturally flow right along with the story.
The other main
character in this book is Bradley Hope, one of the students that Coach
Fullerton is both encouraged and challenged by throughout the story. As I read
this book I found myself also being both encouraged and challenged to be that
type of an influence on others myself.
When I finished
this book and sat down to write my review I started with “WOW!” Then I just sat
and stared at the page for about 5 minutes with no idea where to go from there.
This book was so well written and so simply presented that I was completely
overwhelmed by it. I am certain that this is one book I WILL be re-reading,
maybe even multiple times.
I figure if my wife is shoving this book at me with a note on it saying "READ THIS SOON" - then it has to be a wonderful book. I'll get started as soon as I get off work.
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