FICTION

When the Men Were Gone

by Marjorie Herrera Lewis
Morrow. Oct. 2018. 240p. ISBN 9780062869319. $26.99; pap. ISBN 9780062836052. $15.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062836045. F
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Sports writer Lewis's (Sportsday Bound) debut novel about a woman coaching a high school football team in 1940s Texas demonstrates the importance of timing—not only Friday nights on the field, but also in the moments when we let our children stay children for just a little longer, if we can. Against all odds, Coach Miss Tylene uses her wits and passion to guide these young men through one more season, before adulthood—and war—claims them. Tylene has moments of struggle and success, and fear forces even her closest loved ones' support to wax and wane as her foes cruelly undermine her. Through it all, Tylene's grace and dignity proudly serve her authoritative command of football strategy. Fans of Chad Harbach's The Art of Fielding will appreciate Lewis's understanding that sports are about so much more than what happens at a game.
VERDICT Readers looking for stories about decent people doing their best or a good cry won't do much better than this heartrending read, which is sure to be a fall favorite of book clubs anywhere near a football stadium. [See Prepub Alert, 4/9/18.]
Reviewed by Nicole Steeves, Fox River Valley P.L. Dist., IL , Jul 01, 2018
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