Bibliographic Information:
- Title: Playing Through the Whistle
- Author: S.L. Price
- Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
- Copyright Date: 2016
Genre: Sports, Teen, Drama
Awards or Honors: None
Reading Level: Teenager
Plot Summary: The book chronicles the town of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh, and its high school football team at Aliquippa High. The football team is an essential part of the small town and plays an outsized role in the community’s fabric. The book starts with the town’s history and builds through the decade, chronicling the town’s fortunes and its high school football team. Immigrants from central Europe and African American laborers from the South came to Aliquippa in the 1910’s and 1920’s and turned it into a manufacturing center. They started playing football, helping to bridge barriers and divides while also mirroring the town’s struggles. The 1960’s and 1970’s saw football stars emerging from the region as the town began to struggle from deindustrialization and inequality. Issues like crime, poverty, drugs, and closing factories have hurt the town and caused the population to drop. Many teens in high schools now face dangers and issues that affect the entire town. Football is still the town’s pride and joy, and still one of the places the town feels like it can succeed against the world.
Author Background: S.L. Price is an author and former writer with Sports Illustrated. He has also written for Vanity Fair, the New York Times, and TIME. He has covered sports and events across the globe. He went to the University of North Carolina. He has also worked as a writer at The Miami Herald and the Sacramento Bee. He is currently working on a book about lacrosse in America (S.L. Price, 2020).
Critical Evaluation: The book’s writing is very detailed and meticulous, providing lots of anecdotes about the town’s history. It has lots of interviews and quotes from various people around the town, giving the reader a sense of its culture. The writer did a lot of research for the book. He provides many details and scenes from the 1910’s and 1920’s about life for immigrants coming to Aliquippa. The author also talks to players on the football teen and gets their perspective, presenting a look at the pressure and fun of playing high school sports.
Creative Use Library Program: I would use this book in a book talk to discuss the intersection between sports and an area. Sports can be a relief and a way to show pride when there are other issues in an area. I would want teens to read the book to understand how life in other areas of the country is different for teens, who might face different issues and circumstances.
Book Talk: The town of Aliquippa is a half-hour from Pittsburgh but feels a lifetime away. The small town once home to steelworkers and the middle-class American dream deals with poverty, racism, and inequality. Despite its issues, the one thing that has never changed is the pride in its football team at Aliquippa High, known as the Quips. Home to numerous state championships and lots of current and former NFL players, the small high school keeps churning out winners despite its struggles. S.L. Price journeys to Western Pennsylvania to learn what makes the Quips so special.
Potential Challenge Issue: There are no potential challenges currently or in the past.
Reason for Inclusion: I included this book because I wanted to get more non-fiction books under review. Most of my print and electronic choices have been fiction, and I wanted to include something that touched on American history and popular activities of American life, like football. I think teens might enjoy learning about an American high school that wins lots of football games and has an interesting backstory and history. Many of the book’s issues are American issues, and I think people can relate to the people and issues.
Price, S.L. (2016). Playing Through the Whistle. Atlantic Monthly Press
About. (2020). S.L. Price. Retrieved on December 4, 2020, from https://www.byslprice.com/about
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