photo taken by K. Reyes 3/2021
Bibliographic Information:
Genre / Format of the Title:
- Title: Love, Zac
- Author: Reid Forgrave
- ISBN: 978-1616209087
- Publisher: Algonquin Books
- Copyright Date: 2020
Genre / Format of the Title:
- Adult Crossover, Non-fiction [book]
- none as of April 2021; only recently published September 2020.
- no reading level available; my evaluation - interest level age 13 to adult
Plot Summary:
Zac Easter grew up in Indianola, a town in Iowa where football was religion and playing football was the manly sport to do. His father was also a football coach at the local college so all the Easter boys were expected to play football. Zac never had the right frame for football so to compensate, he used the strength of his head to tackle or block his opponents. Multiple concussions and years later, Zac’s mind is no longer able to grasp simple information and he would often find himself forgetting things or having memory lapses. He began writing down and documenting his mental decline and although he sought help for a while, he still continued to self-medicate with alcohol and prescription pills. He presented a happy, easy-going facade that belied the mental turmoil, anxiety, and depression he felt throughout his youth and increasingly throughout his young adulthood. At 24, he commited suicide.
Zac Easter grew up in Indianola, a town in Iowa where football was religion and playing football was the manly sport to do. His father was also a football coach at the local college so all the Easter boys were expected to play football. Zac never had the right frame for football so to compensate, he used the strength of his head to tackle or block his opponents. Multiple concussions and years later, Zac’s mind is no longer able to grasp simple information and he would often find himself forgetting things or having memory lapses. He began writing down and documenting his mental decline and although he sought help for a while, he still continued to self-medicate with alcohol and prescription pills. He presented a happy, easy-going facade that belied the mental turmoil, anxiety, and depression he felt throughout his youth and increasingly throughout his young adulthood. At 24, he commited suicide.
Author Background:
Reid Forgrave wrote for GQ Magazine where he first published the story of Zac Easter entitled “The Concussion Diaries: One Player’s Secret Struggle with CTE” (Forgrave, 2017). He has written for the Des Moines Register, the Cincinnati Enquirer, and the Seattle Times. He currently lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons. As a sports writer, his work was recognized by the AssociatedPress Sports Editor, Livingston Awards for Young Journalists and the Society for Features Journalism (Forgrave, 2020).
Reid Forgrave wrote for GQ Magazine where he first published the story of Zac Easter entitled “The Concussion Diaries: One Player’s Secret Struggle with CTE” (Forgrave, 2017). He has written for the Des Moines Register, the Cincinnati Enquirer, and the Seattle Times. He currently lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons. As a sports writer, his work was recognized by the AssociatedPress Sports Editor, Livingston Awards for Young Journalists and the Society for Features Journalism (Forgrave, 2020).
Critical Evaluation for Books and Non-Print Items:
For a non-fan of sports, this book is compelling, difficult to put down, and difficult to read because we know how it ends. We read to find out how it got to that point where he kills himself. And Forgrave includes actual text messages, letters, and other personal exchanges that make it seem like we are watching the tragedy unfold right in front of us. Forgrave also interviews Zac’s dad and his high school football coach and despite Zac’s suicide and Zac’s suspecting that he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a brain disease that can only be diagnosed after one’s death, two very important people in his life still think football is such an important part of what makes a man and what makes one quintessentially All American. I will be recommending this book to every student who asks for a sports book. Zac’s wild early years where he blows up snakes, smashes Christmas lights, and generally causes mischief and damage does not endear his character to this reader. However, his foresight in documenting his mental decline and his deliberate willingness to sacrifice himself for the larger benefit of preventing another child from suffering like he has is actually admirable.
For a non-fan of sports, this book is compelling, difficult to put down, and difficult to read because we know how it ends. We read to find out how it got to that point where he kills himself. And Forgrave includes actual text messages, letters, and other personal exchanges that make it seem like we are watching the tragedy unfold right in front of us. Forgrave also interviews Zac’s dad and his high school football coach and despite Zac’s suicide and Zac’s suspecting that he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a brain disease that can only be diagnosed after one’s death, two very important people in his life still think football is such an important part of what makes a man and what makes one quintessentially All American. I will be recommending this book to every student who asks for a sports book. Zac’s wild early years where he blows up snakes, smashes Christmas lights, and generally causes mischief and damage does not endear his character to this reader. However, his foresight in documenting his mental decline and his deliberate willingness to sacrifice himself for the larger benefit of preventing another child from suffering like he has is actually admirable.
Creative Use for a Library Program:
In collaboration with our Teen Health Center and our Activities Office, I want to create an informational display on sports-related brain injuries to raise awareness of the long-term damage of concussions.
In collaboration with our Teen Health Center and our Activities Office, I want to create an informational display on sports-related brain injuries to raise awareness of the long-term damage of concussions.
Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer:
What does it take to be a man? Zac was raised to think that football in all its violent glory is the way to prove manhood and he was willing to give up everything, including the possibility of permanent brain injury, for the love of the sport. But what happens when life no longer revolves around football? Love, Zac explores the history of football, the American psyche, and the price we willingly pay for our obsession with this quintessentially American pastime.
What does it take to be a man? Zac was raised to think that football in all its violent glory is the way to prove manhood and he was willing to give up everything, including the possibility of permanent brain injury, for the love of the sport. But what happens when life no longer revolves around football? Love, Zac explores the history of football, the American psyche, and the price we willingly pay for our obsession with this quintessentially American pastime.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:
Animal cruelty, gun violence, strong language and sexual content, graphic violence, and suicide are all hotbuttons. But we can’t censor a book because we don’t like the outcome for the protagonist. All the violent details and the strong language and sexual content are there to explain the complexity of the characters and not gratuitously written. The stigma around suicide will go away when we are able to talk about this topic without shame or fear.
Animal cruelty, gun violence, strong language and sexual content, graphic violence, and suicide are all hotbuttons. But we can’t censor a book because we don’t like the outcome for the protagonist. All the violent details and the strong language and sexual content are there to explain the complexity of the characters and not gratuitously written. The stigma around suicide will go away when we are able to talk about this topic without shame or fear.
Reason for Inclusion:
Students are always asking me for sports books and I’m often stumped so when this one arrived with my Junior Library Guild box, I was thrilled to have a nonfiction book that reads like fiction. Plus, not only does it deal with sports but also with mental health issues and the tragedy of brain injuries. Double win.
Students are always asking me for sports books and I’m often stumped so when this one arrived with my Junior Library Guild box, I was thrilled to have a nonfiction book that reads like fiction. Plus, not only does it deal with sports but also with mental health issues and the tragedy of brain injuries. Double win.
REFERENCES
Forgrave, R. (2017, January 10). The Concussion Diaries: One High School Football Player's Secret Struggle with CTE. GQ. https://www.gq.com/story/the-concussion-diaries-high-school-football-cte.
Forgrave, R. (2020). About. Reid Forgrave journalist and author. https://www.reidforgrave.com/about.
GQ Sports. (2017, January 10). The CTE Diaries: The life and death of a high school football player killed by concussions [Video File]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/9TrCZcsSyA8
Forgrave, R. (2020). About. Reid Forgrave journalist and author. https://www.reidforgrave.com/about.
GQ Sports. (2017, January 10). The CTE Diaries: The life and death of a high school football player killed by concussions [Video File]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/9TrCZcsSyA8
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