From learning the dreary history of Odessa to facing the extreme racism (and presumed racism) in Texas politics/education system, Bissinger created shared an honest but harsh view of small town America. It had nothing to do with entertainment and everything to do with how people felt about themselves.” (237)Īnd it was this, the incomprehensible fanaticism the people of Odessa, TX have for Permian football, which provided the focal point of through which Bissinger dissects small town life.

Football stood at the very core of what the town was about, not on the outskirts, not on the periphery. That was the nature of sports in a town like this. “Permian football had become too much a part of the town and too much a part of their own lives, as intrinsic and sacred a value as religion, as politics, as making money, as raising children. In thinking about the book and what it means, Bissinger provided a perfect description of the book, Prior to reading the book, I knew nothing about the story other than the film and the film was incredibly stunted compared to the book. I’ll definitely go back as I enjoyed the diverse opinions and perspectives, but I also like the idea of comparing books and films.

One guy pontificated, one woman knit, and the rest of us just sort of meandered about.

It was a mixture of 55+ individuals and about four of us in our 20s/30s. The book group itself was interesting enough, regardless of the book read. I read this book as part of a new book group, Books into Movies, I found at my local library. According to his official web site, he and his wife divide their time between homes in Philadelphia and the Pacific Northwest.I thought Friday Night Lights was going to focus solely on football (like the movie) but it didn’t. Bissinger continues to write, host his own radio show, and speak to audiences around the world. He was a consultant on the major motion picture that is based on his famous book. In 1988, he left the Inquirer and moved to Odessa Texas to write Friday Night Lights. Bissinger has gone on to write columns for publications like the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and Vanity Fair. In 1987, while writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Bissinger won the Pulitzer Prize for his report on corruption in the Philadelphia court system.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1976, he became the sports and opinion editor for a small newspaper. He was born on Novemto Eleanor (née Lebenthal) and Harry Gerard Bissinger. “ Buzz” Bissinger is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Friday Night Lights.

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