Cracking the Bell

Friday Night Lights meets Concussion in this powerful and important novel by Geoff Herbach, author of the Stupid Fast series, exploring the dangerous concussion crisis in football through the eyes of a high school team captain.

Isaiah loves football. In fact, football saved Isaiah’s life, giving him structure and discipline after his sister’s death tore his family apart. But when Isaiah gets knocked out cold on the field, he learns there’s a lot more to lose than football.

While recovering from a concussion, Isaiah wonders what his life would look like without the game. All his friends are on the team, and Isaiah knows they can’t win without him. The scholarship offer from Cornell is only on the table if he keeps playing.

And without football, what would keep his family together? What would prevent him from sliding back into the habits that nearly destroyed him?

Isaiah must decide how much he’s willing to sacrifice for the sport that gave him everything, even if playing football threatens to take away his future.

What does a young man do when the sport that saved him might also be the one that destroys his future?

• High-Stakes Football: As team captain, Isaiah knows the team—and his scholarship to Cornell—depends on him being on the field. But one more big hit could change everything forever.
• Grief and Loss: Football gave Isaiah structure after the death of his sister, Hannah. Without it, he fears sliding back into the destructive habits that almost ruined his past.
• A Difficult Choice: A powerful, unflinching look at the concussion crisis in sports, forcing one teen to choose between the game he loves and the future he deserves.
• Complex Family Drama: Beyond the field, Isaiah wrestles with a family still fractured by tragedy, held together only by the hope his football career provides.