DINGED

A talented high school quarterback weighs gridiron glory against the scary possibility of permanent brain damage.

Greenwald lays out a scenario—set a few years later at the same school as in Game Changer (2018)—that will give anyone whose world revolves around strapping on shoulder pads and getting into the huddle second thoughts. As he leads the Walthorne Wildcats through an undefeated season, freshman quarterback Caleb Springer shows every sign of being well on the way to following his father’s footsteps into the NFL…except that ominous symptoms follow every hard hit he takes to the head, and as the season wears on, he also sees his strong, confident dad exhibiting ever more erratic behavior, uncharacteristic bursts of anger, and serious signs of memory loss. Will Caleb’s love of the game, combined with the high expectations of his father, teammates, coaches, and fellow students, spur him to carry on despite determined opposition from his tough-minded new girlfriend, Nina Rojas, and even after his dad, forced at last to see a neurologist, gets a diagnosis of early-onset dementia? Along with a list of resources at the end, the author folds frightening scenes with an injured teammate and another ex–NFL player into the story as he takes his confused protagonist through the championship game to a decision that may be smart even if just possibly too late. The cast mainly presents White.

A cogent cautionary tale showing football at its most violent and joyless.