Return once again to the enduring account of life in the Mojo lane, to the Permian Panthers of Odessa -- the winningest high school football team in Texas history. Odessa is not known to be a town big on dreams, but the Panthers help keep the hopes and dreams of this small, dusty town going. Socially and racially divided, its fragile economy follows the treacherous boom-bust path of the oil business. In bad times, the unemployment rate barrels out of control; in good times, its murder rate skyrockets. But every Friday night from September to December, when the Permian High School Panthers play football, this West Texas town becomes a place where dreams can come true. With frankness and compassion, Bissinger chronicles one of the Panthers' dramatic seasons and shows how single-minded devotion to the team shapes the community and inspires-and sometimes shatters-the teenagers who wear the Panthers' uniforms. Includes Reader's Group Guide inside. Now a an NBC TV weekly drama series.

Reviews

"Daytona Beach News-Journal," 12/19/08
"The book is far better and more believable than the awful movie."

"Dallas Morning News," 6/28/09
"While Bissinger does present the unfortunate issues facing a West Texas town, it is a true example of the pride Texans have in their community."

"Men's Fitness," August 2009
"The movie and TV show are good, but the book that inspired them is even better...[A] compelling look at how the high school dynasty shapes the pigskin-crazed small-town community of Odessa, Texas."
"Townsend Times," 11/20/09
"Shines a revealing light on a Texas city's unhealthy football obsession...A powerful book, the title of which has become synonymous for high school football."
"Mobile Sunday Press-Register's" "Gift Books for Men" holiday roundup, 12/6/09
"An unsettling portrait...of Middle America through the lens of high school football. Bissinger nailed it."
"Teen Ink," January 2010
"This story is both thrilling and ast