From "L.A. Times" columnist and ESPN Around the Horn panelist Bill Plaschke, a story of tragedy, triumph, and the power of high school football in one small California town.
Though there isn’t as much on-the-field action as one would expect, and the formula for each chapter can get a bit repetitive, there is emotional power behind the words of Paradise Found. It’s a gut-wrenching and inspiring tale of the healing power of sports.
Plaschke masterfully captures the passion and suffering of the players, coaches, and athletic director Anne Stearns, all of whom find purpose as a diverse band of brothers and sisters (the kicker in 2018 was a girl), pulling one another and their community together. This is a powerful and inspirational sports story about healing and finding humanity in devastating circumstances. With a movie in the works, expect the book to be popular with readers cheering for a team who gave their all.
Plaschke’s familiar, conversational writing style accommodates both tragedy and renewal, strongly conveying the gritty determination of the so-called 'hillbilly' little town that lost nearly everything. For its coverage of the unexpected horror of a natural disaster that took almost 100 lives, and of a season that helped to redefine Paradise, Plaschke’s account will stand as the foremost record of a team’s and a town’s unvanquished spirit ... Told with clear-eyed honesty, this story of unfaltering purpose will resonate beyond a sports-loving readership. Already optioned for a film treatment, Plaschke’s intense and inspiring account of a town’s loss and will to recover is recommended for all public library collections.
