Friday Night Lights

Odessa, Texas isn’t known to be a place big on dreams, but the Permian Panthers help keep the hopes and dreams of this dusty town going. Socially and racially divided, its fragile economy follows the treacherous boom and bust 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, empathy and brutal honesty, H. G. Bissinger chronicles a season in the life of Odessa and shows how single-minded devotion to the team shapes the community and inspires–and sometimes shatters–the teenagers who wear the Panthers’ uniforms. The book Friday Night Lights is not simply for Odessa or Texas, but a book for all of America. Searing, insightful and one of the most controversial books about sports of all time.

With two million copies in print, the #1 New York Times bestseller is used as a textbook in high schools and colleges around the country. It is the basis for the acclaimed 2004 movie and the Emmy Award winning television series.