The Throwback Special

This is a short novel about a group of guys who have, for more than 20 years, gathered to re-enact the infamous Joe Theismann/Lawrence Taylor play from the 1985 NFL season. It's not really about football- how could it be when the play being recreated is 5 seconds long and the entire re-enactment is covered by a single paragraph in the book?

As you might guess, when you're writing about a bunch of guys getting into middle age that don't seem to know each other very well but who voluntarily gather together once a year for a single, rather silly purpose, it's more about the individual guys. I guess you need to look at the 5 seconds of action the entire weekend is built around as a metaphor for something.... community? subjugation of self show more for a common goal?

The 22 guys are a pretty homogeneous lot in that they're all white (well, 21.5 anyway. There's one bi-racial dude), seemingly middle class, and generally full of good cheer. Under the surface, we have guys who have bad marriages, bad kids, good kids, gay kids, divorces, bad jobs, strange thoughts about illustrations of female characters in the children's books he reads to them before sleep, insecurity..... the whole gamut of middle class, middle age white guy problems. How they choose to talk about, not talk about, and use the weekend to forget about their issues is, I guess, the point of the book. It's funny and sad at the same time.

I love the writing, and the fact there's not much of a plot isn't that big a deal because Chris Bachelder hasn't written a conventional novel. The interactions of the guys as they use the 5 seconds of the game and the rituals leading up to it as releases from their insecurities and tension is fascinating in and of itself. show less

Perfect portrait of a bunch of guys who annually convene to reenact the most gruesome injury in pro football history. Funny writing and authentic, distilled descriptions ; e.g. loved the rundown of the t-shirts that each man wore, the crappy 2 1/2 star hotel, the bad haircut ritual, the weird yearly events. Great for a quick autumn read. (Still excruciating to watch the old video from 1985.)

This was a Tournament of Books pick, and I really enjoyed it! I don't tend to stray toward sports books, but this was really more about the relationships and quirks/idiosyncrasies of men who gather to relive a sports-based tradition every year. It is a quick read/listen .. I also gave it to my husband to read, and he also read it quickly. There are 20 men in the book (not to mention the other side characters), and at first, it seems a little difficult to keep them straight (here, the audio version probably helped a little, with the different voices), but after a while, the more "main" characters shine through and you realize you don't really need to focus on the specifics of the others..

Read this book after it made the short list for Tournament of Books (Rooster) 2017 playoff. Published 2016, the story is about a bunch of older men who get together once a year to reenact the Throwback Special, a play in which Joe Theisman suffers a career ending compound fracture November 18, 1985. The author is Chris Bachelder, born in Minnesota and teaching in Ohio and this is not his first book. It is the first book I've read by this author. It's a bit of history of Monday night football and can be a walk down memory lane for football fans. It is an interesting tale of these 22 men who we get to know for this brief weekend and it covers male friendship and masculinity with humor and mostly good taste. Its not just about this one show more football game, it's more about each of these guys as they come together for this weekend. Some of the social aspects covered include fatherhood, work/business, the one man who is black deals with the issues of the possibility of a black man playing the role of black person (Lawrence Taylor), another who is thinking about his dad telling him that "people notice a job done well but in Robert's experience that had not been true, what people notice was tardiness, failure and moth damage." and Jeff's inner dialogue about marriage and that marriage is really about having someone in your life to watch you, to witness your life." And Charles who is thinks about things ending while they are starting.

So the essence of the book is a story of men's inner life and somewhat also the external life men share with each other or of men's ways of relating. The characters were interesting. The reader is slowly introduced to the 22 guys as they arrive but various pieces are added as you go along but never a complete picture of any one character. I found this to be very effective character development. I think the author meant us to get these bits and pieces of each man's thoughts and life and for the reader to fill in the blanks. It was readable. The story was in sections with chapters within the sections; As far as cover and book, it was not anything more than a green cover with the title and author name trying to give the feeling of movement. I felt that the author did achieve what he set out to tell in this story. It is an act of communion. They eat together, share rooms. The weather is rainy and uninviting. It is quest of a sorts, a voyage and return and even rebirth. I thought the book was well written, the author used a creative way to tell a story about masculinity and men's lives. show less

22 middle-aged men get together annually to reenact, Washington Redskins, Joe Thiesman's career ending injury and Lawrence Taylor's reaction to it. The reenactment is really quite a big deal and taken very seriously, almost sacredly. Know that this book is not just about 10 seconds of football, it is about the lives and thoughts of the men playing their parts. I'd liken this story to entering the inner sanctum of a man cave and at heart, men are still boys. I wasn't keen on reading this book but so glad a gave it a chance.

Funny book that reminds me how hard it is to do funny and how unlikely I probably am to enjoy a funny book without reservation even if it were unreservedly successful. This was on my radar since it was shortlisted in the Tournament of Books last year. It's the right length and it's refreshingly specific. The meandering POV reminded me of the first person plural narrator of [b:Then We Came to the End|97782|Then We Came to the End|Joshua Ferris|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442800496s/97782.jpg|2926759] and it still worked for me, mostly.

This book has one of the most unique premises ever. It is about a group of men who meet at a hotel every year to reenact a famous football play in which quarterback Joe Theismann suffered a terrible broken leg on Monday Night Football. This play lives in infamy. The have a lottery to choose which of the twenty two player's roles they will play. They have all the jerseys and equipment. On the surface this seems like a strange topic for a book but is so well written that it was a National Book Award finalist. There are all sorts of side stories that captivated my attention. Loved the book.