Life is not easy in the desert of West Texas – towns are few and far between. The economy booms and then, more often, dies. Social and racial issues run rampant. One team in one town, though, changed all that for its residents, giving them an incredible winning tradition, a dream to hold on to and fight for together – the Permian High School Panthers.

    Texas high school football is a near-religion in any town in the state. In Odessa, it is nearly maniacal. The town bleeds black and supports their team, the winningest in the state. From August to December, the town is united and alive as it stands behind its team.

    Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissinger, takes a look at the community that struggled to stay together through a sinking economy and high unemployment, but that ultimately came together and game alive with a common goal – winning. More importantly, it looks into the lives of those teenagers on whom an entire community pins its hopes and its dream, and what it is like to produce one victory after another, no matter what the cost.

    The novel takes a close look, also, at coach Gary Gaines, the man who cared even when it looked like it was too late, and how he united his team into the winning tradition that it remains today.

    In a world that sometimes values participation over victory, trophies and ribbons over hurt feelings from a loss, Friday Night Lights lets readers in on a small slice of life in a Texas small town.