I can definitely identify with Atkinson's tale of high school hockey in working class Mass. I'm about his age, and my son also plays hockey - I played 3yrs HS in New York (cold part).
The locker room stuff is spot on, and the heart and soul of the kids comes across great. I little less about how he can still hang with the youngsters on the ice would have improved the book.
Also, Atkinson's parts with his son were touching, but he never mentions poor Liam's mom once in the book. I just kept wondering what happend to her that she never gets talked about.
Maybe another book for that one. If you have ever played high school hockey this is a MUST READ. It would also make a good screenplay, but Hollywood hates real hockey movies.

I confess that I played very little hockey growing up. I live in HOCKEYTOWN and have been a part of the culture of hockey since the hey day of Gordie Howe and the boys. Most of my adult friends did play hockey. I hear their voices in the characters that populate Mr. Atkinson's fine, fine work.

Mr. Atkinson follows the trials and tribulations of a high school hockey team in a Massachusetts town. I coach high school age boys and Mr. Atkinson has got it right. From the stale smell of a high school locker room to the angst of young love.

I appreciated his attention to detail. In one chapter he describes small town life while on a run through town. This was perfect.

There have been many fine books written about high school sports ("Friday Night Lights", "Fall River Dreams", "In These Girls the Heart is A Muscle") "Ice Time" has joined the club.

I'm not even really a hockey fan but I am a big sports fan and this book resonated on a lot of levels for me. First of all, Atkinson's descriptions are amazing--he got me involved on the first page and I just kept wanting more. Also, his depiction of what it's like to be on a team was dead on. I didn't expect the book's emotional conclusion but that made it all the more powerful for me. The bottom line is that if you like good writing, you'll like ICE TIME.

I stumbled upon this book while searching for something to bide my time on a flight and was pleasantly suprised. Though the central storyline of the novel was more or less predictable, it was the peripheral action that I enjoyed. The banter between Joe Dolan and his buddy Surfer led me back to my collegiate days and the unforgettable talks about absolutey nothing. The accounts of the action on the rugby pitch would make any participants of the gentleman's game nod their heads with a knowing grin. Obviously I am not a polished reviewer of popular fiction, but I feel that I represent a large number of readers that really enjoy hanging out in the backyard with a good book and a few beers. "Caveman Politics" is perfect for that very situation.

I picked-up this book nearly two years ago at a book fair and forgot about it. I found it in my cellar last week, and finally got around to reading it. Had I known how well written it was, I would have treated it more carefully....

As a former journalist, and someone who has played a little rugby, this novel sprang to life for me. As soon as I put it down, I logged on to see if J. Atkinson has had anything else published. I hope we won't have to wait too long for his next work.

Jay Atkinson is a gem in the rough, a writer who has penned a book which uses sport to uncover and illuminate the human condition. The story of Joe Dolan's brush with salvation is our story... as we hurl ourselves through the confusion of life. If this talented storyteller doesn't shake up the literary world for years to come, then publishing really has gone over to the dark side.