I cannot believe this book is out of print. I gave my copy to my brother several years ago, and went looking for a new copy today after the hated New York Yankees swept my beloved Boston Red Sox by scoring a whopping 6 runs in three games.
Why? Because Peter Gent's book - which is a wonderful tale about a father and his son getting to know one another - is also a prequel to the very public and successful career of Derek Jeter. You see, Derek Jeter starred on the Connie Mack team that Gent's son Carter played against for the Michigan state championship, and even back then, he was being viewed as a big-time up-and-coming baseball phenom.
And while some of the scenes between Gent and his son will tear your heart out, Jeter is front-and-center in the best sports scene in the book. That occurs when Mike Wyshowski(sp?), the farm-boy pitcher for Carter's team, whiffs Derek Jeter swinging with runners in scoring position late in the very close Championship Game, thereby sealing the win for the underdogs (and permanently endearing himself to me).
This is a wonderful novel. I read North Dallas Forty when I was just a kid, and thought it was a great, funny book. I thought this book, which I read after I'd gotten old enough to get married and have kids of my own, was much, much better. I'm assuming the fact that it's out of print means it didn't sell well. That's a shame, because it's every bit the story NDF was, and then some.

After Pete had asked a friend & I to join his Bangor team for the Kalamazoo tourney in the summer of 1991, I really got to understand & appreciate the love that he had for Carter & youth sports. His book was truly touching, especially after he asked me to be a small part of one of those summers. I will always cherish the opportunity he gave me, as well as the autographed copy of this book. A must read for all baseball fans & parents.

Although the divorce is pivotal in this story, it is not necessarily the key to the book's essence. Any parent who has reached the point of letting go can relate to the emotions the author so wonderfully describes. If a reader is an avid baseball fan, especially Little League, Pony League, Babe Ruth, etc., the story jumps out at you and transports you to that "magic" only summer youth baseball can take you. As the mother of three children, two who are finished with youth baseball and softball, and one still keeping me in the "magic" at the age of 13, I loved the book. Mr. Gent deals with emotions like unconditional love, fear, apprehension,regret and wins during that Last Magic Summer.

I read The Conquering Heroes by Peter Gent several years ago and was reminded of it when I recently read The Franchise by Gent. This book is a very interesting story of some of the behind the scenes of major college basketball. As in most of his books, the seedy underside is explored in great detail here from recruiting scandal to protection of a star player who committed a major crime. I enjoyed this book as much as I did North Dallas 40, although it didn't get near the accolades that 40 did. If you can find it used, it's worth your time.

Having read several of Peter Gent's previous works judging by the cover, I assumed that this would be a story about football. Well , you can't judge a book by its cover. (Did somebody say that once?) Although, this book revolves around the front office and star quarterback of an expansion football team, there really is very little football going on. Instead, we are presented with some of the seedy side of a professional sports team with everything from point shaving to murder. Not an uninteresting read but it does get slow in the middle. The last section really picks it up and makes the read rewarding overall. Not as good as North Dallas Forty or The Conquering Heroes but certainly better than North Dallas After Forty.

The best, finest football sports book written so far. A great novel whether you enjoy sports or football. The man had one teriffic book in him, and this is it. Details not only the strenghts and weakness's of sports/football but of people and life. There are no bad guys. We haz seen duh enemy and it is us. READ THIS BOOK!

Probably the best of Pete Gent's sports tales with great characters and a riveting story line. You won't be able to put this one down. Taylor Rusk is one of the best sports heros created.

There's a good reason that Sports Illustrated included this book in its list of the Greatest Sports Books ever: it's a good book. And the movie version is far tamer than the book, and compared to the book, the movie has an upbeat ending.

North Dallas Forty, an thinly-veiled insider view of the Dallas Cowboys of the late-1960s. Written by a former Cowboys' wide receiver, the book takes you inside a football franchise struggling to stay on top. After reading the book, your body aches -- you know what it feels to be drilled in the ribs while running over the middle.

Watch the team and the NFL go out of the way to protect the stars while throwing aside those pawns that make the greats great. Read this book and become disgusted by the NFL, the owners, the coaches, and the entire league apparatus, but glory in the sheer talent and determination of the players doing the only thing that they know how to do.

Kramer's book is non-fiction, Gent's is fiction based on his experiences. They were written about the same time period, but present two pretty different views of pro football players. Was Kramer's version sanitized, or was Gent's exaggerated?

By the way, the standard disclaimer in Gent's book ("any similarity to real persons is coincidental" etc.) is, in this case, a joke. If "Seth Maxwell" isn't Don Meredith, then I'm Howard Cosell.

North Dallas 40 ranks right up there with some of the best books ever written about professional football. The characters in this book are able to invoke a full range of emotional responses from the reader. Gent is an extremely interesting writer and this book will be what he was remembered for.

I first read this book at the age of twenty two prompted by my appreciation for "North Dallas Forty". Although I enjoyed it, I was left feeling unsatisfied. After just finishing it again at the age of forty, I am suprised by how much it improved in eighteen years. My appreciation for Gent's humor has grown. Consistently cynical, it is also often hilarious. Although not a native Texan, Gent understands the culture. Although some of his characters are exaggerated there is a basis of truth in them. The book is a funny commentary on our celebrity culture and the time it was written (late seventies). Anyone who remembers that time (especially in Texas) will enjoy it.

Having enjoyed both North Dallas 40 and other titles by Peter Gent, I was surprised to find this particular title somewhat lacking. Of course, it is a reprisal of the characters we met in the original ND40 but quite a few years have passed and the lives of the main characters are not quite the same as they were. I would have prefered if the last impression we had of them would have been from ND40. The follow up wasn't needed.