Review by New York Times Review
IT'S ONE THING when a novel about a meaningful subject gets published at a time when a media storm surrounding that subject is beginning to brew. But add to the mix an author who can really get the crosswinds blowing and there is truly cause to marvel. That's the case with Chris Lynch's "Hit Count," a powerful story that illuminates both the dangers of head trauma in athletes and the psyche of football players. Lynch has been in this enviable position before, notably with his groundbreaking novel "Inexcusable," a finalist for a National Book Award, which introduced Keir Sarafian, a self-proclaimed "good guy" with a warped handle on reality and relationships, whose disturbing behavior is overlooked because of his ability to play high school football. This time around, the protagonist is a budding linebacker and football freak named Arlo Brodie, who is beginning high school. His older brother, Lloyd, also addicted to the gridiron, introduces himself in Keir Sarafian-like fashion. "All I ever wanted to do was hit people, is that so bad?" he asks. But when Lloyd washes out as a player after regularly collecting concussions, Arlo shines at midfield, earning the nickname Starlo for his ability to deliver devastating tackles. "I hit him so hard, the clash of helmets and pads sounded like gunshot across the field," he says at one point. "I crushed him with that hit, held on to him, and crushed him again when I slammed him into the ground I had arrived." Of course, for every physical action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and Arlo develops his own trouble with multiple concussions. Hellacious helmet-to-helmet hits have always been part of the National Football League's excitement and monetary fuel. With praise from both his coach and his fanatical father, Arlo dreams big early - being drafted by the New England Patriots, being elected to the Hall of Fame. Arlo's mother, however, isn't onboard this fast train to stardom. Instead, she walks around with "the File" - a collection of articles on brain injuries and their possible consequences. How common are the concerns of Arlo's mother? Common enough that the N.F.L. now helps sponsor a nationwide initiative called Heads Up, designed to teach players to tackle with their heads up, avoiding contact to the crown of the head. The league recently settled a class-action lawsuit brought by more than 5,000 former players who contend they were deceived about the lasting effects of head trauma. And the Super Bowl-hero quarterbacks Drew Brees and Kurt Warner have actually questioned publicly whether they would allow their own children to play football. But perhaps Lynch's biggest accomplishment is perfectly pegging that football mentality of playing through the pain, no matter how intense, until you're carried off the field on your shield. Starlo finds himself, "smash by smash," able to endure more and more agony. "Then, the best part, came the rush," he reports. "There was a thrill, hidden behind the first several layers of combat, like a video game quest, until you got to what had to be called the true violence, and once I got there, I loved the true violence." A journey like that is not going to be without twists, and in the end, Arlo must find solace in a world where football may have to take a back seat. As for the culture of high school football, Lynch shows us clearly that though rules and official safety measures can evolve, the coaches and players aren't always in lock step. Change may be hard to come by. Last September, the quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines stumbled around and appeared dazed after taking a serious blow to the head. He came out of the game for a single play, but was sent back in by his coach before a neurologist could examine him. That caused a national stir, because it was captured on video and broadcast live to millions of viewers. In "Hit Count," Lynch offers a penetrating view into the kind of difficult situation that occurs regularly on high school fields, undocumented by any camera. He makes us feel the predicaments of the players, parents and coaches - without ever easing up on the complicated passions that drive them to stay with the game. PAUL VOLPONI is the author of many novels for young adults, including "Game Seven," "The Final Four," "Black and White" and "Rikers High."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [August 23, 2015]
Review by Booklist Review
For Arlo Brodie, every love is second to football. His older brother spiraled into a sullen obscurity after the end of his own high-school career, but Arlo is determined to be better and go farther, and he does it the only way he knows how: by hitting harder. He plays violently and ferociously, ignoring the head-injury statistics his mother obsessively collects and brushing off warnings from his girlfriend, his coach, and his own body. Lynch's intensely focused narrative takes the reader through all four years of Arlo's high-school time on the field, from his meteoric rise to MVP through his swift and sudden decline. This will be perhaps somewhat less accessible to teens without the sports and competition gene but is nevertheless an in-depth look at athletic drive and the real, lasting danger of repeated head injuries so often overlooked in contact sports, both in fiction and reality. An important addition to the sports canon from a National Book Award finalist.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this brutal, no-holds-barred drama, Lynch (Killing Time in Crystal City) paints a grim portrait of a teen addicted to the physicality of high-impact sports like football. Arlo Brodie, an up-and-coming freshman linebacker, discovers a talent for taking down anyone in his path on the field, and he revels in the contact and the rush. Over the next few years, he grows obsessed with training and working out, becoming a star varsity player as a sophomore and earning the nickname "Starlo." But the harder he hits, the more abuse his body takes, worrying his friends, family, girlfriend, and teammates. Arlo's entire identity is rooted in dominating the field and crushing his opponents, but he may have no choice but to stop, as injuries take their toll. Lynch offers a powerful, provocative look at the dark side of popular sports and their potential cost, using Arlo as a cautionary, even tragic tale. Arlo's rise and fall is handled skillfully, allowing readers into the self-destructive, self-deceiving mind-set of an addict without condemning him. The ending is abrupt, however; Arlo's story feels far from done. Ages 14-up. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Arlo Brodie's devotion to football progresses throughout his high school years, even as evidence mounts that repeated head injuries are affecting him both cognitively and emotionally. In four sections that correspond to the four years of high school, Arlo describes the manner in which the sport gradually becomes an obsession, driving him to train incessantly and take ever greater risks in practice and games. He ignores the warnings of his mother, his girlfriend, and his own body until he is forced to confront his violent nature after grabbing his girlfriend during an argument in school. Comparisons are sure to be made with the author's groundbreaking Inexcusable (S. & S, 2005). Readers expecting the intense, concentrated focus of the earlier book, however, may be disappointed in this more diffuse effort, which features, for instance, a never-resolved subplot involving Arlo's jealousy of an older guy he thinks his girlfriend may be seeing. The novel also has some issues in terms of voice and narrative arc. In the first section, the 14-year-old Arlo comes across as entirely too erudite and sophisticated for a freshman, and the entire final section seems confusing as Arlo takes up boxing, of all things, to substitute for the football he has had to abandon because of his head trauma. His motivation for doing so is never sufficiently explained and the closing chapters are likely to leave readers scratching their heads. VERDICT An intriguing work that raises troubling questions about the culture of violence in American high school sports.-Richard Luzer, Fair Haven Union High School, VT (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
As a lowly freshman, junior varsity football player Arlo Brodie sets his future goals: varsity linebacker by sophomore year, then college ball for a Division One team, then the pros. After freshman year, Arlo works out like a fiend, gets in super shape, makes varsity, and plays like a man possessed, hitting, blocking, tackling -- all of the hard contact that he craves and has been preparing for. And he becomes a god on the gridiron, proud of his new nickname, Starlo, and proud of what hes accomplished. His fame comes at a price: an alarmingly high hit count, or number of hard blows to his head, forces the coach to bench him. By that point, though, the adulation, the workouts, and the thrill of sanctioned combat have become Arlos drug, and hes addicted. A parallel story of Arlos equally combative older brother plateauing out of football just as Starlo begins to shine, but finding his place when Arlos fame fades, crowds the narrative. Still, this unflinching examination of the price of athletic power, with plenty of bone-crunching play-by-play action, is both thought-provoking and formidable. betty carter (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A high school football player is relentless in his effort to become a ferocious linebacker, ignoring the damage his body may be experiencing. Arlo loves football and happily follows his brother, Lloyd, on the school team. His family is divided: his dad supports their playing, but their mother is so concerned about the sport's dangers that she keeps her own file of information about concussions. The two brothers begin to move in opposite directions with the team, Lloyd quitting and Arlo becoming more determined to get faster and stronger. Lloyd enters a downward spiral, seemingly unable to stop it; meanwhile, Arlo becomes a nearly unstoppable star, but his fierce play begins to trouble his coaches and his girlfriend. Even when he is removed from the team due to his high "Hit Count," he refuses to face what football may be doing to his brain and his body. The strength of this hard-hitting novel is Lynch's portrayal of the drive and hunger of young football players. The action is authentic and captures the game's speed and violence. The family dynamic and Arlo's relationships with his girlfriend and friend add texture. These combine to counteract an uneven pace and relatively loose structure. This intense, timely story provides incredible insight into the reasons why knowledge of football's potential danger is not enough to keep young players from taking the field. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
