The story of how one young man rose from his impoverished childhood with a crack-addicted mother, through his discovery of American Football to become one of the most successful and highly paid players in the NFL. Paperback edition The #1 New York Times Bestseller "Lewis has such a gift for storytelling…he writes as lucidly for sports fans as for those who read him for other reasons." —Janet Maslin, New York Times CHAPTER ONE BACK STORY
15
CHAPTER TWO THE MARKET FOR FOOTBALL PLAYERS
29
CHAPTER THREE CROSSING THE LINE
45
CHAPTER FOUR THE BLANK SLATE
75
CHAPTER FIVE DEATH OF A LINEMAN
103
CHAPTER SIX INVENTING MICHAEL
131
CHAPTER SEVEN THE PASTA COACH
167
CHAPTER EIGHT CHARACTER COURSES
197
CHAPTER NINE BIRTH OF A STAR
231
CHAPTER TEN THE EGG BOWL
263
CHAPTER ELEVEN FREAK OF NURTURE
293
CHAPTER TWELVE AND MOSES STUTTERED
313
Afterword to the Paperback Edition
331
Author's Note
335
