Publishers Weekly
05/09/2022
Former NFL player Lowe, who received a congressional Medal of Honor in 2020 for his heroism in thwarting an armed teenage student at Parkrose High School in Portland, Ore., recounts in this tender debut his return home to coach high school football and the incident that transformed his life years later. After Lowe’s former high school teammate died of an opioid overdose in 2017, Lowe left his job as an offensive analyst for the San Francisco 49ers to head up his Portland hometown’s floundering football team. In moving flashbacks, Lowe recounts leading Parkrose High’s team—which had a 23-game losing streak “dating back three seasons”—to win the first playoff ever in their school’s history. His narrative resonates most, though, in its compassionate depictions of the lives of his students, perhaps best exemplified in Lowe’s humane handling of the would-be shooter he stopped and disarmed in the school’s building in 2019: “Instead of tackling him,” he writes, “I hugged him.... This kid didn’t need hurt, he needed love.” Unfortunately, just when it gets its hooks in readers, Lowe’s real-life underdog story comes to an abrupt end when, after describing a triumphant playoff run, Lowe writes, “I left the school after the second season to take on another challenge.” Still, the extraordinary empathy on display is indisputably inspiring. (May)
From the Publisher
Hometown Victory is much like its author: authentic, heartfelt, honest. This is a book of heartbreak and triumph, humility and life lessons. If you‘re a student, player, coach, parent, educator . . . read this book.“
—Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN reporter and New York Times bestselling author of The Last Great Game
“A true story with an incredible model of determination, resilience, and grit. Keanon walks in the world with a sense of purpose that is grounded in love for humankind. The chapters challenge you to look inward and make decisions based on integrity and justice. Your life will be enhanced by reading this book.“
—Arshay Cooper, Indie bestselling author of A Most Beautiful Thing
"Inspiring reading for students and teachers striving for excellence against the odds."
—Kirkus
"Indisputably inspiring."
—Publishers Weekly
Library Journal
12/01/2021
Lowe was working as an offensive analyst for the San Francisco 49ers when a childhood friend and former high school teammate died of an opioid overdose. He decided to do something different with his life, giving up his golden NFL job and returning to his hometown to coach high school football. When he took over, the Parkrose High School team was stuck in a 23-game losing streak, but in a story that's been much reported, within two years he had led them to a conference championship. Along the way, he disarmed a school shooter, embracing him until the police arrived, and he has been noted throughout his career for his keen mentorship. Look for the forthcoming movie starring Dwayne Johnson; with a 200,000-copy first printing.
Kirkus Reviews
2022-03-10
A former NFL coach recounts his experiences coaching high school students from a marginalized community.
Lowe’s storyline is the stuff of countless memoirs and films: A good-hearted teacher counsels young people whom society has sidelined, taking their football team into championship territory. After college ball and a brief career coaching in the NFL, the author returned to his Portland, Oregon, hometown, “the whitest city in America”—in just about every neighborhood except that of Parkrose High School, a low-income area “where the first programs to be affected when it came to school budgets were the sports programs.” The previous three football seasons had yielded a record of 0-23. Lowe turned that around, against the odds, by insisting that his players were a kind of family and treating them accordingly—including the demand that the players treat him and each other with respect. To accomplish this, he had to sideline some of the best on the roster until they took his requirements seriously. In the end, they went up against one of the best squads in the city and, of course, won—even if they were defeated later in the championship cycle. “The Broncos fought and battled,” writes Lowe, “but ultimately didn’t come out victorious in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs. The ride was over, but the legendary season would live on forever.” There’s not much surprising in the narrative, though there are a few wrinkles that teachers in wealthier schools might not encounter—e.g., one of the best players is homeless, and most grapple with broken homes and lack of resources. One memorable moment is when Lowe faces down a student armed with a shotgun, a moment he characterizes as a “young man…crying for help.” There’s some tough love here that’s useful, too, as when Lowe insists, “Anything worth a shit or worth achieving takes dedication.”
Inspiring reading for students and teachers striving for excellence against the odds.
