Matthew A. Werner's Blog

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Season of Upsets: Farm boys, city kids, Hoosier basketball and the dawn of the 1950s

Shelf Unbound magazine just announced that Season of Upsets is the winner of the Pete Delohery Best Sports-related Book award in 2015.
It is a huge honor to be selected out of the thousands of books Shelf Unbound considered for its awards. Click the link below to see the story.

http://issuu.com/shelfunbound/docs/sh...

Season of Upsets: Farm boys, city kids, Hoosier basketball and the dawn of the 1950s

I'll be attending the Holiday Author Fair at the Indiana Historical Society on December 5 from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm. There will be a LOT of great authors there with ties to Indiana. Plan your visit and see you there!

Meet me in Indianapolis on October 10 and in Michigan City, Indiana, on October 11.

Oct. 10: The Indy Author Fair is held at the Central Library on 40 E. St. Clair from 12 noon to 2:00 p.m. Forty other Hoosier authors will be there too, so come on out and see us.

Oct. 11: The Michigan City Library is hosting a panel discussion with me and several people featured in my book, "Season of Upsets." It starts at 2:00 p.m. and should be interesting.

See you there!

Don't take my word for it. Take it from Lance Smith, the guy who reviews sports books (sportsbookguy.blogspot.com). Those are the words he used on social media to describe "Season of Upsets" in one sentence. And Lance Smith knows a thing or two about good books--having read and reviewed more than 200 books.

Check out Lance's review (5/22/2015) or pick up a copy and find out for yourself. You won't be disappointed. Season of Upsets: Farm boys, city kids, Hoosier basketball and the dawn of the 1950s

Numerous people have approached me about my book, "Season of Upsets." A common comment has been, "I don't read books, but I started yours and I just couldn't put it down." One person said that he hadn't read a book since high school (he's now 48 years old), but he finished this one in two days. Afterward, he read two more books in quick succession including all 406 pages of "Unbroken."

Every author wants his/her book to be well-received. We all want people to like it and give it a favorable review. But inspiring people to start reading who hadn't done so in ages--that just might be the ultimate compliment.

The Kindle version of "Season of Upsets" will have a special price of $1.99 on June 10. The next morning, it will resume its regular price of $8.99.

Six months and four days ago "Season of Upsets" was released to the public. So far, it's been a fun ride and there are a lot of happy readers. Even people with no interest in basketball have enjoyed it. One woman had to read it to her husband who recently lost his sight (if that ain't love, what is?). She admitted she thought it was going to be a major bore. "This is NOT the kind of book I would have picked out," she said, "but it's very interesting. It's a great story and I really like it! It's the greatest book I've ever read and it's made my life better!" (OK, she never said that last sentence.)

It is a good book, but don't take my word for it--look around. Readers have left feedback here on goodreads and on amazon.com. So, check it out. I promise my book won't disappoint you. If you buy a copy, read it, and are disappointed, not only can you post a review here on goodreads, but I'll mail you a personalized sympathy or get-well card apologizing. What do you have to lose?

Here are some discussion questions to accompany SEASON OF UPSETS: Farm boys, city kids, Hoosier basketball, and the dawn of the 1950s.

1. The book opens with an epigraph from Etta Mae (Malstaff) Hannon and it reads, “Basketball was all we had.” Why do you think the author chose this to open the book? What tone did it set? Why didn’t the author select a quote from a well-known source, as most epigraphs do?
2. What was your favorite part of the book? Why did you like it?
3. Who was your favorite character and why?
4. What was the biggest surprise in the book for you?
5. Why do you think the author chose to reveal how Everett Dunfee got his nickname, “Goog?”
6. What did you think of the author’s decision to include himself in the book when he mentioned first meeting Coach Hobart Martin and Goog Dunfee?
7. Has your quest for family history ever led you down an interesting path of history on a different subject? What did you learn?
8. Which of the coaches’ background stories did you like the most? Why?
9. The author wove facts and data into different stories in the book. What was your favorite, or the most unusual, factual piece of information delivered in the book?
10. Many players and cheerleaders interviewed for the book have fond memories from that season. Some players who lost a big game wish they could try again, even though they know it’s not possible. What do you think of those reactions? Do you ever wish you could go back and try something again? What does that say about us?
11. What is the significance of the quote, “What’s the matter with these farmers? They won’t go home after they are licked.” What did you think of the author’s decision to end the chapter with that quote, rather than cover the Hammond-Gary Froebel Regional championship game?
12. Do you think the author’s decision to use oral history (information gleaned from interviews) extensively throughout the book was a good tactic? Why do you think so?
13. What part of the book surprised you the most?
14. The author was trying to capture the essence of Hoosier hysteria. Do you think he succeeded? Why or why not?
15. This book is one of only a couple written about Indiana high school basketball that does not mention any All-stars, Hall of Fame coaches, or final four participating teams. Does that matter? Does this strengthen or weaken the story?

Shelf Unbound magazine honored "Season of Upsets" as a notable book in non-fiction in its December-January 2015 issue.

Click the link below for more information:
http://www.shelfmediagroup.com/

This was quite an honor as their team reviewed nearly 1,000 different titles.