Hometown Legend

by Jerry B. Jenkins

Athens City, Alabama, is a town that lost its heart the day the high school football team lost the state championship and suffered a tragedy. The town that once enjoyed superstar status has fallen on hard times. Now, years later, the former coach returns to head up one final season aided by a local who tells the story with a fresh voice.

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Football, Young Adult, Novels, Sports

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Jerry Bruce Jenkins is an American novelist and biographer. He is best known as the writer of the Left Behind series of books for Tim LaHaye and The Chosen novels to accompany his son Dallas's TV series. Jenkins has written more than 200 books, including mysteries, historical fiction, biblical fiction, cop thrillers, international spy thrillers, and children's adventures, as well as nonfiction. His works usually feature Christians as protagonists. In 2005, Jenkins and LaHaye ranked 9th in Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary list of Hall of Fame authors based on books sold at Amazon.com during its first 10 years. Jenkins now teaches writers to become authors here at his website. He and his wife Dianna have three sons and eight grandchildren.

Reviews

[Lady reading under the Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my dad's favorite books--I read it because he loves it.

Not being sporty, I sure didn't grasp *all* the football stuff, but it was a good story and quite moving. The audio recording was very well done.

[Heitham Hammad · Rating 5 out of 5]

" A real legendary story with a miraculous ending. Jenkins tells remarkable stories. "

[Ren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried to get through this but finally gave up half way. Didn't care for the writing and the story dragged.

[Toni Stephens Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost did not bother with this book after I read the reviews on here. Thank goodness I did! This turned out to be one of my favorite books! Very clean and absolutely love the community, workplace, football, Faith combination. My guess would be that the negative reviews are readers looking for more sex, violence, language. For me, this was plenty exciting! Loved it!

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sure it’s possible for this book to more a piece of _ than it is, but I really don’t see how. It has that flavor of “I Wrote This In One Day!” blended with a lack of authenticity the mental handicapped should just flock too. If you truly hate football and the teacher who taught you to read, then this is the book for you as it somehow manages to emotionally sodomize them both simultaneously while adding nothing of value to the human experience. That being said, it is better than the rest of Jenkins horrendous books, well known to be written for that special kind of newly discovered reader who’d rather dispense with the burdensome process of thought. PS: Sorry for the spoilers!

[Steven Kent · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the tradition of Christian fiction, this book is as light and predictable as an episode of Little House on the Prairie and literarily (is that a word?) nutrient-free as an episode of Frasier.

It's also quite likable.

[Pegg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story about courage and never giving up. Loved it! Some of the "football talk" was over my head (yeah, I know, but I'm not a fan) but that didn't interfere with the story at all. Highly recommended for an inspirational, feel good, Hallmark moment type of story.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked many of his other books better. This one seemed weak to me.

[REESE]

The book is called Hometown Legend by Jerry B. Jenkins. The lexile is 901. It is about how this guy's wife died and he ran her family's football factory. He went to a lot of football games because he worked with making the footballs and he also played for the head coach and was a very good player even went on to sit D1 college football.
I think it was a pretty good book. Kinda basic you can sometimes guess what's going to happen next so that made it less enjoyable for me because I like to be surprised with stuff like that. It was a good plot with how this good football player and his coach were good friends. In the start of the book they talked about how good the coach's son was. He had a full ride to Bama and he was one of the best QBs in the nation. He took off one play for the endzone and took a big hit to the head which ultimately killed him. That made his mom really upset. She didn’t want him to play football in the first place. She was a quiet person and she left the stadium immediately as the accident happened.
The book is recommended by me because it gives a real life energy. The first couple chapters of the book really make you want to read more. I would rate this book about a 7.5 just because it was predictable. I like the narrator's point of view; it made you feel like it was you.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished this one pretty quickly. I'm not always a fan of sports stories...but this one was not bad. I found myself excited to get back to it. Was only disappointed I didn't have the audio book so I could listen in my car as well.

I was hooked right away by the events that happened 12 years before the majority of this story took place.
Coach Buster Schuler - previous coach of Athens City very successful football team. He needs a job, and his new job is very predictable.
Calvin Sawyer - former football player of Coach Schuler's. Currently runs the dying American Leather factory in town.
Bev - Cal's secretary.
Rachel - Cal's daughter. Her mother, Estelle, died of cancer when Rachel was just 5. Church focused - leads the FCA group that prays for football players throughout the season.
Elvis - foster kid that ends up in Athens City looking for a scholarship to get to college.
Helena - Buster's wife that has had many struggles in her life. She is not in a good place, and neither is her marriage.

I thought this book was good. I would recommend it. It was very predictable, however, if you're not into that sort of thing. :)

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hometown Legend:
I loved this book! I don’t read a ton of sports books and honestly, I didn’t read the synopsis on this book before I decided to read it; I just liked the title. This book has a great story and I believe anyone who likes a really good underdog story will enjoy this book.
I don’t know much about the game of football so; I didn’t understand the plays or the calls but I still loved this book.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars
A small Alabama town where the local factory makes footballs, they've had a winning football team at the local High School, and people support them both. When hard times come ~~ the faithful carry them through. 😊 Jenkins has a wonderful way of showing how faith works in real life. Uplifting and heartwarming.

[Susan Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story about a dying town, a football team, and a coach who quit the game and then comes back. It's also a story of hope and love and miracles and faith. Well worth reading by anyone who's lost everything and wonders why or what next.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saved this one from being weeded by checking it out. First half was pretty good, then it got sappy and the writing got a bit sloppy. Storyline wasn't too bad, predictable, like most Inspirational/Romance fiction.

[Cindy Grossi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little gem I just happened across at the library where I volunteer. Alabama high school football and a floundering town set the backdrop. It’s sweet and good.

[Amelia · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the most boring books I've read in a while. It's so predictable. The only thing that is mildly surprising is the fact that they lost the "big game".

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read.

[Darlene Ledford · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good.

[Nora St Laurent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story. His characters have flaws. Their lives are not easy. Yet they show resourcefulness that serves as an inspiration. It was a very true to life story with HOPE.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com

[Maur Edmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good read. It starts as a conversation with a former high school football player who is now a father with much more on his mind than just football. As the story unfolds, you see how a small town, a school, an old coach, and football are all tied together, and how a simple prayer is answered in a very big way. I enjoyed the story because it could be any town in the United States, and Jenkins made the ordinary look extraordinary. Isn't it amazing what you can find behind one person's personal story? I think you should read Cal Sawyer's account of what happened in Athens City in the Hometown Legend.

[Ashley Marilynne Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book twice when I was about 16 or 17. When the National Library for the Blind sent me the book, I devoured it. My enjoyment of the book retained when the librarian at MAB mistakenly sent me the book for a second time. Full of youthfulness and passion,, this book is about an American football/soccer team and the journey of its members towards their dream. Spirituality and the pursuits of love and happiness are also amongst its central themes. This novel has inspired me; amazingly enough, I have struggled for quite a long while to remember its title despite having read it twice.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a diehard football fan, I LOVED this book. I'm a sucker for David overcoming Goliath stories and this one didn't disappoint. And yes, it is a Christian book but it doesn't get preachy at all. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy clean books with a powerful message of hope and if you just plain love football.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story. If I nutshell it---It is the story of a small town, their dying industry and a football team. The owner of the town's main company is struggling to hold the business together to help the town stay alive. The local high school will be shuttered after the current school year and the football team wants to go to the championships. Its an uplifting story. Pleasant read!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I'd like a book that seemed to be mostly about football. But, the more I read, the better the book got. It wasn't just about a high school football team; it was also about friendships and relationships and doing the right thing.

[April Parrish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Honestly, this is not normally my type of book because I'm not a football fan AT ALL! However, I do love a good underdog story, and this is an excellent one! Jerry B. Jenkins is always good, and this is no exception. Great read!

[Rose]

F Jen

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! It got a little boring at some points but the ending was really good and much different than what you would expect. The movie was good too.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like the way Jenkins tells a story. I'm not even much of a football fan, but he made me take interest in the characters, and even enjoy the football games in the story!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

don't really like to read about sports, such as football, but this story is very good. I would read it again..

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of choppy, but a good read. I was told it would be better to actually watch the movie before reading the book. Too late, I read the book first, now to the movie!