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Paperback Trophy: A Novel
Barbara Ann Herrington was a stellar English lit major at Stony Brook University on eastern Long Island until she dropped out unexpectedly. She learned to love reading as a young girl, influenced by her dad, Tom Jones, a NYPD cop turned Harlem elementary school teacher, with a degree in English from Columbia U.
Before she knew it, she was an angry divorced PTA Prez and soccer mom, a typical hypocritical mom who thought she knew just about anything about everything, including soccer. Her two daughters were soccer players, and she gets caught up in what she refers to as the mad dads and mom bombs of youth and school sports—ready to explode at any moment.
Barbara tells all, not to mention the crazy side of school sports, where it seems like everyone expects a trophy, as she somewhat stumbles into a job as a secretary in an athletics office for South-Central (S-C) schools in Nassau County, Long Island. It’s a diverse district, representative of America. A true melting pot. But her story is more about the lives of all those involved in her orbit, told through their life experiences—why they do what they do and how and why they think like they do.
The beach is an important part of Barbara’s family. Especially Long Island’s Jones Beach. Her dad was a lifeguard there while off-duty as a cop and then every summer while he was on break from his teaching job. Jones Beach is their happy place.
In addition, there’s a hint of the mob weaved in—the Long Island Mafia, wise guys—just enough to keep the reader, Barbara’s confidantes, guessing how much she may or may not be involved with them.
There’s humor throughout the story, balanced with some heavy stuff—enough to make you cry—cancer rears its ugly head, for example. The satire will make you laugh, though, especially anyone who’s ever been involved in either youth or school sports. But you don’t need to know anything about sports to enjoy Paperback Trophy. It’s more about life and its challenges, including Barbara’s own struggles as she tries to find herself and change her ways.
In the end, Barbara goes back to school to finish her degree in English and pursue her dream to become a paperback writer. Her own version of a trophy—a paperback trophy.
Before she knew it, she was an angry divorced PTA Prez and soccer mom, a typical hypocritical mom who thought she knew just about anything about everything, including soccer. Her two daughters were soccer players, and she gets caught up in what she refers to as the mad dads and mom bombs of youth and school sports—ready to explode at any moment.
Barbara tells all, not to mention the crazy side of school sports, where it seems like everyone expects a trophy, as she somewhat stumbles into a job as a secretary in an athletics office for South-Central (S-C) schools in Nassau County, Long Island. It’s a diverse district, representative of America. A true melting pot. But her story is more about the lives of all those involved in her orbit, told through their life experiences—why they do what they do and how and why they think like they do.
The beach is an important part of Barbara’s family. Especially Long Island’s Jones Beach. Her dad was a lifeguard there while off-duty as a cop and then every summer while he was on break from his teaching job. Jones Beach is their happy place.
In addition, there’s a hint of the mob weaved in—the Long Island Mafia, wise guys—just enough to keep the reader, Barbara’s confidantes, guessing how much she may or may not be involved with them.
There’s humor throughout the story, balanced with some heavy stuff—enough to make you cry—cancer rears its ugly head, for example. The satire will make you laugh, though, especially anyone who’s ever been involved in either youth or school sports. But you don’t need to know anything about sports to enjoy Paperback Trophy. It’s more about life and its challenges, including Barbara’s own struggles as she tries to find herself and change her ways.
In the end, Barbara goes back to school to finish her degree in English and pursue her dream to become a paperback writer. Her own version of a trophy—a paperback trophy.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 13, 2024
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 21, 2024
Picked this one up for its many references to my home turf of Long Island, but I was immediately pulled into the main character's struggles with herself and her relationship with the hypocrisy she witnessed in her surroundings and relationships. Barbie Jones is totally relatable as a flawed "mom-bomb," one of those pushy, mean-spirited helicopter parents most of us have known.
Barbie's crooked path to understanding and forgiveness brings a sort of enlightenment; life means accepting compromises, but you don’t have to lose your goals, your life "rhythm" along the way. Afterall, according to Barbie, we make decisions based on what we know at the time, not knowing what we don't know!
The first-person narrative personalizes Barbie's odyssey which is both touching and funny and imperfect, reminding us of our own daily struggles. She is a critic of hypocrisy and intolerance, but she shows a developing appreciation of the essential workers of society who are the high achieving underpinnings of progress.
I love the personal, informal style and conversational pace which brings together a truce - a sample of how we can grow, change, learn and find comfort in both success and failure. Quick read for enjoyment, but allow time at the last page for reflection!
Barbie's crooked path to understanding and forgiveness brings a sort of enlightenment; life means accepting compromises, but you don’t have to lose your goals, your life "rhythm" along the way. Afterall, according to Barbie, we make decisions based on what we know at the time, not knowing what we don't know!
The first-person narrative personalizes Barbie's odyssey which is both touching and funny and imperfect, reminding us of our own daily struggles. She is a critic of hypocrisy and intolerance, but she shows a developing appreciation of the essential workers of society who are the high achieving underpinnings of progress.
I love the personal, informal style and conversational pace which brings together a truce - a sample of how we can grow, change, learn and find comfort in both success and failure. Quick read for enjoyment, but allow time at the last page for reflection!
Displaying 1 of 1 review