Line Change: A True Story of Resilience in the Face of Adversity

by Matt Brown, Todd Civin

Matt Brown was flying across the ice, just as his coach wanted. He gained speed as he chased the puck toward his defensive zone. The entire bench had their eyes trained on him, knowing something big was about to happen. And something big did happen—this play was life-changing, in the most unexpected, catastrophic way possible. Just as the puck settled between Matt’s skates, he was bumped from behind by an opposing player and crashed headfirst into the unforgiving boards. As he struggled to move his arms and legs, an ominously painful silence fell over the arena. In a split second, star hockey player Matt Brown was suddenly paralyzed from the neck down. An inspiring true story of die-hard resilience in the face of adversity, Line Change is Matt’s unbelievable, first-hand account of what it means to square off with life’s setbacks. Despite facing tremendous personal and physical challenges, Matt never let his confidence waver, his drive falter, or his goals diminish. And though he may still be paralyzed, he works on his strength every day–and will continue to do so until he gains full mobility once more. In this searing, candid, and ultimately inspiring memoir that is interlaced with influential voices from those closest to him during his recovery and beyond, Matt lays his journey bare. From the struggles to the triumphs and everything in between, Matt reflects on how his “Never Quit” attitude allowed him to graduate from college, become a well-respected motivational speaker honored by the Boston Bruins, and be an inspiration to those of all ages. Line Change isn’t a story of tragedy, but a story of hope, courage, and what it means to live a full and rewarding life.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Memoir, Inspirational

196 pages, Hardcover

First published March 5, 2019

About the author

Librarian Note: There are several authors in the GoodReads database with this name. Those listed below have multiple books listed on GoodReads.

Matt Brown (2 spaces): Has the podcast The Matt Brown Show, experiments with ChatGPT
Matt Brown (3 spaces): GRs author of sci/fi, horror, & children’s books,
has the Compton Valance series
Matt Brown (4 spaces): German westerns
Matt Brown (5 spaces): tiny houses
Matt Brown (6 spaces): GRs author of Christian books
Matt Brown (14 spaces): GRs author of the Everything You Know About ___ Is Wrong books

Reviews

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who has played or watched ice hockey knows it can be a brutal game. Because of its violence and its speed, something awful can happen in an instant. For sophomore player Matt Brown of Norwood High School in Massachusetts, that happened during a game in 2010. As the puck came off the boards and into his skates, he was hit from behind with a clean, legal check. Brown fell, hitting his head on the boards and immediately could not move any of his limbs. The crowd went silent, a nurse rushed to the ice from the stands as medical personnel later took him off the ice in a stretcher. The play turned out to be the last of his hockey career as he became permanently paralyzed.

However, that didn’t stop Matt from not only recovering and earning his diploma and a college degree, but he also became an inspiration to many hockey players and teams, including the Boston Bruins. Brown writes about all of his experiences with his recovery and the love shown him by many in this inspiring memoir.

Hearing that the hockey community embraced Matt isn’t a surprise to anyone who follows the sport as hockey players are known for their generosity and support for those less fortunate. In Matt’s case, the Bruins not only let him drop the puck at an opening faceoff, he also was shown the Stanley Cup after the Bruins won it in 2011 and also was given an army ranger jacket that the 2013 used to honor players on their run to the Stanley Cup finals that year. It is clear from the writing that Brown was humbled and overjoyed to be a part of the Bruins’ teams those years.

More than the hockey, however, the reader will be inspired by Matt’s unwavering optimism in both his physical recovery and the way he handled life situations such as adjusting to college life and breaking up with his first girlfriend – things that many teenagers typically face. That makes some parts of the book special – you realize Brown is a young man just trying to live his life like any other young man.

Also inspiring is his participation in the Boston Marathon. He has done so six time, the first time in 2012 with runner Lucas Carr pushing Matt in his wheelchair to the finish line. While Matt acknowledges that Lucas has the more physically demanding portion of their team, it should be noted that he had to endure a lot physically himself as the wind and bumpy ride in the wheelchair would leave him just as exhausted as Carr when they would cross the finish line. It should be noted that they were going to participate again in 2013, the year of the Boston Marathon bombing, but Matt was suffering with chest colds and his physician recommended that he not participate so Matt obeyed his physician. I shuddered when I read that to think what would have become of him, especially when he noted that Carr ran himself and crossed the finish line about a minute before the first bomb exploded.

Avid hockey readers will not be able to compare this book to another story of a hockey player suffering a similar fate, Travis Roy’s “Eleven Seconds.” Both stories need to be told, but just as they are two different people, these are very different stories. Matt’s is one that anyone will enjoy reading whether or not or one is a hockey fan.

I wish to thank Mascot Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...

[Tfalcone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. Great motivational book about a high school athlete being injured and paralized, but despite all the things he has to overcome,he stays positive and lives his life. Super supportive family,friends and health professionals.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Line Change” is a book co-written by Matt Brown and Todd Civin. Published recently in 2019, this book is an autobiography and partially a biography of Matt Brown’s life before and after a life changing injury. The events of the book take place in Norwood Massachusetts, starting in Brown’s Sophomore year of high school in 2010. The book focuses not only on the impact the injury had on him, but also his family, friends, and the people involved in his medical journey. Matt Brown started as an average high schooler. He was playing for the school hockey team, was popular at school, and had a group of great friends. One day, during a routine hockey game, he was accidentally pushed head first into the wall of the ice rink. His life would then be forever changed. He was paralyzed from his neck to his toes. Matt would not return to being a regular high schooler. He would have a long journey, assisted by his supportive friends, family, and even celebrities. This book shows how one can triumph in the face of adversity, and to live every moment of life to the fullest.

I personally enjoyed the book. It presented a new outlook to challenges. Matt never even came close to quitting. Quitting was not an option for him. This mentality was also shared by his family and friends. Matt never accepted the idea of being permanently paralyzed; he is hopeful every day, as on any day, a medical breakthrough could occur, and he could walk again. Matt’s perseverance through all the roadblocks life threw at him is astounding. I think the book is very good at allowing the reader to empathize with everyone involved. It is a peek into their thoughts, which is a very personal experience. The book, in my opinion, struggles in certain areas. The transition from speaker to speaker, then back to Matt, I found to be a bit abrupt, as often there was little to no transition. It took a few seconds to realize that the speaker had changed. The book was also tedious at times, because switching speakers often reiterated what Matt or the other speakers stated. Overall though, I think it was a good book, despite its shortcomings. The locality of the events made it much more engaging, and it sheds light on something I had never really thought about: living life to the fullest.

[Cindy Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started this book, I thought I had picked up Travis Roy book again. But no, yet another unimaginable tragedy for a young athlete and his family- something so profound, so irrevocable as could possibly be.
In an instant everything changes - first it was an issue of sheer survival, and then both coming to grips with the future as it will be.
A wonderful, amazingly supportive family and community, some strong financial help allows the good guy in this kid to find his way. He perseveres and prevails- I looked for some images of him on google and saw lots of smiles and companions.
Frankly, the fear of this kind of injury is terrifying, and to read his way to navigate the unknown and physically powerless is very inspiring.
The book is not too long, and interestingly added chapters of others' memory of the event rounds out the story in a great way.

[Hannah Jorgenson]

Line Change: A True Story of Resilience in the Face of Adversity, written by Matt Brown and Todd Civin. This book was published in 2018 by mascot books, and the genre is a Biography. The book had taken place in Norwood Massachusetts, the book is based on the life of Matt Brown a Norwood Highschool hockey player who had been paralyzed based on a head injury. Matt Brown had been a sophomore and was on the Junior Varsity team, he finally got his chance to play on the varsity team, when all began to fall, he was on the ice for the first time with the varsity team in a big rival game and minutes later during a power play Brown was blazing down the ice and was hit towards the boards where he had last seen the ice for awhile. There are a couple central themes in this book one at which was to never give up no matter what challenges you have to face even if you’re whole life ahead of you is about to change. This relates to the book because Matts life was truly about to change, he was about to live in a few hospitals for a decent period of time with only the help of his family and staff at the hospitals. He went from doing everything for himself to not being able to do anything for himself. Another theme is that even at your worst you can still move past and succeed and improve. In Matts situation he was at an all time low. He was a hardworking athlete who was very outgoing in social and now had been stuck in a hospital bed and later a wheelchair because his body had no longer been able to function like the rest of us.
This book kinda gave me a different look at certain situations, you never know when your life is going to change in a split second. You can go from playing the sport you love to not being able to play again. At first I didn't really think I would’ve been interested in his story because i saw it as no big deal he got hurt in hockey and now is paralyzed just like the story Eleven Seconds but this story hit close to home. It took place in Norwood where I used to spend a lot of my time at work. The beginning of the story was very predictable but once you hit the third or fourth chapter you get drawn in. A lot of the facts and explanations were very interesting and his story and feelings keep you engaged while reading. What I personally liked isn’t he book was that it was just about how he was injured, it was about how something life changing happened and he grew from it and helped others to believe that at your worst don't give up, even if you think it Is the end. I also really like that it wasn’t just based in his view of things, you hear from his family members, friends, hospital staff and the one man who helped him graduate highschool. There wasn’t really anything that I did not like in the book, I was bored in the beginning but that changed as I read more and more into the book. The strengths of the book was that it was in different views from different people and the information given and the determination that he had shown to keep living the best life he could. A weakness that I had notice was that in the beginning it was a lot like the story Eleven Seconds but that changed quickly. I generally as a whole really liked this book and I don't generally like to read but I was drawn into reading it.

[Nicolas Ippolito · Rating 5 out of 5]

Line Change: A True Story of Resilience in the Face of Adversity, written by Matt Brown and Todd Civin. This book was published in 2018 by Mascot Books. The genre of this book is a Biography. The story took place in Norwood, Massachusetts This book is about a former hockey player named, Matt Brown, from Norwood, Massachusetts and loved the game of hockey. He was a sophomore in high school playing for the Junior Varsity Team when the got called up to play for Varsity. Shortly after joining the team, he was playing in a big rival game when Brown and the rest of his linemates took the ice. Brown was a forward rushing down his own defensive zone. As he was retrieving the puck, a player on the other team caught Brown with his head down looking at the puck and did what any other hockey player would, laid him out. Brown’s whole body collapsed against the boards and his life completely changed in seconds. The Main character in this story is Matt Brown, however the help from friends, family and communities were a huge part because they pushed Matt to move forward in life. The first theme throughout this story is to never give up on yourself. No matter how bad things might’ve got for Matt, between all of his time in the hospital and not being able to do the things he grew up doing, he never decided to give up on himself or the people that cared for him. The second common theme of the story was facing new challenges every single day. When the accident happened, Matt had to develop new methods to how he was going to live his life. Brown also had to realize that he was not able to be so independent anymore and that’s when his family and friends stepped in and became a huge part of his life.

After reading the book, I thoroughly enjoyed what Matt Brown was trying to give out to his audience. He is truly a motivational and inspiration to people that are dealing with stress, depression or anxiety. Matt Brown is a prime example that everything and anything is possible if you have a growth mindset. Also, I really enjoyed this because I have been a hockey player for my entire life so it was really easy to connect to this book and want to keep reading. My favorite part of the story was when Matt Brown net Andrew Ference and the rest of the Boston Bruins when they won the Stanley Cup in 2011. I vividly remember watching those entire playoffs. It must’ve been a great feeling meeting all those players and to be apart of their celebration. There was not anything I did not enjoy when I was reading the book. His story was very interesting to me and it also makes me realize that I must be more careful while playing hockey because it could happen to anyone. In the book. The strengths of the book was the emotional tone that was demonstrated to the readers. It made readers become more interested for his story. I personally recommended this book to anyone who needs motivation to keep going in life. Browns message of staying positive and proving that everything is possible is something everyone needs to know in life.

[Tommy O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story "Line Change" by Matt Brown tells the tale of a 15 year old kid who got paralyzed in a Norwood High School hockey game 13 years ago. The story doesn't exactly go in chronological order, but it usually follows some sort of timeline. The book details different events and hardships that Matt and his family went through as a result of his accident, but also tells about the many people that helped him along the way. The story is mainly a telling tale that gives lessons and real life examples of courage, hard work, empathy, and a never give up attitude. It explores lessons in life, school, sports and really applies to a large audience. If I had to put a theme or moral on this book, it would be his famous motto "Never Give Up".

Although the story has many intriguing and interesting chapters written by family members, friends, and even proffesional athletes, Matt was definetly the most important and striking character. Reading what Matt says is truly inspirational as his attitude never seems to change for someone that went through such a terrible tradgedy. When it comes to Matt and who he is there is a lot of things that I learned. I learned that he had so many people supporting him and admiring him for his personality and persevearence. Another thing I learned about Matt is that he actually is very funny and personable. When describing his teammates, he calls them "twenty blue and gold sardines"(7). This shows his ability to make jokes and make the reader laugh. His writing manages to keep a light mood with humor even when discussing a sad topic. This says lots about Matt's character as he makes jokes about himself and others when other people put in his situation might feel bad for themselves or not be pleasant to be around. Matt's positive attitude and his incredible relationships with others make him fascinating to read about, and a person to idolize.

This books relatively small size does not say anything about the impact it makes and could make on readers. Matt's story is one that can inspire anyone no matter what they play, do, work at, or have to get through. Seeing someone who went through something like that have that positive of an attitude is really eye opening and can make people think about how they act, and change their ways in a positive manner. As Matt says, "Never go to bed mad, and use every opprotunity you're granted to say I love you and appreciate the world as you know it"(188). I would recommend this book to a wide range of people. First off, anyone who plays sports should read this to see the affect sports really has on our lives, and how to deal with adversity in sports. Finally, anyone going through something tough in life should read this. No matter what it is, Matt's story will inspire people and cause them to look at life through a different lens.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Title: Line Change
By: Matt Brown and Todd Civin
Published: March 12, 2019
Genre: Biography

Setting: There were various places that the book Line Change written by Matt Brown and Todd Civin took place. In the very beginning, the book often took place outside specifically at the hockey rink or out on the court with young Matt and his friends. But unfortunately as the book progressed the setting became a boring hospital bedroom, in a helicopter to be transported, and rehabilitation. This is because at the young age of fifteen he was playing a hockey game where he ended up getting every injured, placing him in the hospital.

Main Characters: There are several people that play a role in this touching book all helping Matt in different ways. First, there is Matt Brown, the fifteen year old boy who was tragically hurt while playing the game he loved the most. In this book his family as well as his girlfriend Meghan are often talked about and the role they all greatly played in supporting Matt and helping him recover. There are also several nurses and doctors that became like family to Matt over the years. Another important main character or characters that played a big role for Matt are his fellow hockey teammates. As a group they would all make their way down to visit Matt in the hospital and make him feel as normal as possible and giving him inspiration

Theme: I definitely think that one of the main themes in Line Change is to never give up and to stay positive. If Matt and his supporters lost hope and became negative about the accident and the road ahead I don’t think that he would be where he is today. Granted he is still in a wheelchair and requires help from people to do tasks that we see as simple everyday things, he still keeps his spirits up knowing that if he keeps going and keep trying that maybe one day he could walk on his own and require less help. By never giving up, Matt has the possibility of gaining who he once was back.

Personal Response: Personally, I think that this is a very good book for someone who is looking for inspiration of any kind. It’s a heartwarming book that takes you along the journey that Matt Brown had to go through, and I think it can really help others better understand what he went through and how he is still moving on with his life.

[Jett Shearer · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Line Change”, A True Story of Resilience In the Face of Adversity by Matt Brown (2019), is a biography that describes Matt Brown’s life before, and after a tragic ice hockey accident that altered the course of his life forever. This incident took place during one of Matt Brown’s high school hockey games, in January of 2010. The main characters in this novel are Matt Brown, and his family, including his Mom, Kelley, and his Father. These two really adapted to their son’s new way of life and adapted to the terrible hand they were dealt, always trying to stay positive and push Matt along in his recovery process. The story begins with Matt’s early life, and how seemingly normal it was. He was a high school sophomore who finally found a girl he liked, and started dating, he was a JV hockey player who was on the hunt for a spot on the varsity hockey team, and while on that hunt, like many other highschoolers, put his academic life in the back seat. Then the tragic incident occurred, and his life was never the same. He was and has been stuck in a wheelchair, and paralyzed. He had to eat through a tube. He could not really talk for some time after the injury. But as the realization of “I may never walk again” came, it did not stop Matt Brown, and this story displays his perseverance, and resilience despite the tragedy, which led to him eventually graduating from college with a degree. To this day Matt Brown tells his story, and lives on, while not feeling sorry for himself and waiting for the day when technology can finally allow him to walk again.

This book was a very moving story about a local kid who has to deal with a tragic injury that will affect him for the rest of his life. This is a good example of how to deal with adversity in life, and how you should carry yourself after such events. This powerful, and emotionally driven message is the book’s strongest aspect. The book’s weakest aspect is of no fault of its own, as it comes off as repetitive, but coming from that kind of injury is the definition of repetitive. All in all, the book is extremely solid and puts out a great message for everyone from young adults to the elderly, and is a must read.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Line Change by Matt Brown was published on March 12th, 2019 by Matt Brown himself along with Todd Civin. This novel is considered to be a bibliography that focuses into Matt’s story. The setting of this novel took place in January 2010 in Norwood, Massachusetts. Matt Brown, Mike (Dad), Sue (Mom), and Kelley (Sister) were the main characters in this novel. However, there were many people such as his coach, family, and friends who helped Matt along his journey through the good and the ugly. This novel is a story about Matt Brown's journey from his life before his accident as well as the challenges he faces after his accident. Matt was out playing a game with his team when the unthinkable occurred. Matt had chased the puck and had ended up being pushed from behind into the ‘unforgiving boards’. Seconds later everything went silent, Matt lying on the ice unable to move his body, the crowd was silent and in shock. Matt was taken to South Shore Hospital to be checked out. From here on out his life would never be the same again. The themes I took from this story were live life to the fullest because you never know what could be around the corner. In Matt’s case, the morning of the game when he woke up, he wasn’t thinking about the severity of the accident he was about to encounter or that his life was about to change forever, he was just ready to win! Another theme I took from this novel was family and friends are everything, Matt wouldn’t be where he is today without his support system.
After reading this novel, I realized how much I enjoyed hearing Matt’s story. It was so inspiring to see that the injury and struggles Matt faced didn’t make him give up. Matt’s story inspired me to always try my best and go after my dreams. I loved how Matt told his part of the story but yet at the same time the novel had other points of views from his family/friends and peers. I feel that the book had more strengths than weaknesses, this novel was very intriguing yet challenging to read because of the severity of the incident but the life lessons I’ve learned made it well worth the read. I would recommend everyone to read this novel if they have the chance, it really teaches you many life lessons.

[Michael Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Line Change by Matt Brown is a story of how he was injured while in a high school hockey game. He was getting a puck by the boards and a “Weymouth player… bumped [him] from behind-not a vicious hit, just a bump” (Brown 11) and Matt lost his footing and went headfirst into the boards. He was taken off the ice, and his C4 and C5 vertebrae were damaged. He went through a lot of medical treatment to get him to where he is now, just a normal person in a wheelchair. Many people, famous and local families, helped him and his family as much as they could. Matt’s story shows his resilience in the face of adversity, and how he never quits and keeps a positive attitude.

The story of Matt’s early life is an inspiring story that shows that it is always possible to be optimistic. He was injured in a hockey game against Weymouth High School and was paralyzed from the neck down. He was not an exceptional hockey player, he was only a third-line center. Matt’s story sticks out to me because it shows how our community comes together to help each other, no matter what. His family and he were supported by many people and he became a local legend around New England. His “mantra of ‘Never Quit’ became embedded in every fiber of [his] being” ( Brown 135 ), and it shows me that no matter what, I should not quit. Matt gave it his all to recover and he got to the point where he could live mostly on his own in college. His story about college showed how he was like a normal college student and he would go to classes, parties, or just out with friends one night.

Line Change is one of my favorite books that I have read. I would recommend this book to anyone going through an injury or any loss. It shows how you can always recover from something and can have a good attitude even in hard times. I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to anyone that plays a sport and has been injured, or anyone who has had a serious loss in their life and has been poorly affected by it. Matt’s story shows how people’s lives can be changed drastically, and if they “Never Quit” ( Brown 135 ) they can change their life to a new normal. I enjoyed reading about how Matt became a nice young adult even through adversity.

[Devin Kim]

Devin Kim
Title-Line Change
Author- Matt brown
Genre- Biography
Setting- Personal Life
Main Characters- Matt Brown, family and friends
Date of Publication- March 19th 2019

Summary- The book Line Change by Matt Brown, is a biography about the young man Matt Brown. Throughout the book he shares his story about a tragic incident that occurred in his life, and how he has dealt with and the lessons he has learned through it all. It was all on one hockey game that changed his entire life. During a play he went headfirst into the boards, and from then on never walked again. He was paralyzed. This was a very long journey for him and everyone in his life. He never gave up, even though his life dramatically changed, his new goals never has changed. Forever his goal will be to walk again and he believes it will come very soon that everyday goes by. In the book he writes a lot about adversity, and what it means to him.
Themes- One of the biggest themes in this book i think of right away is reliance, which is also something he talks much about. He believes that this was a pure accident and even though it happened, to keep going and live life to the fullest everyday he can. He never imagined the doors that opened for him after the accident and is grateful for all of the love and support as well as the opportunities hes has gotten. I believe that this is something that everyone can learn from and take into their everyday life.
Personal opinion- I personally really liked this read, and even getting to see him talk in person. As an athlete myself, I can't even imagine this happening to myself or a loved one. Last year I went through almost all 3 seasons of my sports out, and injured due to a severe bone break. It was awful, and no where near the accident Brown had. I wanted to be out there with my friends everyday and would have given anything to do that, but I learned so much through it all and even though my injury was not even comparable to Browns, I could still relate to him to an extent.

[Ethan MacArthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Line Change is a nonfiction novel written by its main character Matt Brown, as he suffers through a horrific accident that leaves his body paralyzed from the neck down. The book was published on March 12, 2019, taking place only about 9 years after the traumatic accident. The story revolves mostly around Brown’s home town of Norwood, the city of Boston for a portion of the beginning, and with his transfer to Atlanta. The novel goes over experiences from not only Matt Brown, but his doctors, family, and the effects his accident brought to the people around him. A theme that this story tries to hit home is to face adversity head on and to never give up when life gets challenging. Personally, I really enjoyed the read. As a reader, you can’t help but feel the shock of Matt hitting the boards for the first time, you feel the suspense of his family’s worries about his wellbeing, readers get a heartfelt message about how people nationwide wanted to give support to Brown and did all they could to make this adjustment period easier. Every interaction and event is perfectly written from the experiences they are based off of. The flaws seem to be pacing within the book and an addition of slow build up. The first couple chapters help introduce Matt as a person but his accident takes much more of a build up than I would have preferred, given the fact that throughout the entire introduction, his injury is hinted and mentioned multiple times. But that small inconvenience stays mostly in the first 4 or so chapters, with the rest being very well made. A strength would be how much this story tugs at the reader’s heart and how it truly hits its message if “never give up” home to readers. Overall it was a very pleasant read and I would highly suggest this book to anyone who wants a short, yet emotional story.

[Hester · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my summer reading book, I read the book Line Change by Matt Brown. This book was published on March 12, 2019 and follows the recovery of Matt after he suffers a terrible injury that changes his life forever. The book is written as a biography, so the reader gets a first hand perspective from not only Matt, but the people who helped and supported him throughout his recovery. Matt was just an average teenage boy who had exceptional love and talent for hockey. However, his whole life was turned upside down in an instant. Matt was just 15 years old when an innocent hit during a hockey game sent him head first into the boards and left him paralyzed. After his injury, Matt had two options: he could give up, or get better. Matt chose to get better, and through his strength, perseverance, and the help of his family friends, Matt continues to recover to this day.
Personally, I really liked this book. The first thing I liked about the book was that it was easy to read. The book grabbed my attention and stayed interesting throughout the entire story. Next, I liked the book because it was full of lessons. I thought the book was very uplifting in its own way. Obviously, the book tells the story of true tragedy, but it also reveals different coping mechanisms for dealing with it. After his injury, Matt could have just given up. However, he didn’t. This is a point that is made throughout the story many times. It reminds people that it’s okay to have bad days. Society tells people that they should not be upset with their particular situation because there is always someone that has it worse. This, after all, is not true. There are no right or wrong emotions to feel, which is exactly the type of message Matt Brown sends when telling the story of his recovery.

[Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the summer I decided to read Line Change: A True Story of Resilience in the Face of Adversity by Matt Brown and Todd Civin. This biography was published on March 12, 2019. Line Change is a local story took place in Norwood, Massachusetts and explains a little about the Boston area. The main characters in this book include Matt Brown, his parents, sister, some hospital staff, classmates, and hockey teammates. Matt was a high school hockey player who was ecstatic when he finally got pulled up to the varsity team. Trying to defend the puck, Matt was struck from behind and went headfirst into the boards. He tried to get back up but his body wouldn’t let him, Matt soon learned this collision had made him paralyzed. With the help of his friends and family, Matt needs to adjust to his new life. Without the tremendous help of Matt’s community, he might not have recovered as quickly as he did. After reading this book it is clear that the central theme is to never give up even in your darkest times. When times are tough you have to remember that there are people out in the world that love you and are willing to help you in every way they can.
I would recommend this book to a fellow classmate because of how much I enjoyed it, and that is saying a lot since I normally never finish a book from start to finish on my own. My favorite part of the book was the fact that the author incorporated different point of views from different characters so they could explain their side of the story. It gave me a better understanding of what happened and how it impacted everyone's life. My least favorite part of the book would have to be how much of the story repeated itself. Overall, this book was very well written and was a nice reminder of how lucky we have it.

[Scott Sutherland]

Line change was written by Matt Brown, Todd civin and others who were at the events described. It was officially published on March 12 2019, it is considered a biography of Matt Brown it takes place starting at the event on January 23 2010 moving through to when the book was being written. The main character is Matt Brown around January 23 2010. In the book you go though what everyone was feeling and how they were reacting on January 23 and the days, months and years afterwards. The central theme of the book is a motivational book that tells people to never give up because what about tomorrow.

My personal response was the book is for those who have heard of Matt Brown and want to know more about what happened and how he moved on or those struggling with something and feeling it will never go away. I didn’t end up enjoying the book because of how often it repeated itself but there was the fact I don’t usually like books like line change which also contributed to my response. I thought the book was a difficult book to read mostly for the repetitiveness of being told about the incident as I can understand how they had to retell it but after the second time they could have shortened it to what the people were talking about and had wanted to talk about. The books strengths are it’s able to connect with those on an emotional level for those who had heard about him or those who want to empathize with Matt Brown, the weakness of the book is if you don’t get attached to books or can’t feel a connection it is a boring read, there is also the fact that it can be a little confusing when almost every chapter is a new person describing the same circumstances.

[Gillian Teel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read over the summer was Line Change by Matt brown and Todd Civin. It’s date of publication was on March 12th, 2019. This particular book happened to be a Biography. It took place in Norwood, Massachusetts in 2010. The main characters in this book are Matt Brown, his team, and his family. What happened briefly was, Matt Brown was an extremely successful varsity ice hockey player. He worked extremely hard to get to where he was. During a game with one of their biggest rivals, Matt had obtained the puck and started heading towards the opponents goal. Just as he approached his target, a player from the opposing team knocked Matt off his feet and into the “unforgiving” walls of the hockey rink. He was then unable to move any part of his body besides his head. Throughout the book you follow Matt through his new challenging and appalling journey of recovery and see how he persists through all of his difficulties. The central theme I found in this book was, If you persist you will overcome any obstacles you face.

I was very moved by Matt’s story. I found it very inspiring how his life changed in one second but he still got through all of the challenges he faced. It takes mass amounts of courage to put a vulnerable and heartbreaking story out in the open like this and he did it very well. What I really liked about this book is how Matt really put the whole story out. He didn't skip anything and I found it very inspiring. One weakness of the book was at some parts it was somewhat difficult to follow at some parts of the book. Overall, I found this book uplifting and encouraging and I would highly recommend it.

[Andrew Kass · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that I read over this summer was called Line Change written by Matt Brown and Todd Civin. It was published on March 19th, 2019. It’s an autobiography about Matt Brown who is a High School hockey player as he played for his hometown at Norwood High School in January of 2010. The main characters include his mom, his dad, his friends Connor and Danny, and his girlfriend Meghan. Throughout this book, Matt shares his story about a tragic incident that occurred while playing a hockey game. While playing a game, he went headfirst into the boards and wasn’t able to walk again from then to now. He was paralyzed from the neck down and this one play ultimately changed his life in an instant. His goal was always to be able to walk again and he has never quit on that goal that he has had in mind. This journey was long and hard for his friends, family, and more importantly him. A big theme in the book was that he was always willing to continue and never wanted to quit(resilience). He knows what happens to him was an accident and that the best thing he can do at the moment is to live life to the fullest. Who knows, maybe at any moment he could get to walk again and be like he used to be. In my opinion, I personally loved this book and getting to see him in the first person made the book much better. It made me realize how tragic his injury was and being a fellow hockey player myself, he really establishes in this book that the sport of hockey is really serious and it’s hard to comeback from an injury like that.

[Nick Or Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The “Line Change” written by Matt Brown a high school hockey player and published on March 15, 2019 it is a memoir of before and the after effect of Matt Brown's own injury that occurred in hockey which caused him neck down paralysis. It all occurred in a game against Weymouth where he lost balance after losing the puck and rammed into what he states as the "unmovable boards" after this accident he and his parents are led through hardships unknown to most. Through the hardships and recovery process he is able to get to meet incredible people to Professional sports players to everyday people with kind souls. The central theme of this book to me would not be some story in which because of all the good that has happened around MC the mc has able to find himself and except everything, but more of a story where he might still have some questions of why this happened but has accepted and is trying and succeeding in looking at only at the positives and how he helps more people than he could before.

This book was a good read and has more than a few entertaining and humorous moments. It also was unique in certain way in how its gets the people who were affected by Matt's injury to have their own smaller memoir. While it might not be in one genre I like personally, it was still an enjoyable read for I think the soul fact that they didn't make the injury the thing that made Matt a hero, but on what he did afterwards from helping others to public speaking about his injury is what did is good way capture what unique individual that Matt is.

[Isabella]

The book Line Change written by Matt brown and Tom Civin was published on March 12, 2019. The main characters of this biography are Matt brown and the people who helped Matt, the hockey community , family and friends. Matt brown a Norwood high school hockey player from Boston gets struck with a life changing injury. Brown had just joined the varsity hockey team and was at a game. Brown was playing in the game and the puck had bounced off the boards behind the net. As brown looked down to get the puck. An opposing player had bumped him from behind. Brown then hit the boards head first giving him an injury to his spine and making him paralyzed from the neck down, changing his life forever.
The Central themes that are shown are to never giving up and to never quit and just keep on going. I found this book to be truly inspirational and motivational. This book really showed me that when life hits a bump in the road and you just want to give up, that you should just move on and think about the positive side. The book itself is filled with moving and powerful stuff that makes you realize how challenges like Browns can be overcomed and have a bright side to them. Matt grew to be confident and to keep living his life with positivity and happiness. I truly enjoyed every part of this book because it inspired me to be like him and set goals to have the confidence he has and to think more on the positive side. Reading this book will move you and push you to do the same.

[Emily]

Line Change was written by college student Matt Brown, and was published recently on March 12 2019. The genre of this book is an autobiography because the author Matt Brown writes about himself on the book. The setting of the book takes place mainly in Norwood Massachusetts in January of the year 2010 which is when the tragic accident on the ice occured. The main characters are Matt Brown himself, his parents, and his girlfriend Meghan. It was at an intense game against a rival team when Matt aggressively hit the ice. During the game he was hit from behind and he sustained the life-changing injury that he is faced with today. He discusses overcoming this hard time through friends, family, his community, and lots of perserverence.
Personally I did not enjoy reading this book only because we were forced to read it and this isn’t the type of book I would normally choose to read. What I did enjoy about the book was seeing this young man taking something so challenging and turn it into something positive, and something to overcome. What I got most from this book is an important lesson to not take things in life for granted because you life can be foarever changed in the blink of an eye.

[Alyssa Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Line Change a true story of resilience in the face of adversity by Matt Brown was published August 25,2017. The genre of the book is nonfiction and takes place at Norwood High School and Boston Children's hospital. The main characters in this book is Matt Brown, his sister, Mother and girlfriend. This story is about how a kid in high school that gets moved up to his varsity hockey team for a game and the night of the game he suffers a traumatic trauma that day on the ice that changed his life for good. This book shows hard work, determination and resilience. I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book but it did teach a lot. I just thought it got a little boring because it would repeat itself over and over throughout. I don’t lie things repeating bt it was a good book. I think the books strengths was that it gave helpful and major and powerful themes and related to people's lives and what everyone goes through. Then some weaknesses of the book was that it would repeat itself and you would get tired of reading something with similar text. In conclusion the book was good and I will give it a 4 stars.

[K Gover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming story of hope in a very unlikely place. Matt Brown's memoir of a life changing experience is told with such optimism that you find yourself double checking the reality of his situation. With a variety of point of views for each chapter, the reader gets a full appreciation of the journey this man has been on.
Having a personal connection to the town and many of the people involved in Matt's tragedy made this book slightly difficult to read. I found myself transported back to the days/events/ experiences he references and lost in the memories. However, reading Matt's point of view with such detailed description allowed me to understand what he was going through more specifically.
Overall, this book starts out as a story about an awful accident in a hockey rink. As it develops, we see the power of human kindness, compassion, perseverance and how out approach to a situation can make all the difference. We often can't control what life throws at us, but we can control how we react. Well done Matt. So impressed at the intelligent young man you have become.

[Victoria Winsor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on a true story, the book I read over the summer was Line Change, by Matt Brown; published on March 12, 2019. The genre of the book was a biography. This story takes place at a high school hockey match in Norwood where Matt Brown gets into a hockey accident on the rink. In the blink of eye, Matt had a collide with one of the opposing hockey team players and he got paralyzed from his neck, down. This book shows the reader what unbelievable resilience Matt has and how he overcomes his challenges. The theme of this book is to always persevere and to live life at the fullest everyday. Personally, this book was truly inspiring and a huge eye opener for me. I honestly enjoyed reading this book very much because it just shows us as the reader that in life, it may throw you curveballs but to always keep your head up. The book has strengths and weaknesses as to what he can and can’t overcome but nothing stops him from trying.

[Jake]

Line change
By Matt brown 2018 nonfiction
On the hockey rink in high school Matt brown is the main character.

Matt brown was apart of the Norwood highschool hockey team. He was pretty popular kid, he had a girlfriend, close friends and people that knew him. His girl was named meghan and his friends, that were like brothers during the hockey season was Connor and DannyMatt, and playing a sport he love hockey played all the time until a big tragic event happened that changed his live and everyone else smiley friends and the hockey community .Sport documentary
I really don’t like reading but I enjoyed reading this story. I like how he was described his life was before the incident. I loved the book because I play football and ik the feeling of getting hurt and can’t play . Also like the book becof the details I felt like I was there at the hockey game watching Matt brown also came to my high school and made me love the book even more and would recommend for all .

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Line Change is an autobiography by Matt Brown and Todd Civin. Published on March 21, 2019. The book is based on a true story in Massachusetts. The Setting starts on the ice and moves to the Hospital and Matt's house. The main character is Matt Brown and his family and friends. It was a normal day for a hockey player in Massachusetts, it was game day. Matt was skating down the ice when something changed his life and he had to move on and overcome what was thrown at him by life.
The theme is that life is unpredictable and just a normal kid became Paralyzed and relied on other people to live. I could relate to the book because I am a three-sport athlete growing up and I play two contact sports so who knows if I ever got hit the wrong way in football it could change the rest of my life. The book was kinda boring at the end but he had a lot to overcome and change his life for a couple of seconds on the ice.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read over the summer was Line Change by Matt Brown. The biography was published on March 12, 2019. Matt brown was apart of the Norwood highschool hockey team. He was pretty popular kid, he had a girlfriend, close friends and people that knew him. His girl was named meghan and his friends, that were like brothers during the hockey season was Connor and Danny. The night his life changed forever was the night his team was playing there rivals Weymouth high. After this night his friends, family, coaches had to fight with Matt.

My personal opinion on the book is I would definitely read it. I really don’t like reading but I enjoyed reading this story. I like how he was described his life was before the incident. I really enjoyed learning about what a hockey players does before games and stuff. The reason why I liked him explaining his life before is because I was able to understand the way he was feeling, and what he has to adapt to.

[Jason Maher]

Over the summer I read “Line Change” by Matt Brown and Todd Civin . This book is a biography published in March of 2019. “Line Change” mainly focuses on Matt Brown’s life during his recovery after getting severely injured during a high school hockey game for Norwood. This book gives insight into how not only he, but his sister, parents , and friends coped with his injury and recovery.
Overall, “Line Change” was an amazing book. It really opens your eyes and puts you into Matt Brown’s shoes. It personally showed me what it’s like to not be able to do daily tasks like walking, brush your teeth, and even giving hugs to loved ones. It also showed me how lucky I was I didn’t get hurt as bad as he did when I played hockey. I can kind of relate to him because I received a really bad concussion a few years ago from hockey. This book is truly about, “resilience in the face of adversity”.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Line Change is written by Matt Brown and he goes into great detail about the horrible tragedy that he suffered during a high school hockey game. Matt demonstrates that even though this was one of the hardest things someone can go through, with the help and support of others it will all turn out ok. Matt talks about all the accomplishments he achieved even after him being paralyzed. Throughout the story, the theme of perseverance and getting through the hardest parts of life. Matt is a great example of someone who perseveres his way through everything on a daily basis.
This book was one of the best I have ever read because of how in-depth Matt wrote it. Hearing all the little details like the feelings and people at the hospital to when he dropped on the ice, really helped make this story great. Also, listening to how strong he was, inspired me greatly to never give up no matter what the circumstances are. I think that I have now learned that even if things get really tough, anyone can always power through because that’s what life does to you. It gives you so many challenges to face each and every day and you have to learn how to handle that and put your best foot forward. Matt says these two quotes that are truly an inspiration, “while my mind and my emotions needed to learn to do one major thing: except”(33), “use every opportunity you’re granted to say I love you and appreciate the world as you know it”.
I recommend this book to almost anyone that loves hearing a story about facing adversity. If you are going through a hard time, this book can certainly inspire you to push through it and make the best of the time you have. This book deserves a 5-star rating mainly due to how detailed and well written it is. It makes you feel part of the story and really paints a vivid picture into your mind about what it was like to be in his position. Also, if you love hockey or any sport in general, this book is a great fit for you and displays how powerful sports are. Sports are like a family especially when something bad happens and can make a huge impact on a person’s life. Overall, this was one of the best books I have ever read and I highly recommend it.

[John Marotta]

The novel Line Change by Matt Brown is an autobiography published march 19th 2019. This nonfiction book was made during the 2000s in Norwell, MA. The main character Matt Brown Played for his town highschool hockey team who was paralyzed during a game. After this tragic event he wrote a book describing everything. The theme of this book was resilience.
I liked this book because it was relatable and inspirational. As a hockey player I worry about getting paralyzed. The first few weeks after reading this book I was a little scared on the ice. But It gives hope to anyone that is injured and shows that it can bring them opportunities. The book was very interesting and I enjoyed it alot.