Mr. Touchdown

by Lyda Phillips

In 1965, the South remained defiantly segregated. Eddie Russell, a star football player, and his timid sister, Lakeesha, are told they will be helping to desegregate an all-white high school. Their father tells them they will be fighting for a righteous cause, but they aren’t buying it—because they have no choice in the matter. From the first day of school, the wall of hostility Eddie and Lakeesha face at Forrest High School seems unbreakable, until they meet cheerleader Nancy Martin. She sees the cruelty and crosses the line to befriend the black students—starting a cycle of violence that threatens to spin out of control. Will the minority students hold on long enough to complete their mission—and that of the adults who put them in this situation—or will they bow to the onslaught of psychological and physical abuse?

184 pages, Hardcover

First published July 28, 2005