Carry the Rock: Race, Football, and the Soul of an American City

by Jay Jennings

In 1957, nine African American teenagers faced angry mobs and the resistance of a segregationist governor to claim their right to educational equality. The bravery of the Little Rock Nine, as they became known, captured the country's imagination and made history but created deep scars in the community. Jay Jennings, a veteran sportswriter and native son of Little Rock, returned to his hometown to take the pulse of the city and the school as the fiftieth anniversary of the integration fight approached. He found a compelling story in the school's football team, where black and white students came together under longtime coach Bernie Cox, whose philosophy of discipline and responsibility and punishing brand of physical football know no color. A very private man, Cox nevertheless allowed Jennings full access to the team, from a preseason program in July through the Tigers' final game in November. In the season Jennings masterfully chronicles, the coach finds his ideas sorely tested in his attempts to unify the team, and the result is a story brimming with humor, compassion, frustration, and honesty. Carry the Rock tells the story of the dramatic ups and downs of a high school football season, and it reveals a city struggling with its legacy of racial tension and grappling with complex, subtle issues of contemporary segregation. What Friday Night Lights did for small-town Texas, Carry the Rock does for the urban south and for any place like Little Rock, where sports, race, and community intersect.

Genres: Nonfiction, Football, Sports

272 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2010

Reviews

[Jonathan Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was good, it talked about these 9 African American students became the evolution of integration and in 50 years later the school is is facing with racial separation. This boy name Jay Jennings, he brings life to history of a Little Rock and the enduring legacy of race. There was a place where they had no race on Bernie Cox’s football field, he is an old football coach who believes in hard work, he challenges his players physically and mentally to be not just Better players but better human beings and jay tells not only the story of central high school 2007 football season but the long racial history of the season leading to racial tension in the city

[Guy Choate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a reminder that we are not far removed from the 1957 Central High Crisis, and that we are still grappling with factors that contributed to that event. And also that that recognizable and celebrated occasion is just one event in a spectrum that forces our society to look into the mirror at who we actually are. It parallels well with Coach Bernie Cox, who forces his 2007 football team to take a look at themselves and see how lacking teamwork will inevitably lead to a loss—in football, and in a segregated society.

[Luke Fortner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book by Jay Jennings is about small city called Little Rock which is located in Arkansas. Little Rock is known to hold the powerhouse of high school football, Little Rock Central High School. But football isn’t the only thing Little Rock is known for. It’s history is also well known across America. In his book, he describes racial issues, political issues, and football. Little Rock had always faced racial discrimination. Little Rock seen lynching’s, segregation, desegregation, and racial inequality. Whenever desegregation was becoming a thing, Nine African American students were introduced into the Little Rock Central High School. The Little Rock Nine faced a lot of adversity during this time such as mobs, threats, etc. Earlier in time, the town faced lynchings and many other racial atrocities. Now, in 2007 legendary head coach Bernie Cox is trying to unite his football team, but they won’t have anything to do with each other.

I had very mixed emotions about this book. There were some things about the novel that I liked and some parts that I didn’t like so much. Overall, this book wasn’t my favorite. The title of the book and the cover picture are a little bit deceiving. Whenever I first saw this book in the library, I thought it was going to be a football story with maybe a little bit about race and history mixed in with it. Later I found out that is not the case. The majority of the book is about history and racial struggles of Little Rock, with a little bit of football mixed in with it. This is not necessarily a bad thing for the book to talk about history and race, but it is not what I was expecting whenever I checked the book out from the library. I also didn’t like how descriptive the book was. I felt like the author went way over the top with it and it made it really hard to keep my attention on the book while reading it. I got bored of this book very quickly. Another thing I didn’t like is how the author tried to squeeze so much information in all at once. It made it hard for me to keep track of what was happening and I often got lost because of this. Personally, I do believe that this book could be taught in schools just because of all the history about the city and racial problems and inequalities that are included in this novel. It could be a pretty good lesson for middle schools or high schoolers to read in History or English class. Personally, there is a lot of lessons to be learned from this book. One of these lessons could that even though there is not as much inequality today that there was say 80-100 years ago, but it is still a problem and it shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Do you think race should have still been a factor at this point in time?

Do you think that it was wrong for Jon Carter to be lynched after what he did?

Do you think that you could have had the courage to be one of the 9 African American students who entered the school at the start of desegregation?

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

When in Little Rock for the marathon, I visited Central High for a tour. It was very informative and while at the National Park visitor's center, I picked up this book, thinking it would give me even more insight. I was wrong. This book was disjointed and choppy, switching between primarily the years of 1957 and 2007, but then thrown in were facts from the 30's, the 90's and everywhere in-between. I couldn't start to feel connected with any of the players on the football team because it was so broken up I felt you really didn't get to "know" them. But also, the football team really has nothing to do with the path from desegregation to the present. The book didn't focus at all on the race relations of the team, nor how it did or didn't play a factor in the lack of unity the team was facing. Although interesting on it's own (more so the story of their coach, not really the team), it was out of place and distracting to the story of desegregation and race relations. Thumbs down due to lack of cohesion, not content.

[Isacc Rebeterano]

Carry the Rock tells the story of the dramatic ups and downs of a high school football season, and it reveals a city struggling with its legacy of racial tension and grappling with complex, subtle issues of contemporary segregation. And what i liked about it, Is it had to do with football and how football teams are family. it talks about football obviously, But not just any kind of football a brother hood football. How high school football is a family it's for fun, its gives you something to do. And college ball ant family. Their they're to try to prove a spot, And get into the NFL that's their goal. SO there's a big difference Between high school football and college ball. And that's what i liked about it. And theirs so much good reasons about football.what i disliked is people dis liking it cause they didn't get the spot they wanted. Its all about hard working. grinding in the weight room, Staying up late at nights in the film room. 60 minute drive for a 60 minute game. It was all lead to football.

[Liam Power · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very interesting subject matter that wasn't fully explored for me. I didn't particularly like the chopping between narratives or the pacing either. A shame as the hard yards are there of spending time with the team, players and coaches. I wanted more of this.

[Megan]

Little Rock Central High School is the setting of one of the most well-known crises in American race relations. Jay Jennings evokes the school as both a backdrop and an enigmatic character in this rich account of Central's 2007 football season, fifty years after forced desegregation catapulted Central and Little Rock into national attention.

Football is what's on the page, but the deep story here is the history of race relations and community in Little Rock. High school football is classic Americana, and it's certainly worth studying as a mirror of American life. Through one season of one very symbolic American high school's football team, Jennings crafts a thoughtful and compassionate story about race relations as both a historic legacy and a force still constructing American lives.

Jennings brings to life the history of Little Rock and the enduring legacy of race, with detailed historical accounts. This was the biggest surprise I had while reading this book. I was expecting more football, more in-depth information on the players, more on current racial disparities and conflicts at Central High. Jennings, however, remained focus on historical legacy and on football, primarily on the coaches. In his account, there is no such thing as a blank slate; for as modern and contemporary as the players and the coaches are, history remains a constant backdrop as the team attempts to trudge their own way into history.

Coach Cox's frustrations with his team's inability to step up and to cohere as a true team, to find discipline and to love one another, are present from the first chapter. It wasn't until the end of the book, during his final speeches to his players, that I could clearly see how Jennings was using this as an analogy for race relations in Little Rock and in America in general. When you're dealing with big issues like that, there can't be any dramatic conclusions, and readers looking for that sort of ending or overt analysis might be disappointed. How do you get people who should be working together to work together, to love each other? Who do you forgive? Who do you blame? How do you move forward? Is everyone being as honest with themselves as they can be? These are questions that Cox wrestles with concerning football, and that Jennings subtly, gracefully prompts the reader to consider about race.

Particularly at the beginning of the book, I was confused by not knowing where all the historical tangents were going, and I would have appreciated a list of characters (both in historical and contemporary times) to help me keep track of who was who as the narrative switched from history to the present. I would have also have liked to have heard more from the football players themselves, and what insights they might have had into race relations, sports, their team, and their community. Their actions, as related by Jennings, were often evocative enough, but I was still curious about what they would say about what Jennings was portraying.

Note: I received a review copy of this book from the publishers via the First Reads program here at Goodreads.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of football, race, and the Little Rock community struggling to unify after years of separation. In 1957, Little Rock Central High was the site where 9 African American students became the faces of integration and 50 years later the high school is still faced with racial separation.
One place where there is no race is on Bernie Cox's football field. Cox is an old school football coach who believes in hard work and the "small things." he challenges his players physically and mentally to be not just better players but better human beings.
Jennings tells not only the story of Central Highs 2007 football season but also the long racial history of the season leading to racial tensions in the city off the field. The story is at times heavy with historical tangents but overall tells a compelling story.

Note: I received a review copy of this book from the publishers via the First Reads program at Goodreads."

[Fiona · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not "Friday Night Lights". Not even close. The history is presented with all the verve of a school text book. It interupts rather than illuminates what is happening with the present day football team. The players are cardboard cutouts - just names - no hint of their personalities or ambitions. Then there's the excruciatingly dreary description of 2007 school board politics.
Hugely disappointing.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

an interesting look at equality in the modern south, by looking at a high school football team in Little Rock. I appreciated the history lesson, and the look into the life of the football program.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved the stories about the kids, history of Little Rock, and football...found the internal workings of the board of education reeeeally boring and unneccessary.