My book blog post @ www.gmfunkbook.blogspot.comBooks for Boys: "Raiders Night" by Robert LipsyteAt the school where I teach, football reigns supreme among all student activities. I often wander about the locker room culture and other secrets of the gridiron female teachers know little about. Rai...
In any race, there are drivers and, at the front of the pack, there are racers. In the final laps, it's the racer who moves his car through the sweet spot, picks off the competition, and drives through a hole to win.In Kyle's family, his older brother, Kris, has always been the racer, born and br...
Sonny's been an outsider all his life. He has never fit into either world: the Moscondagas on the Reservation see him as white; whites see him as Indian. So far, Sonny's managed to harness his anger -- what he calls "the monster" -- in the boxing ring. But Sonny wants out of the Res. He's headed ...
Sonny Bear is a champion. . .but he needs the help of an angel.Sonny Bear, the Tomahawk Kid, is on a fast downhill slide with the heavyweight championship at stake. He hardly knows who he is anymore, or why he should keep on fighting. Then the first e-mail arrives. Do not lose heart. I come on ...
There were empty beer cans around his boots. He didn’t say anything when I walked in, didn’t even look up, but that’s the way he gets sometimes. I sat down near him. He was staring at two ESPN commentators blabbing about the heavyweight division. They said that everything was up for grabs, there ...
He cocked his head at the last possible instant and grinned as Alfred’s gloved fist shot harmlessly over his shoulder. And each time Alfred missed, Angel belted him in the stomach. There was no pain, only anger that drove his teeth deeper into the mouthpiece. The air exploded out of his nostrils ...
In a lifestyle piece about a new restaurant, the Miami Herald had outed one of the owners, Billy Bean, a former major-league outfielder. Kulaga thought Bean would be an excellent guest for a series of panels on gay athletes that I was moderating for the Times. I’d been back at the paper since 199...
Car horns kept warning me off the road back to the sandy shoulder. The road shimmered and heaved in the heat. Twice I stopped to throw up, but nothing came out. I saw the sign, Marino’s Beach Club and Snack Bar, and staggered right up to the serving counter. “Wa’er? Pleath?” Connie said, “You got...
2012 THE first time I thought about busting loose, I was watching myself on TV being Tom and I was saying, “Whatever happened to responsibility, loyalty, obedience, reverence? Staying strong as a country, protecting ourselves?” I had been reading that off the Teleprompter. I believe in all that...
1957 A FLASHLIGHT dazzled my eyes. The flu was gone. I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten Grandpa’s turkey wrap. I was sitting against a tree, hugging my violin bag. A familiar voice said, “Everything okay, sonny?” A strong hand pulled me to my feet. “Chop-chop.” “Grandpa!” He held me by my shoulders an...
Lori forgave him for standing her up Saturday night. She assumed he had still been wasted from Friday night at Craig’s. She giggled and said she had never seen him so ripped. Some part of him wanted to tell her about Kat, some part was terrified she would find out. Or worse, Tori would find out. ...