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. Raiders Night by Robert Lipsyte offers a glimpse into the jock culture prevalent in many schools. The story revolves around co-captains Matt and Ramp and a brutal incident at the Raiders' training camp in which Chris, a newcomer to the team, suffers a horrendous act of hazing so shocking that some schools have banned the book rather than confront the very real possibility that such things actually happen and that the locker room culture often protects the perpetrators.In a town devoted to football, local businessmen, parents (especially fathers), and team members adopt a code of silence and intimidation to keep witnesses from stepping forward.But Raider's Nigh isn't an indictment of the game. Rather, Lipsyte challenges players, coaches, and fans to return to reject the brutal, win-at-all-costs side of the game and embrace its virtues: the value of teamwork, the development of laser-like focus, and the positive leadership skills honed on the field and lived in the halls.In a recent editorial Lipsyte penned, he quotes Michael Cart, a former president of the Young Adult Library Services Association, on boys and reading: “We need more good works of realistic fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, on- or offline, that invite boys to reflect on what kinds of men they want to become."Raiders Night, says Lipsyte, appeals to males, many of whom "are quick to relate to its touchy subject matter." This includes the use of steroids, parental pressure, and hazing. It confronts issues boys who love the game want to discuss. The novel also critiques school officials, including administrators, teachers and coaches who construct school environments conducive to the underbelly of the game. At Lipsyte's fictional Nearmont high the teachers know better than to call on football players during the season. The coaches turn a blind eye to steroid use. The principal works to keep the hazing off the front pages. Late last year, five athletes in Blackfoot, Idaho were charged with hazing, bullying, and sexual misconduct, events directly connected to their membership on the high school's football team. When such news makes headlines so close to home, it begs the question: How prevalent are such incidents among local prep football teams?Reading YA novels offers students a window from which to view the wide world of sports and school and a mirror for examining their own lives as student athletes.*Read chapter 1 on Robert Lipsyte's website.
In the book “Raiders Night” the author Robert Lipsyte explains how leadership and commitment can take you a long way in life. This story is about a football team striving for glory and facing many challenges on the way. The main character of this book is a boy named Matt who is the captain of the football team. The football team in this book is just like any other high school football team. They all go through the same practicing and weight lifting schedules as we do at our school for football. In this story there are many unique characters such as Tyrell who is the running back of the team, Chris who is wide receiver, Ramp who is the full back and Brody is the quarterback. Matt is the captain and another wide receiver. Now, these are just the main characters being referenced in the book. At the beginning of the story all these players have one thing they want to achieve and that is to win a championship but all that changes later on throughout the book. As I said this story is just like any other high school football team with the big games, the hard practices, and all the parties after a game. From my perspective I think this story kind of shied away from talking about football and what I thought it was going to be about. This story is mostly about Matt going through high school and the many rough times that he experiences. This story started out talking about football and just veered more and more away from it as the story went on, so I didn't really like that.The story contains many up and down moments. There are many big arguments and fights the players get into. The biggest fight comes when the team assembles a players only meeting. Chris ends up almost killing himself by bringing guns to the meeting and begins threatening other players but it doesn't turn out how he wants it to and he injures himself badly. Matt ends up having to save his life. Now, that’s all I’m going to tell you but if you would like to know the rest I would strongly advise you to read this book. When I first got this book I thought it would be a big high school football book but it didn't turn out that way. This was an interesting book and not what I expected it to be like although I seemed to enjoy most of it. This wasn't my favorite book but I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys high school football and about the high school lifestyle.
What do You think about Raiders Night (2006)?
Raiders Night by Robert LipsyteRaider Night by Robert Lipsyte tells a story about football team is hiding a secret about what really happened at training camp. They are falling apart keeping the secret. The captains are trying to find a way to keep it from the coaches and the press, because they don’t want to ruin there football program and chances of players getting scholarship. Some people my think this book is a realist fiction and a sports novel.Matt Ryder is the captain of the football team, who is like a star at Near Mount High school. He also plays baseball and his dad owns Ryder catering, who played football for Near Mount High and went to college until he had a career ending injury. He wants matt to get a college scholarship to a Division one school. They had a new player on the team he was a sophomore named Chris, because he was new to the team he had to be initiating to the team. So one day at summer practice the team was trying to initiate him into the program but it went terrible wrong. Matt is trying to find a way to get the secret out there without ruining his school football program.I enjoyed reading this book because it is about thing that happens everyday in school. I could understand why Matt was confused on what decision aout the secret. I think that he make the right decision about coming out with the secret. The was really captivating because of how all the character protrayed. There are conflict, girls, freindship, and popularity. While I was reading the book at times it seem that the teams was going to slip and each captain would play apart to try and persuade each member of the right thing to do. I would rate this book 4.5 stars out of 5 stars because, it is a great book with a mind blowning ending.
—Timmoy Ellis
The ending of the book left me feeling very confused and incomplete, I was full of suspense because everything seemed to be leading up to something huge at the end but it just sorta ended and major events were left on the table. Matt; the main character saved Chris; a sophomore on the football team who tried to kill himself from shooting himself in the head but Chris shot himself in the shoulder and there were questions on whether he would have lived or died but the question is still unanswered. Also the team was getting all hyped up over the homecoming game but they never even played the game! The book was awesome but the ending was bad. Yet again, I was reminded of this years senior class for our football team, just like in the book the stuff they did affected the people around them, not just themselves. I'm surprised that the author didn't include the rest of the season. Really good book, worth a read!
—Sam Musso
From beginning to end this book kept me turning page after page again and again. Robert Lipstye did an excellent job in bringing to life the kind of things that go on inside the locker room. In this book the main character Matt Rydek, plays on the varsity football team at Nearmont High. There, football players are treated like royalty. Especially Matt, who also happens to be one of the captains. Throughout this book Robert Lipstye throws in twists and turns that you could never see coming. The book keeps you interested as Matt struggles between maintaining his loyalty to the team and his morals and what he believes is right. He believes that his job as a captain is to make sure the players can come talk to him about things. All throughout this book Robert Lipstye takes you deep into the dark corners of the locker room where guys are juicing steroids to get bigger and popping vicodin pills to take the pain away. Things you wouldn’t think would actually happen at a High School. Well at Nearmont high, guys like matt are doing everything they can to “make it”. At Nearmont a lot of guys including Matt are trying to get that college scholarship, but when something happens that could affect whether or not they finish the season; guys vow to keep it “in the locker room”. Matt’s not sure if this is right, but he can’t betray the program. This kept me into the book which turned out to be a very quick read for me. I almost wanted to read it again after I was through it was so good. Admitedly, it did have some rather raunchy moments, but it managed to keep the tone of the story. And not for one second did you doubt that you were reading from the perspective of a 17 year old.
—Austin Arnold
