Across Many Fields: A Season of Ohio High School Football [Hardcover]

Christopher Butler (Author), Jennifer Rothchild (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 2002

Across Many Fields captures the essence of Ohio football by chronicling the 2001 high school season with a lively combination of pictures and insights. This book observes high school football less as a sport and more as a cultural event through which a wide variety of people take meaning.

Last fall, writer Christopher Butler and photographer Jennifer Rothchild traveled across Ohio, visited schools in all six high school divisions, and observed big-city and small-town teams. All told, they watched 45 games in 15 weeks, and conducted nearly 150 interviews. The book takes readers from first-game expectations, through mid-season highs and lows, and ends with the two-day, six-game championship weekend that dominates state news headlines every first weekend in December.

The 160-page hardback book is driven mainly by the 261 full-color and black and white photos which capture players, coaches, referees, bands, cheerleaders, teachers, parents, pep clubs, trainers, and paramedics.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit, former quarterback at Centerville High School and Ohio State University, provides the foreword for the book as well.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The book has resulted in a work that will be enjoyed by high school football fans in any state. -- NFLHS.com, October 14, 2002

From the Inside Flap

Tonight, you have a mission, a personal one. You want to learn why Ohio high school football is, beyond dispute, tops in the country. You want to get at the scratch beneath the contest, to uncover the patterns and motivations that bring us out, faithfully, every weekend, to scream ourselves hoarse, to endure bone-chilling rains and frozen aluminum benches, to donate our time, effort, and money, to freely give our emotions over to the performances of 16- and 17-year-old kids, and to promise to do it all over again next week and next year and the year after that. Yes, you've heard arguments on behalf of other states- Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, California- but you know there's no state where high school football forms a more vibrant part of its culture. Maybe this sounds crazy to you, and maybe it doesn't, but one thing is for sure: It's an Ohio thing; people in the Buckeye state understand; and everyone's welcome.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Cleveland Landmarks Pr (August 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936760176
• ISBN-13: 978-0936760179
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,181,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect gift, October 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Across Many Fields: A Season of Ohio High School Football (Hardcover)

I bought a few copies as early Christmas gifts because I know my dad and brothers are big fans. After flipping through just the first few pages of photos and text, I knew I made the right choice. The author really covered his tracks. The photos are fantastic! There's no better time in the midwest than fall -- and this book seems to bring out the best of that season.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read!, October 4, 2002

By 

Dave Hubbins (Bay Village, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Across Many Fields: A Season of Ohio High School Football (Hardcover)

Touchdown! This book drives the length of the field to take the reader on a journey through small towns and big cities who live and die for football. The tradition of Ohio High School Football is second to none and Butler's brilliant narration mixed in with interviews from coaches, players, parents and fans captures what Friday night in the fall is all about - a social gathering of sorts where football is the main focus. Rothchild's photography allows the reader to experience every facet of Friday night football from the star quarterback to the mom selling programs to raise money for the band.

Across Many Fields is a must for anyone who loves high school football.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captures the essence of high school football, September 29, 2002

By 

Thomas Wojtkun (Westlake, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Across Many Fields: A Season of Ohio High School Football (Hardcover)

While Across Many Fields chronicles the 2001 Ohio high school football season, this book is to be enjoyed by all -- regardless of the reader's geographic location. Across Many Fields goes well beyond statistics and X's and O's to explore the very essence of high school football; whereas a Friday Night Lights exposes the darker side of a big-time high school program, AMF is a celebration of the sights, sounds, athletes, and communities that make autumn evenings special for so many. From big-time rivalries to small town tradition, this book explores high school football with a depth and passion that make it a captivating read.

Handsomely photographed and insightfully written, Across Many Fields is a timeless tribute to a uniquely American institution.