Hometown Legend [Paperback]

Jerry B. Jenkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2001

Athens City, Alabama, is a town that lost its heart the day the high school football team lost the state championship and suffered a tragedy. Since that night, the town that once enjoyed superstar status has fallen on hard times. Now, years later, the former coach returns to head up one final season aided by a local who tells the story with a fresh voice. Together, they fight Goliath and learn that love and reconciliation are more important than winning ever could be.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The coauthor of the blockbuster Left Behind series inks the appealing, happily-ever-after Hometown Legend, about a small town in severe financial straits and its former championship football team, written in a made-for-the-movies style that will earn author Jerry Jenkins some new fans. There are some likable characters in this yarn. Lonely widower Cal Sawyer is juggling several balls at once: raising his teenage daughter Rachel, helping coach the down-at-the-heels Athens City High football team, and trying to keep the American Leather Football Company from going belly up. He doesn't count on the impact Elvis Presley Jackson will have on the football season--and on his daughter. Bev Raschke, Sawyer's single, 40-something assistant, has her eye on him, but as Sawyer says, "She's got two cats, and that's about all I need to know about a woman." Romance is inevitable. As the novel unfolds, mostly told in Sawyer's rambling, Southern drawl, we see trouble brewing in his personal life, on the football team, and with the unfolding of Elvis's past. But never fear--there's a happy ending in sight. No loose ends are left dangling, and there's a heartwarming, feel-good wrap-up with a bit of a spin that will satisfy Left Behind aficionados who enjoy a predestined finish to their leisure reading. --Cindy Crosby --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The author of the blockbuster apocalyptic Left Behind series scores points here in his first novel for Warner's new Christian line, penning a homey, feel-good story about a small town's former championship football team. Athens City, Ala., is gasping for breath businesses are closing, people are leaving in droves and Athens City High is playing its last football season before the school is consolidated. Assistant coach Cal Sawyer narrates most of the book in a comfortable, rambling drawl. He's raising his teenage daughter, Rachel, alone, while engaged in an uphill battle to keep the American Leather Football Company afloat. When Rachel befriends player Elvis Presley Jackson, she finds herself forced to address questions of faith and loss that she has only glossed over in the past. Jenkins relies more on dialogue than descriptive settings, but his trademark ability to bond readers with characters is in strong evidence here. Loose ends are wrapped up into a happy, made-for-the-big-screen ending albeit with a bit of a twist which should appeal to Left Behind readers who enjoy knowing that the end of the story is pretty much a foregone conclusion. The short epilogue, however, is anti-climatic. While there's nothing here that will pull readers out of their comfort zones, this is a pleasing read that should nimbly cross over between the general and Christian markets. (Sept.)Forecast: The Left Behind series hasn't sold 40 million copies for naught this stand-alone novel will be promoted to the hilt. Print advertising is planned for USA Today, People, Sports Illustrated, Southern Living and various Christian magazines. Guideposts plans a direct-mail promotion to 1.6 million homes, and Jenkins Entertainment has filmed a movie version that will have its theatrical release this fall.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: FaithWords (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446679267
• ISBN-13: 978-0446679268
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 1 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,470,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Jerry B. Jenkins, former vice president for publishing and currently writer-at-large for the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, is the author of more than 160 books, including the 63,000,000-selling Left Behind series.

Also the former editor of Moody Magazine, Dr. Jenkins's writing has appeared in Time, Reader's Digest, Parade, Guideposts, and dozens of Christian periodicals. Jerry and Dr. Tim LaHaye were profiled in a May 24, 2004 cover story in Newsweek magazine entitled "The New Prophets of Revelation."

Jerry's non-fiction books include as-told-to biographies with Hank Aaron, Orel Hershiser, Walter Payton, Nolan Ryan, and many others.

Jenkins also assisted Dr. Billy Graham with his memoirs, Just As I Am, also a New York Times bestseller.

Jerry owns Jenkins Entertainment, a filmmaking company in Los Angeles, and also the Christian Writers Guild, which aims to train tomorrow's professional Christian writers and has nearly 2,000 members worldwide.

www.JerryJenkins.com
www.Jenkins-Entertainment.com
www.ChristianWritersGuild.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hometown Legend Rocks!, September 6, 2001

By 

"heartsings" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hometown Legend (Hardcover)

I fell in love with this book! While it's an easy read, the book gives us an excellent profile of rural America. The story has all the elements that will touch your heart. It'll make you laugh, cry and cheer. I loved the characters, especially Buster Schuler. Some of his lines had me laughing out loud. All I can say is Jerry B. Jenkins, you are without a doubt.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An American Story, November 15, 2001

By 

Brian M. Ayres (Valrico, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hometown Legend (Hardcover)

Of all the novels that claim to embody the American spirit, I believe Jenkins' tale of Athens City and its demise carries more ingredients than most. The football aspects are obvious, and Jenkins plays them well. The sport is truly the one game many in the nation are passionate about, particularly in a rural Southern town.

But this book has so much more inside it. Although there are many storylines, they all revolve around the enduring feeling of hope. Because it's a Jenkins' novel, God becomes the center of everyone's hope. Even for those who aren't deep-seated in their faith (and even get annoyed when characters like Rachel harp and harp until you see it her way), Jenkins delivers a message that even beyond spirtualness one can have an impact through selflessness and giving. The most poignant moment of all in this regard comes when Calvin finally gets it and realizes his love with Bev.

Behind the religious message and faith in God, Jenkins has produced a practical book that underscores so much of what Americans are all about: compassionate and caring. I think we have all seen that in the wake of Sept. 11.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming, September 19, 2002

By 

Jordan McKay (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hometown Legend (Hardcover)

I do not understand why this book did not get more attention. It's far better than the Left Behind series--more touching, more personal. I bought this book after seeing the movie (also great), and it's simply fantastic. I am very critical, and am not even much of a fan of stuff called "Christian fiction," but this is so much more than that, and I was completely blown away.

Buy this book!