He began it in high school basing it on what he observed when being raised the son of a major college football coach in tumultuous times, and after many restarts, finished it as an adult. It's the quintessential novel in the drawer and then the computer, published after Frei broke through with three popular non-fiction books --
Horns, Hogs, and Nixon Coming; Third Down and a War to Go; and
'77: Denver, the Broncos, and A Coming of Age.
On one of the nation's cauldron campuses during the 1968 Nixon-Humphrey presidential campaign, Cascade University President Neal Hassler is caught between militant students and an irate citizenry. Under statewide criticism, he is defiant in public as he unravels behind the scenes. His primary student antagonists are SDS leader Annie Laughlin and Jake Powell, chairman of the Campus Coalition Against the War. They're close to student journalist Kit Dunleavy, who struggles to balance her relationships with the radicals and her theoretical objectivity.
Complicating matters and infuriating fans, Jake also is a starting linebacker for the Cascade Fishermen football team, expected to challenge O.J. Simpson and the USC Trojans for the Pacific 8 Conference title.
Coach Larry Benson, a World War II pilot criticized for allowing his players to participate in campus politics, faces pressure to both tighten the reins, especially with Powell and star tailback Ricky Hilton, and win at all costs.
Amid campus and national unrest, the Fishermen - an eclectic group with several star players and bright young coaches destined for bigger things - encounter triumph, controversy, and disappointment. Ultimately, the ensemble cast's fates are intertwined in a fall that becomes The Witch's Season.
The chapter titles all are titles of songs or albums popular when the events take place (e.g., "All Along the Watchtower," "Born to Be Wild"...) and that adds a Classic Rock soundtrack -- even if it's only playing in your head. Better yet, put on Steppenwolf's Greatest Hits or the Woodstock soundtrack.
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