Why read North Dallas Forty?

Book cover of North Dallas Forty

Book description

National Bestseller: The “powerful novel” about the hidden side of pro football, written by a former NFL player (Newsweek).
On the field, the men who play football are gladiators, titans, and every other kind of cliché. But when they leave the locker room they are only men. Peter Gent’s classic…

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Literary fiction

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Why read it?

2 authors picked North Dallas Forty as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Don Wallace

Author

A college basketball player signed to play football for the Dallas Cowboys, Gent was no PR stunt, and his 1973 novel captured the anything-goes era that got the ‘Boys crowned America’s Team.

It’s a tale of games on and off the field, which means sex, nightclubbing, cheerleaders, racial friction, and drugs, both recreational and, more seriously, prescribed for debilitating injuries. Yes, the movie is pretty great, but don’t miss out on this one.

From Don's list on football from a sportswriter.

Eli Cranor

Author

A philosophy professor during my senior year in college recommended this book to me. I was the university’s quarterback, and also an English major, and for whatever reason he thought this book would be a good fit. Boy, was he right! This is one of the few books that I have actually read in one sitting. Gent’s descriptions of players as cogs in a machine are spot on and highlight the ugly—and often overlooked—side of football.

From Eli's list on football from a quarterback turned novelist.