When the Men Were Gone

by

Marjorie Herrera Lewis

  Genre: Historical / Biographical / Sports Fiction

Publisher: William Morrow

Date of Publication: October 2, 2018

Number of Pages: 240

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A cross between Friday Night Lights and The Atomic City Girls, When The Men Were Gone is a debut historical novel based on the true story of Tylene Wilson, a woman in 1940s Texas who, in spite of extreme opposition, became a female football coach in order to keep her students from heading off to war.

Football is the heartbeat of Brownwood, Texas. Every Friday night for as long as assistant principal Tylene Wilson can remember, the entire town has gathered in the stands, cheering their boys on. Each September brings with it the hope of a good season and a sense of unity and optimism.

Now, the war has changed everything. Most of the Brownwood men over eighteen and under forty-five are off fighting, and in a small town the possibilities are limited. Could this mean a season without football? But no one counted on Tylene, who learned the game at her daddy’s knee. She knows more about it than most men, so she does the unthinkable, convincing the school to let her take on the job of coach.

Faced with extreme opposition by the press, the community, rival coaches, and referees — and even the players themselves — Tylene remains resolute. And when her boys rally around her, she leads the team — and the town — to a Friday night and a subsequent season they will never forget.

Based on a true story, When the Men Were Gone is a powerful and vibrant novel of perseverance and personal courage.

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Praise

“Sublimely ties together the drama of high school football, gender politics, and the impact of war on a small town in Texas.” – Best of Books, 2018, Sports Illustrated

“A beautiful story that stays in your heart long after you finish reading.” – Jodi Thomas, New York Times bestselling author

“Based on a true story that most people probably don’t know, readers will find plenty to love in Herrera Lewis’ debut.” — Kirkus Review

In Texas, football is a big deal and watch out for the die-hard fans!  This biographical novel is based on the life of Tylene Wilson, an educator that took on the duties of coaching the football team when there was no one else to do it because the men had either been drafted or volunteered to fight in WWII.  If someone didn’t step forward to coach the boys, they might as well enlist in the military right then and miss out on the rest of their childhood. I was intrigued because I had not heard of Tylene Wilson before, and not that I should have since I am not from the Brownwood area or a football fanatic, and wondered how the author came to hear about this woman to write a story about her life during this time.  I stumbled across this D Magazine article that gave the author the basis for writing this story – it pays to talk to people because you hear the most interesting stories.

This book isn’t long and it primarily spans a 2-3 week period of time.  There are flashes to the past to give us more information about characters and how Tylene became the woman she was during that time.  While this is a fictional story, I found it very inspiring because it is based on fact and because it reflects another way women stepped up during WWII to help out on the home front.  The town citizens still had to deal with the war, losing family members, and fearing for the future but all was ok on Friday nights when they could watch the local football team play the game.  It was a respite from the sadness or anxiousness they might be feeling about the war.

I didn’t envy Tylene and what she endured trying to prove she could coach these boys when no one else could be found.  Yes, she had the technical skills and she was able to relate to the boys on a different level but it wasn’t an easy road.  Sexism was definitely at play from the other coaches in the conference, some of the men in town, and even some of the male students.  One has to realize we are talking about the early 40s and this really wasn’t unusual.

The last part of the book focuses on the first football game of the season and for those pages, my heart was in my throat as I sat there on pins and needles wondering how the game was going to turn out.  Winning or losing didn’t really matter, it was bringing these boys together as a team and helping them realize that each one was important and they each needed to give their all and trust each other.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“There’s something special about Texas football . . . I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at a Texas sunset only to see a goalpost cut through the yellow and red splashed across the sky.”

“Sometimes in life, we find ourselves in situations we never anticipated, and we end up asking ourselves exactly what you just asked: Why me? But you know what, Moose?  The boys need to play football and they can’t do it without you.”

“The hardships shadow us forever, Moose.  How we respond – now, that’s what tells us who we are.”

I loved this book and it reminded me so much of Twelve Mighty Orphans by Jim Dent.  If you like stories about football and teams that overcame trials and tribulations, you need to read these two books you won’t be disappointed!

We give it 5 paws up!

Marjorie Herrera Lewis is an award-winning sportswriter, named the first female Dallas Cowboys beat writer when she was with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She later joined the SportsDay staff of The Dallas Morning News, where she continued to cover the NFL and professional tennis. She is currently a contributing sportswriter for PressBoxDFW.com.

While writing When the Men Were Gone, she became inspired to try her hand at coaching football herself and was added to the Texas Wesleyan University football coaching staff in December 2016. Marjorie has degrees from Arizona State University, The University of Texas in Arlington, Southern New Hampshire University, and certificates from Southern Methodist University, and Cornell University. She is married and has two grown daughters and one son-in-law.

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THREE SIGNED COPIES OF WHEN THE MEN WERE GONE

June 18-28, 2019

(International)

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