Third and Long: A Novel for Hard Times - Softcover

Katz, Bob

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0977791521 ISBN 13: 9780977791521

Publisher: Trolley Car Press, 2010

Synopsis

Can the handsome, haunted stranger with a mysterious past save the soul of a dying Midwest factory town?

“This novel is so good-hearted, so life-affirming, it’s a joy to read…
—Mary Ann Grossman, St. Paul Pioneer Press

Meet Nick Remke, a damaged former Notre Dame football star desperate for a job and maybe redemption.

It’s 1997. Longview, Ohio, U.S.A. Nick finally gets his chance when he’s hired to run Made Right, a family-owned clothing factory severely threatened by offshore competition. The entire town depends on the fragile fortunes of the overworked factor. All eyes now turn to Nick .

Marie Zanay is among them. A single mother whose son stars on the Longview High football team, she’s spent a lifetime rooting for her hometown and is acutely aware of the overwhelming odds against it. Still, Marie is forced to admit that Nick the newcomer suddenly has the townsfolk feeling inspired. Is that hope misplaced, or is it possibly real?

For Nick, it’s been a long, winding, rocky road filled with disappointment and doubt. Becoming MVP of a small town on the Ohio River was never his goal . . . until it became his dream.

Third and Long is the saga of a vanishing America hanging by a thread, with perhaps just enough time remaining for one last hail-Mary. Think Friday Night Lights meets It’s A Wonderful Life.

With a cast of characters both unforgettable and strikingly familiar, Third and Long takes you on a poignant, emotional journey across an iconic American landscape.

“Third and Long is an American classic. It’s a story about hope and possibilities, crumbled dreams, and surprising redemption. I loved it!”
—Lynne Cox, author of Swimming to Antarctica

Get your copy of Third and Long today!

Third and Long is the winner of the Independent Book Publishers Association Popular Fiction award.

Bob Katz is the author of several acclaimed books, including Elaine’s Circle, a non-fiction account of a dramatic year in the rural Alaska classroom of an innovative schoolteacher, the novel Hot Air, which was optioned by actor Michael Keaton and MGM for a movie, The Whistleblower, a nonfiction exploration of the world of college basketball referees, and, most recently, EZ and the Intangibles, a novel for middle readers. More at BobKatz.info.

"If John Steinbeck had known as much about sports as Bob Katz does, he would have been proud to have written Third and Long. Katz has offered us a smart, moving, beautiful and important book."
--E. J. Dionne Jr., syndicated columnist, NPR commentator

“A sly, lyrical novel (think Friday Night Lights meets All the Right Moves, only funny) . . . "
--Sports Illustrated

"Third and Long by Bob Katz is one of those books you want to read every word of for fear you’ll miss one of the many brilliant passages. Whether it’s characterization, descriptive setting, or narrative insights, they all shine with originality and effectiveness..."
--Rod Raglin, The San Francisco Book Review

About this title

About the Author

The Author: BOB KATZ is the author of several widely praised books, These include Hot Air, a novel about a charismatic Latin American revolutionary who comes to the US for a speaking tour of midwest colleges that was optioned for a movie by MGM, and Elaine's Circle, a non-fiction account of an innovative school teacher in rural Alaska.

From the Inside Flap

If John Steinbeck had known as much about sports as Bob Katz does, he would have been proud to have written Third and Long. And if Tony Kornheiser or Michael Wilbon are looking for a smart sports book inspired by the emphathy and understanding that Katz feels for the people in our old industrial towns, they will turn to Third and Long. Katz has offered us a smart, moving, beautiful and important book. E. J. Dionne Jr., syndicated columnist, NPR commentator

Edition details

• Publisher: Trolley Car Press
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0977791521
• ISBN 13: 9780977791521
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 260