The Writing Style of H G Bissinger

H.G. Bissinger's work Friday Night Lights receive numerous accolades from the sports world. Bissinger's writing style certainly helped make the book a best-seller.

H. G. "Buzz" Bissinger is an award-winning journalist, born November 1, 1954, in New York City. He is best known for his work Friday Night Lights. This is a non-fiction book which chronicles the 1988 season of the Permian High School Panthers football team in Odessa, Texas as they vie for the Texas state championship.

The book earns positive reactions from the literary circles. It sold almost two million copies. In a list of the one hundred best books on sports ever, Sports Illustrated ranks Friday Night Lights as fourth and the best ever on football. ESPN calls Friday Night Lights the best book on sports over the past quarter century.

Layout

The lay-out of the novel is originally intended to be a documentary on the high school sports which keep the small town of Odessa preoccupied. However, the story evolves as Bissinger delves on the life in the town of Odessa, Texas. Football becomes the main focus of the town. Academics in school are hardly noticed.

Character Development

Bissinger’s dedication to his craft is noteworthy. He spent a lot of time to develop his characters even the story in general. As a matter of fact, for Friday Night Lights he spent hours researching on the high school teams. After careful evaluation of the teams, he chose Odessa, TX and their famous Permian Panthers.

It was a long, painstaking process for Bissinger in order to come up with the perfect characters for his story. He chose Panthers because of its had a long history of winning in Texas' AAAA and AAAAA division, winning championships in 1965, 1972, 1980 and 1984. Bissinger and his family moved from Philadelphia to Odessa.

In order to fully understand his characters, he practically spent the entire football season with the Permian Panther players, their families, the coaches, and a number of the townspeople. Bissinger did not spare any effort in securing pertinent facts about the town’s football culture and the reason for the fanaticism for their football team.

Use of Description

Bissinger does not hold back in this captivating tale he weaves particularly in the lives of the players and the town’s history. His language sometimes is on the verge of being overblown. But this is hardly surprising. Passion is the name of the game. Bissinger merely echoes the passion and the mythical heights the game of football has reached in the sleepy town of Odessa.

The football season is obviously at the center of all the fuss and the players’ lives even the whole town’s experience pale in comparison to football’s importance. Bissinger does not only show what the physical demands of being a Permian football player but also the mental and psychological hardships they go through. In all Bissenger is captivating in his writing.

Readers Ability to Connect

Bissinger has an uncanny way of making the story believable and easy to relate to. Even for non-football fanatics, the story presents an interesting slant on living as a whole. Bissinger depicted the town of Odessa as obsessed with football. They have this raw desire to win at all cost.

In this kind of atmosphere, players vomit from nervousness before each game. They are also forced to play even with injuries. When the team loses, the coach's front lawn sports a "For Sale" signs. Football is not just a game it is a way of life.

Bissinger clear depiction of the situation enables the readers to feel the tensions of the kids. The reader is painfully aware of the fact that these sports heroes are not just playing a game, but are engaged in a battle to defend their town’s honor. Despite the seeming antiseptic atmosphere with which the players had to contend, Bissinger is able to accomplish the more difficult feat of making the team's most ardent fans feel sympathetic to the team’s plight.

'Buzz' Bissinger captures the minds and hearts of the readers by the real life depictions of what Texas high school football is really like. The readers understand what it is like to be in the shoes of a Permian High School football player, to undergo a lot of pressure to carry the town’s name. Losing is not an option for the team where winning is the accepted tradition.

Plot Development

To develop his plot, Bissinger follows the lives of real Texas football players. He also examines deeply the town’s history and the reason for its obsession to football. Odessa is not a town known for big achievements but the Panthers help keep the hopes of this small town alive.

Social and racial divisions permeate the town. Its fragile economy that relies heavily on oil does not offer much security to the people. But every Friday night from September to December, when the Permian High School Panthers play football, this West Texas town becomes a place united in their dreams. With frankness and compassion, Bissinger chronicles the single-minded devotion of the town to the team which could either inspire or pressure the latter.

Diction

The language adopted in the book is mainly football language since the entire story revolves around this theme.

Overall Point, Theme or Purpose

Friday Night Lights attempts to examine the town, the team, its coaches, and its young players. He wants to depict the fact that football is directly tied to the self-image of the small town of Odessa. That is why, their football players are treated as heroes. This unwavering support of the team is crucial to their on-field success being the one with the winningest record in state annals.

Odessa, a city in decline after the oil business busted, relies on high school football to distract themselves from their early failures. Football binds the town together. In this sport they found redemption from the hole they unwittingly dug themselves into.

Sources:

Amazon. Friday Night Lights: a Town, a Team, and a Dream. 2008. Accessed 11 June 2008.

Barnes and Noble. Friday Night Lights: a Town, a Team, and a Dream. 2008. Accessed 11 June 2008.