A Friday Night Lights Companion: Love, Loss, and Football in Dillon, Texas by Leah Wilson

A Friday Night Lights Companion: Love, Loss, and Football in Dillon, Texas Reviews

• 
  Jordyn

  Writing about A Friday Night Lights Companion is going to be difficult for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the fact that I completely, totally, 100% love this book and it's difficult to put that kind of love in words. But I'll try. The book is a collection of essays on the television show Friday Night Lights. It includes Why We Love... essays on each of the characters, an essay on Coach and Tami's marriage, and an essay on how the unique deal with DirecTV saved the world's best show. And a bunch of other really excellent essays on various aspects of the show.
  
  Typically, this is how it works with anthologies: the pieces within them are a bit hit and miss. Some I won't like, a couple I might love, and the rest will fall somewhere in the meh range. This wasn't like that. This book, from start to finish, whether or not I agreed with everything, was absolutely brilliant. As the one lone Friday Night Lights fan who actually liked the murder plot, of course my opinions didn't always fit with the essays collected, but that's hardly the point. The contributing writers really know their stuff and have written brilliant, in-depth essays on the various aspects of Friday Night Lights. From the heartfelt introduction that made me cry to the role economics and class plays in the show to a look at how DirecTV saved the sinking ship, there's some real insight here. And while much of it (the DirecTV discussion, for instance) is applicable to more than just Friday Night Lights, a lot of it is immersed in the show itself. The marriage of Coach and Tami Taylor, the discussion of the reality of the show, and an essay on its lack of teenage viewers are all very specific to Friday Night Lights. (On a side note, as someone who actually started watching this show as a teenager, I loved the essay on why it never garnered a teenage audience.)
  
  The shorter essays on each of the characters (including Herc!) are funny and mostly spot-on. I say mostly only because we don't all see the characters the same way. However, no matter what you think of certain characters, reading a list of Herc's best quotes and the various reasons we love to hate Joe McCoy is awesome.
  
  For all of my diehard FNL fans, this book is a must-read. Trust me when I say you will not be disappointed. Not even a little bit. The thoughtful reflections on life in Dillon, Texas are not only interesting and compulsively readable, but in many cases thought-provoking. (I want to talk about this book with everyone, but I'm the only one I know who's read it. So, problem. GO READ IT SO WE CAN TALK.) I think you've gathered by now that, like the show itself, I kind of can't recommend this book strongly enough.
• 
  Alexis

  Must read for fans of the series. This is a clever analysis of the characters, plot lines and some of the things that made this under-rated show so great. I stayed up late last night reading it. I can't wait to rewatch the show!
  
  I really enjoyed some of these essays.
• 
  Ashley - Book Labyrinth

  This is quite obviously a book that differs from the books I normally review (is it fiction? no. is it YA? no), but I was thrilled at the chance to review it. You may (or may not) know that I am a massive Friday Night Lights fan, so when I first heard about this book I was psyched that it even existed. To be able to review it? Awesome! Because Friday Night Lights is a show that if you love it? You love it. You flail over it and fangirl/boy over it and promote it to everyone you know. “It’s not really about football...” you tell people. “Well it kind of is about football, but it’s about Dillon and Coach and Mrs. Coach and all these amazing people and the community...” Then you shove the DVDs at people and say “Just watch it. You’ll love it, I swear.”
  
  So that’s Friday Night Lights. And if you like Friday Night Lights then this is a book you want to read. Because the people who have contributed to this book of essays? They’re your kind of people. They get your love for FNL and they express it in the most perfect of ways. They analyze the show and its characters and its meaning. Heck, they write about “the role of economics and money in the story of Friday Night Lights” [Class Not Dismissed - Kevin Smokler] and get me to read every single word.
  
  The essays in this book analyze all the best parts of Friday Night Lights. They talk about themes and broader concepts, but they all get into the nitty gritty of why the show works so well and why it’s so amazing. I have to say that my favourite part of the book was Jen Chaney’s series of “Why We Love...” entries for various FNL characters. These entries remind readers of all these hilarious, heartbreaking, and awesome moments from the show and are a great lighter element that break up some heavier hitting essays.
  
  Here are just a couple of snippets from the text:
  “There is a hope inside every single character on Friday Night Lights that I can only wish every human in real life has, that I dream is still a part of even the most hardened, beaten-down individual. Everyone on Friday Night Lights is trying. They all still believe.” [Introduction; p. 3]
  
  “Few of us watching have the same kind of love for high school football teams, and yet we care so deeply about the lives of the Taylor, Williams, Saracen, Garrity, Collette, Riggins, and Howard families, whether or not we care for the sport at the center of their lives at all.” [Class Not Dismissed; p. 38]
  
  Bottom line, I think this is a must-read if you’re a fan of Friday Night Lights. It will remind you of why you love the show, and how much you love the show, and it will tide you over until you pull out your DVD collection for yet another viewing.
• 
  JMarryott23

  A book about one of my favorite shows explaining why this is one of the best shows? Count me in. Judging by the lack of total reviews on Goodreads, it seems this book isn’t widely read among the FNL faithful. That’s unfortunate, because if you are an FNL fan then there is plenty here to make the investment worth it. I happened to read this because I just rewatched the series with my wife (her first time seeing it). Sharing this show with other people is special because people that give it a chance always end up loving it. I’ve gotten at least four people to watch it and all have enjoyed it. And to experience it again with my wife was amazing, because we were obsessed and it consumed our every free moment. If you haven’t watched the series in awhile, this book will remind you of some of the funniest and best moments in the show.
  
  Elsewhere, the essays within do a good job of expanding the scope of the show - what made it so unique, what made it feel real, what did the writers do to make it feel timeless, why did the longer form TV format work better than the movie, how does this feel like the best representation of a marriage in TV (hardly any are even functional marriages), and how did this show continue for five seasons when it was treading water in season one? All of these and more are explored, and I think some excellent points were made that I hadn’t noticed from reading. This book won’t blow you away, but it’s good and if you are an FNL fan, it is a must read. If you haven’t watched FNL yet, what are you waiting for?! It’s on Netflix. FNL is one of those rare shows where the characters feel real - you think about where they are after the show ends. The show is bittersweet but you’re sad it’s over. It feels nostalgic because it premiered and ended so long ago. All hallmarks of great shows that stay with us long after they end.
• 
  Thomas Benigno

  This book is a compilation of articles by journailsts on almost every aspect of the show and explains why some of us were so hooked on its every episode. I never cared so much about so many characters and was, as a result, hooked on the series from the start. I grew up in Brooklyn then Long Island, and yet I so loved this little fictitious town of Dillon, Texas and practically everyone who lived there. (It may just be kismet that I get the most wonderful reviews on my novel, The Good Lawyer, from people who live in Texas. The articles in the book are beautifully written and delve into the existential aspects of every major character, the lessons in life we learned from watching the show, and how, if you are like me, were forever enriched as a result. If you loved the show and are still in withdrawal after seeing the best finale ever, this book will help you get through the loss you still feel after saying good bye to these wonderful down-to-earth characters and their stories.
• 
  Doug Stotland

  Even if the essays were candy I would have enjoyed this book as an excuse to relive some of my favorite moments and characters from Friday Night Lights. That's kind of what I expected when I bought it but was pleasantly surprised with the substance of the books. Most of the writers attempted to critique the show seriously or distill their appreciation in a way I found satisfying.
  
  As with any collection of essays and articles there's always at least a few that aren't worth reading. For this group I was pleasantly surprised with a) how good the essays were and b) how academic a few of them were. All in all, I wanted a few more essays when I finished which is a good sign. I'm confident most FNL fans will enjoy this one.
• 
  Cflack

  Is it great literature? It is extraordinarily well written? Did it impart great depth of knowledge? Did it make me a better person? No on all four counts, but if you love the show Friday Night Lights like I do it is a wonderful way to review and analyze the town and Dillon and all of the people you love who live there. It also helps you get through the withdrawls of knowing there will be no more episode to watch - no more Coach and Mrs. Coach. No more Matt and Julie. No more Tim, Billy, Mindy, Stevie and little Rigglets. No more Buddy and no more Panthers. Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose.
• 
  Mary Mackie

  If you love the show "Friday Night Lights" (and note I did not put "love" in the past tense) you are bound to really like this. It could have had more depth to a lot of the essays, and the "WHy We Love..." sections got boring after a while, but it talks about FNL to the people who already love FNL and know what they're talking about. It's a nice read. "Texas Forever, Man."
• 
  Marie S.

  Some essays are good, some are not. I liked it because I love Friday Night Lights and I'm pretty sure I'll binge watch the serie again soon because of this book.
• 
  Allison

  I love the TV show that this book revolves around. It is my favorite show and I never get tired of catching random episodes on TV or starting a rewatch for the nth time. This book really reminded me of why I love Friday Night Lights.
  
  My favorite sections were, by far, the "Why We Love..." character series, written by Jen Chaney. The characters of this show are what make it so special to me, and it was so fun to relive some of their best lines and moments. While I didn't always agree with some of these sections (I really dislike Landry Clark. No love about it.), they just reminded me of what makes my favorite show so special to watch and discuss.
  
  I took a star off because some of the other essays didn't really capture me. The article by Paul Levinson contained too many demographic and viewing numbers that I didn't really care about reading, and, for some reason, I couldn't connect with the tone that Travis Stewart presented in his piece (the lengthy footnotes didn't help).
  
  Overall, this was a really great read for fans of FNL.
• 
  Melyssa Dawn Michaels

  For any fan of Friday Night Lights, the series and even the movie this book is a must read. Its a collection of essays and other such writing endeavors based on the show and the characters within said show. As well as taking the show and comparing it to real life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and even found it hard to put down at times. I especially enjoyed the "Why we love (insert character name here) sections and I couldn't agree more with them all as a whole. Very well put together and a fun read, especially now that the show has ended. I almost felt like it was Friday Night all over again. Very well done.
• 
  Carrie

  Some essays are stronger than others, but it's hard to complain about a book all about the awesomeness of Friday Night Lights. It's a fun read, and some of the essays made me think about the series in a way I never had before (like Robin Wasserman's piece, which argues that the show isn't meant for teens even though it's about them). My biggest issue was the editing -- there's a lot of unnecessary repetition that easily could've been cut. Overall, though, this is a fun read for any fan of Friday Night Lights.
• 
  Lauren

  I teach this book every year, and I'm such a fan of the show, so I had to read this. I enjoyed it and thought they included a great range of perspectives that highlighted all the best aspects of the show. That being said, I outright disagreed with some of them, and none of them (with the exception of the essay on gender and sexuality) really hit home for me. It was ok -- I could do better ;) -- but it was a pleasant read.
• 
  Mike

  Friday Night Lights wasn't the best show I ever watched, but it was the show I liked the most. This books reminds me why. We're just past a year to the day that the final season began airing, so this was the perfect time to remind myself why I loved the show so much. This book did just that. Now I want to watch the show again. Miss you, Friday Night Lights.
• 
  Janelle V. Dvorak

  I liked the book for taking both the really fangirl road (the "Why We Love Tim Riggins" essay is a case in point) and the more analytical approach. For instance, I found the essay on class differences quite interesting but could not understand why the Tim/Lyla relationship as a casualty of class differences was not included.
• 
  Rebecca

  A fun way to revisit a favorite show, which I have also just recently begun rewatching. The essays in this book varied in how much they held my interest, which makes sense given the range of topics they focus on. My favorite parts were the "why we love [character name]" sections singing the praises of many of the characters.
• 
  Jamie

  This book is like opening the door to a secret club of Friday Night Lights fans that you always wished were in your life while you were watching the show. I would definitely recommend to anyone who watched and loved the show.
• 
  Janssen

  If you are a fan of Friday Night Lights, this is a fantastic book. I loved revisiting the characters and Dillon. Now to rewatch the whole series. . .
• 
  Amy

  Texas forever!
• 
  Steve Schrader

  If you loved the show, you will love the book. It's premise is a great show but you catch the essence of the series by these essays by various critics. A few are a little esoteric but most spot on. My favorite part of the book is the "Why we loved _______ character ".
  
  They nail the traits of all the characters and why we do love them. I watched the show mostly last year and early this year and I still forgot some of the things that happened that the book detailed.
  
  I want to watch the show again now after reading this. Alas thought I think Netflix will be taking it off soon.
  
  If you haven't seen the show it's one of the best ever.
• 
  Gareth Davies

  a look into the TV series Friday Night Lights. Short chapters focussing on a variety of characters, backgrounds and themes made for an enjoyable read if you’ve watched the series.
• 
  Shannon Gray

  Tami and Coach Taylor forever! Surprised I enjoyed this silly book as much as I did.