CYBILS Review: 4th Down and Inches

4th Down and Inches
Carla Killough McClafferty
Carolrhoda Books

Through much of the opening chapters of 4th Down and Inches I had luke-warm feelings. I made several notes about the chapter titles, the early organization of each segment, even the chapter titles. Our task in reading for a CYBILS award is to narrow down the year's best non fiction. When you consider that its our job to send a handful of titles through to the next round out of the hundred books nominated, out of thousands of published titles, minor issues become more pronounced. At one point in the early stages I wondered to myself, "How much more should I read before I conclude I've read enough to make a decision?"

I even like the overall structure of football's history. I acknowledged that even though the title font might not be to my liking, I'm sure it wouldn't bother its intended audience. So I kept reading. Boy am I glad I did. I finished this book in tears. Quite frankly, I believe that 4th Down and Inches should be required reading for every kid who plays football, every one of their parents, and everyone of their coaches. 

It should come as no surprise that concussions are serious business, at least at this point. We've heard the worst-case-scenario, horror stories. We've heard about the long lasting effects of repeated brain trauma. We may even be wary of how they're used as leverage for well-intentioned agendas. I'll admit, In the later stages of the book, I was riveted hearing about the awful instances of young athletes losing their lives from unfortunate successive injuries. While I wasn't surprised, I was still moved by the stories of life-long football players deteriorating watching their lives deteriorate from their injuries. Carla Killough McClafferty succeeds where many other campaigns fail because the strength of this book is not drawn from those heart-wrenching accounts. She succeeds through her clear presentation of information that isn't sensationalized.

In the early stages of the book, Carla takes us back to when football was still a young sport. Leagues more dangerous than it is today, players wore no protective gear and lined up in masses to out-brutalize each other for yards. The opening tale highlights a mother defending the game that took her son's life from being banned in Georgia. While the rules slowly changed, I truly appreciated the author's subtle transition to the focus of our culture's values. McClafferty points out tee shirt slogans that read, "Pain is temporary, pride is forever," "No pain, no gain." Setting the reader up through Joe Theismann's gruesome injury, she effectively contrasts the care we take in rehabilitating ACL injuries. It was here in the book that I became the chess player who was completely aware that a checkmate was imminent.

At no point did I feel like the information I was being presented with was overly biased. Even though the larger focus was on injury, up to this point the text presented proportional injuries and the matter of personal choice. I was swayed through the chapters that chronicled the teams researching the effects of minor head injuries. Through discussion of force, amount of hits, and fMRI's, I was moved by the visual brain scans of players sustaining repeated minor injuries appearing identical to players who suffered major concussions. At all the right times, when concepts became complex, metaphors were skillfully employed to clarify (the one explaining the real danger of a concussion coming, not from the force of a blow, but from the abrupt stop to shaking ketchup from a bottle, really resonated).  It's only here that, McClafferty moves back and forth from research to anecdote, elucidating exactly why this isn't just a concern for NFL players.

As if the body of the text wasn't enough, the author delicately shares her personal relationship to the subject. Carla lost her young son, 14 month old Corey, to second impact syndrome after he suffered to relatively minor falls. Thankfully, where many books format the author's note differently than the body of the text, Carla's appeared to be an extension of the text. Concussion symptoms, guidelines for returning to play, and detailed source notes all tastefully forward the importance of the message. But what truly makes this backmatter stand out is the attention paid to female athletes in the further reading resources. Carla clearly explains that this book was focused on football which, statistically, is played overwhelmingly by males. "This is not intended in any way to ignore or minimize concussions experienced by females or the risk of concussions for millions of female athletes. Concussion is a serious issue for all people, regardless of gender."

I started off nit-picky but I ultimately feel that this is a stand-above text. While many times minor issues should be weighed against a book's overall effectiveness, in this case, I was truly brought to believe that the issue at the heart of this book is of vital importance to the health of millions of young athletes. Any of the aspects mentioned in the beginning of this write up wouldn't deter a reader from continuing on to the most imperative sections. Therefore, I see 4th Down and Inches as an extremely effective text, especially given how well it presents the hidden dangers of minor injuries. Everyone involved in youth football should be using this text to set the common understanding that no matter how insignificant a blow to the head may seem, prudence is the only viable path when it comes to the brain.