I read H.G. Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights over a year ago, after having read Cheer by Kate Torgovnik (another fab fit read. I’ll review it at some point) — supposedly the “FNL of cheerleading.” Since then, FNL has become my go-to non-fiction recommendation. Everyone should read this book. As much as it is a haunting and intimate portrait of American high school football and how a small town’s psyche revolves around it, it also puts a microscope on the backbone of America: the blue-collar small town that raises their kids to have big dreams — even though they too often don’t have the support, resources or talent to escape.

FNL is now over 20 years old, but it’s as relevant today as it ever was — and not just because it’s spawned two movies and one of the best television shows of the past ten years. In March 2011, honourary fit girl, JK and I, made a Books in 140 Seconds episode about this book (spoiler: we both loved it) and you can watch us in action below: