Muck City: Winning and Losing in Football's Forgotten Town

This should interest anyone who looks to the human side of sports for good examples of the human condition.It does raise the question how Glades High has had such a long run producing football players who end up in the pros (the last I checked no high school had produced more players going to the NFL and Canadian Football Leagues) because it does focus so much on a few individual players and not on the program itself. That may not be of interest to you but my family is from Belle Glade, my grandfather was the first mayor of Belle Glade, and I would have liked to get a better understanding of the institutional contribution to the amazing history of that football program.Still is it a very good and interesting read.

I live and play in South Florida and follow the high school recruiting process every year. Until I read this book I was only aware of Glades Central football because of some of the players that attended the University of Miami. This book was inspirational. It not only tells the story of a powerhouse football program, but it also tells the story of a young girl trying to find her own way out of the muck. It touches on the disparity in income levels, the hard work of educators, and the great football coaches who not only teach these boys how to play the game, but also how to become productive young men. This book is the best sports book I have read since Seabiscuit. It made me realize AGAIN how lucky and fortunate I am. How many resources I have had and what a great support system I grew up with. Some of these young men lack all of these things and yet they persevere with the help of coaches, mentors and educators. I highly recommend this book. Very well written and researched.

I was expecting a "Friday Night Lights" type treatment of a high school football program and run for a title. This book is that and a whole lot more. In fact, it is an extremely well written social commentary on community, education, absent fathers and a whole host of related issues which need front and center attention. The young people and the adults are compelling and their stories combine to paint a vivid and realistic picture of life in a place that does not feature "privilege" or the excesses of our techno age. The central characters are the players and coach of the Raiders of Belle Glade high school. The football is well described and easy to follow but the human stories are what makes this such an interesting and memorable work. While not all of the endings are happy, the book left me satisfied and better informed about what life was and is like in this area so close to Palm Beach. It couldn't be a more different place.

I assumed that Mr Mealer's non-fiction narrative about the community of Belle Glade and its unique ability to churn out top level football players who have gone on to star in the National Football League in unprecedented numbers was going to be a feel-good story. The reality is stark and shocking, given the proximity of Belle Glade to cities like Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Jupiter which are all located in the same Florida county. This is a story of a small third world city located in one of the richest counties in the USA where football is seen as an escape mechanism from a life of drugs, violence, and AIDs. Draw your own conclusion about whether or not being known as a feeding ground for the NFL is good or bad for Belle Glade and the key individuals documented in this book.

This books posits an interesting scenario where much of the small Florida's town identity is determined by the success of their powerhouse football team which has produced a slew of college and pro football players. But it is also the poorest school district in all of Florida and has a deplorable academic record. One of the questions raised is there too much emphasis on football for the few who get out of town vs. the rest of the student body who are ill prepared for the real world?

Living in the eastern part of Palm Beach County, I'm sadly aware of the economic disparity between it and the western towns clustering around Lake Okeechobee--Belle Glade, Pahokee, and others in "sugar country." All football fans--and even those like me who aren't--know of the powerhouse that is Glades Central. This is the true story of how football represents the only way out for the boys living there who have nothing but their athletic prowess to bank on. Highly recommend.

I initially worried that Muck City might be a repeat of Friday Night Lights. Once I got into the book I discoveredthat the setting itself was so different that I didn't have to worry about boredom. Mealer does a great job of establishingthe current setting as well as its history and that of the current residents. Jesse Hester's job is unlikefew other high school coaching jobs. The inclusion of the female who becomes a cheerleader at Glade Centraladds a unique dimension to the story. I found this a book that I had trouble putting down.

Since this book is about the football team where I taught for 35 years, it was interesting to me. It was well written, and I believe a fair picture was presented of the community and school where football is everything. Bryan Mealer is an excellent writer. I found this book more readable than "Friday Night Lights."