Head Fake
Head Fake
Head Fake
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Description
Description
"Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2024"
"Head Fake is about how laughter can save us." -Chris Rock, comedian, actor
"An absorbing, uplifting tale of finding light and self-worth in adversity's darkest depths."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Mikey makes everything a joke, even the clinical depression he's struggled with for years. After a run of failed jobs, he becomes the unlikely basketball coach at a high school for high-risk offenders who are experiencing mental illness. The position becomes suddenly available after the team tried to strangle their last coach.
Every instinct tells Mikey to get as far away from this school as possible. Coaching these kids, who have been arrested for who-knows-what, would be difficult for a normie. For Mikey, it could cause another breakdown and force him right back to living on the street. But he knows that if he has any chance to make his twenty-sixth birthday, he needs to keep this job, even if the school board wants him fired, and the students would rather fight each other than play ball.
This poignant, hilarious, and sometimes uncomfortable novel proves that even the most damaged of us can emerge victorious.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2024"
"[Gordon's] exploration of mental illness is fearless and without artifice, portraying not only the debilitating effects on those afflicted, but also the trepidation, helplessness, anger, neglect, scorn, and occasional love returned to them by family and strangers...An absorbing, uplifting tale of finding light and self-worth in adversity's darkest depths."-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Head Fake is about how laughter can save us."-Chris Rock, comedian, actor
"Head Fake is an inspiring addition to the literature of sport, the literature of long odds and underdogs, the literature of mental illness, the literature of overbearing fathers. Scott Gordon writes with profound candor, wit, and empathy about people on the edge, people who could just really use a few wins." -Chris Bachelder, author of four novels, including National Book Award finalist, The Throwback Special
"Head Fake is a wonderful read on so many levels."-Nick Nurse, 2020 NBA Coach of the Year
"This story will gut you, and change your perception of those we deem outcasts forever."-Eve Porinchak, bestselling author of One Cut
"...just the right flavor of insight and fun to keep readers enjoying and thinking."-D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
"Head Fake is nothing but net."-Mark Stevens, author of The Fireballer
"Scott's ability to merge character development without slowing plot is simply amazing. I love this book!"-Rodney Barnes, Writer, Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, The Boondocks, American Gods
"Head Fake is a masterful debut."-Gary Lennon, writer and Executive Producer of Euphoria and Power
"The author's deep compassion for his cast of underdogs and misfits is infectious..."-IndieReader
"Of course, this story's not about basketball. It's about not giving up. On anybody. Not even yourself."-Staci Greason, award-winning author, All the Girls in Town
"Bring on the National Book Award."-David Wolthoff, Producer of Concussion
"I strongly recommend it!"-Los Angeles Book Review
"5 stars!" -Chicago Book Review
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
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