Our Boys

John Coltrane was known for a style of playing that was described as "sheets of sound." Put simply, he played a whole lot of notes. His technique and musicality was impeccable, but some people feel overwhelmed by his style.

A part of me felt like Joe Drape's approach to Our Boys was based around "sheets of detail." There is no doubt that the level of detail in his book is remarkable and astonishing. But, frankly, there were times when I felt overwhelmed by it. It sounds bizarre to say, but I actually could have done with less detail. I recognize that very few people will agree with me, but, personally, I like to have a little more empty space that will allow me to fill in some of the missing bits. I don't really feel like I need to know exactly how tall the grass is at every location the Redmen visit. Another problem this presents is that it makes it difficult to sustain this level of detail and to keep it fresh for the entire book. I give Drape credit for waiting 118 pages before invoking the name of Norman Rockwell in his descriptions, but he still did it. I admire him for making football exciting through the written word, but he still resorted to describing a running back's legs as (paraphrasing) "pistons pounding up and down." The problem is, it was basically impossible for him to keep up the pace of his level of detail without resorting at times to cliches.

I realize I'm in the very small minority here.

That said, I do credit his level of detail for adding actual drama to a story that we already know the ending to. I genuinely found his descriptions of the football games exciting, and that's due to the fact that Drape seemingly recorded every cut and every handoff from every game. Even though I knew every game was going to result in a win, I still felt truly engaged in Drape's recounting.

Drape's attention to detail is likely a common theme in his writing (I don't know this for sure, I don't recall reading him before), but I'm certain that it's also a result of the fact that he actually fell in love with Smith Center. To Drape's credit, he explicitly admits this, and this love shows through almost the entire book. It's hard not to like the community.

But this, too, cuts both ways. I felt like Drape name-checked every single person in Smith Center, often for little reason except to say, "here's another person who loves the Redmen." Again, this is just me wanting a leaner product, but I still felt that way. A bigger problem is that Drape sort of became an unreliable narrator for me. It's not so much that I want him to say something bad about anyone, but some of the things he says are just a little too glowing. I highly doubt that Trevor Rempe was a "revelation" in a supporting role in a high school play in Smith Center. I could be wrong.

It might seem like I'm nitpicking. I am. I thought the book was excellent, and I've already got people lined up to read it. Still, I'm not just trying to be contrary, these concerns I have are real.