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The memoir “Believe: The Victorious Story of Eric LeGrand,” explores the life of the former Rutger’s football player whose life was suddenly and unexpectedly changed in front of a national audience when a violent collision during a game paralyzed him. This particular version is a young reader’s edition written for middle school and high school audiences. This review will evaluate this nonfiction story according to accuracy, content, style, organization, and format. Afterwards, the review will discuss the merits of including the story in a library or using it in a classroom.
As far as accuracy goes, there is nobody with more intimate knowledge on this subject than LeGrand himself. He is the authority; he lived the events firsthand. His story as told through this book will be a source document for future inquiry, and the fact that he was able to write this story is his biggest accomplishment. Throughout his narration, LeGrand takes care to document the details of his life and the events surrounding his injury and rehabilitation by providing names of people, locations, and dates. As a lifelong football player and now an analyst, he provides his authority of football by providing great insight into specific plays and the roles of the players on the team. LeGrand demonstrates this knowledge on page 100 when he states, “Fullback, like defensive lineman, was another head-banging position where your role is to be the lead blocker for your tailback or halfback.” While looking at other sources surrounding LeGrand, such as an ESPN SportsCenter feature, it is apparent that there may be some minor differences in the accounts of LeGrand and other people in the story. For example, LeGrand describes how his coach Greg Schiano would take a helicopter to visit him to avoid a long drive, but in the ESPN feature Schiano describes the 50-minute drive to visit him. Overall, LeGrand commands unquestionable authority on the story of his life, as one would expect, but he is also careful to provide specific details that readers could verify or authenticate. This is especially important during the events when LeGrand admits himself that he had no memory of. There is a second writer listed in the author’s section. Mike Yorkey is a CBA (Christian Book Association) writer with “more than a dozen books under his belt.” It is unclear whether Yorkey serves as a ghostwriter or simply a transcriber, and just how much influence he has on the telling of the story.
Eric LeGrand decides to tell the story of his entire life, not just the events surrounding his injury and rehabilitation. Throughout his early story, however, LeGrand manages to connect events of his early life to his later injury. This is most apparent when he describes in chapter four and chapter five that his high school coach made his players read the warning label on the football helmet warning of head injuries. LeGrand also leaves the reader with the impression that he was destined to play football at Rutgers: he describes fondly watching games at the nearby university growing up, how we was offered a scholarship as a freshman after only three high school football games, and how all of the powerhouse football universities did not hold up compared to the school that played in the first ever football game. The focus of LeGrand’s story, even in detailing his early life, is always on his injury and on the belief that he will walk again.
The style of storytelling is very powerful, eliciting strong emotions and empathy towards him and others in similar situations. He begins his with a stark image when he starts his book, “I am constantly cold.” While most people would expect a quadriplegic to be focused on not being able to walk, LeGrand illuminates something unexpected: that his body cannot properly regulate heat on its own. This image of being cold is continued in chapter 12, when he makes his “return” to the football field one year after his injury in a blizzard. LeGrand’s tone is matter-of-fact at times when a reader might expect it to beg for pity. This makes the reading only more powerful, because LeGrand’s heart shines through and he calls for his readers to approach his story with the same optimism that he has. The ability of the writer is what one would expect of a young person with little writing experience, but it is nevertheless accessible to a young audience. The writing style is consistent with a young man with no formal writing experience and a voice that is accessible to younger audiences, which could indicate that Mike Yorkey simply helped write LeGrand’s story since he is physically incapable of typing. Yorkey may have only been involved in the development of the young reader’s addition. Regardless, the book would be well-served to mention Yorkey’s precise contributions.
The story is organized into chapters that are mostly chronological. The first chapter acts as a hook for the entire story, but chapters two through fifteen then move chronologically. The story is also told as a first person narrative. The chapter titles also act as hooks that draw the reader in and also give a little bit of an idea of what the chapter is about. Within each chapter, there are headings for sections that further describe what the reader can expect, such as “Getting Wheels” being about getting a first car in college, crashing it almost immediately afterwards, and then getting injured and not needing it anyway. There is a table of contents and acknowledgements at the end, but few additional resources provided. It does not feel completely necessary given that the story is a memoir.
The book contains a picture insert in the middle of the book with nice captions that enhance the reading experience. These pictures would have been better served interspersed throughout the story in the relevant places. There are some additional visual aids, such large text of the words “Believe” from his high school sign and “LeGrand’s Mom,” which would have been a disturbing image to see on the field while LeGrand laid on the field. Pictures of football plays could have been added, particularly illustrating what went wrong on the play that he got injured in, would have been very useful. The text is relatively large print and well-spaced, which is welcoming to young readers. The front cover is similar to the iconic Sports Illustrated cover that LeGrand mentions how it won Picture of the Year. The back cover simply shows the number “52,” similar to what a football jersey would look like. Underneath the plastic cover, a very professional-looking hardback black cover is hiding.
There are not many similar texts on the University of New Orleans’ Destiny. I was interested in this topic as a means of investigating texts that have to do with developing empathy through people who have succeeded despite physical, mental, or other disabilities and diseases. I have looked through texts on Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Magic Johnson, Steven Hawking, Christopher Reeves, and others, but very few truly talked about coping with disabilities from a more empathetic standpoint. Most books in the library only mention that these individuals had illnesses or disabilities, but did not work towards developing empathy. This story by Eric LeGrand works towards developing empathy. Because of this, it would be a valuable resource to include in the library. It is not the type of story that a teacher would have an entire class read cover to cover, but a teacher could easily teach individual sections for the purpose of developing empathy. The last chapter, in particular, is powerful to this end. It is also a great resource for teachers to provide students who might be working through their own injuries, disabilities, or diseases. It would also be a good story for students to read independently and do their own report or reader response for, as the story would be very enjoyable and easy to read.
As a teacher, I would use parts of this story for the purpose for developing empathy in young people. Empathy is an important quality to develop in young students, particularly at the middle school level. I would then encourage students to read the rest of the book independently if they enjoyed what they read. This story can be useful for young boys interested in sports, and also as a tool to show students the value of cultivating their education in conjunction with their sports skills. The section in chapter five about needing to improve his SAT scores is a valuable lesson for these sorts of students. Insight into the sports recruitment process and what goes into deciding a university are also present in the story and can be a useful tool. I do not feel the story carries much in the way of craft to warrant in-depth language arts instruction, but it is a great read for students and reluctant readers. The story’s venture into faith, while integral, important, and relatable to youngsters, might make public school teachers uneasy about assigning or teaching.
In the end, LeGrand tells an important story of optimism and triumph over adversity. His story was in the public eye, and he offers a brave and personal insight into his life. He has already accomplished so much since his injury, from gaining more movement in his body than originally projected, becoming a football game analyst, earning an NFL contract (however ceremonial it was), having his jersey number retired at Rutgers, and now, writing a book despite the adversity he faces. I have found that the book can be a great tool to serve the purpose I wanted it to serve: to act as a useful text for teaching empathy through examples of people who have succeeded despite adversity. It would be a valuable resource in any classroom, school, or public library.
… (lisätietoja)
 
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JonathanToups | Mar 31, 2014 |

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Teokset
4
Jäseniä
51
Suosituimmuussija
#311,767
Arvio (tähdet)
½ 4.3
Kirja-arvosteluja
1
ISBN:t
5

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