Ready...Set...Pride! by Truscott Jones is a unique coming-of-age novel. Young Max is looking forward to his last year of high school. He is still in the closet, but he is surrounded by friends and a loving family, so still has time to figure things out quietly. Or so he thought.
Things change when Max inherits his family's National Football League team. Suddenly, Max is thrown into the national spotlight where he will be forced to face his own truth, find the love of his life, and run a professional football team, all under the harsh glare of social media, hardcore fans, and brutal sports reporters.
Here's what readers are saying:
★★★★★ "Incredibly eye opening and insightful!"
★★★★★ "Captivating read with a lot of heart."
★★★★★ "Fun read with a easy-to-love hero...for both young and older adults alike."
★★★★★ "I was rooting for Max from the first chapter as he navigates his own self doubts and learns to find his courage against ever escalating adversity and pressure. It's a tribute to friendship, family, love, and the human spirit."
Ready...Set...Pride!
Genre: Literary Fiction, Teen & Young Adult Coming-of-Age FictionRelease date: August 17, 2023
4.5 stars, 22 ratings on Amazon
From $0.99
Max only thought his last year of high school was confusing, with the gorgeous but horribly straight Silas Cannon roaming the halls, and Max still in the closet.
No one foresaw Max thrust into the gladiatorial world of football, a sport he barely followed, and only because his grandpa Gunnar owned the NFL’s newest franchise, the Portland Rogues.
No one imagined Gunnar suddenly dying, leaving the team not to Max's Uncle Fen, the team's general manager and Gunnar's only son, but to 18-year-old Max!
Meanwhile on the field, Portland has never put together a winning season. They have plenty of talent, and Coach Curcio definitely commands respect. But is it even possible for the Rogues to overcome the war between their suddenly jilted GM and his young, “undeserving” nephew?
Can Max survive his peers’ sudden interest, or the judgments of Reddit, Snapchat, and Twitter? Will he overcome the scheming Uncle Fen and the skepticism of Rogues players? And what about the other owners—is accepting a teen colleague their biggest challenge, or the waving of a giant Pride flag?
Most of all, though, does Max believe enough in himself, whether it’s leading the club, confronting his foes, or accepting the affections of an unexpected beau? Can he win the Super Bowl and the hottest guy in school?
About the Author
Truscott Jones practiced trial law for 25 years, eventually leaving to teach 12th grade government. Way before that, he played wide receiver in high school, spent four years on a major college program’s football staff, and survived the travails of being a closeted teen.
In Ready...Set...Pride!, Truscott draws upon his own experience to explore what it means to uncover and accept who you are, to experience the gift of love and the blight of prejudice with equal resolve, and to learn that change is both difficult and inevitable.