about the book
Rodney Boulett and Tater Henry first met when they were ten. Tater wanted only to play some ball, but it was a whites-only park and Tater was not white. Before things got completely out of hand, Rodney helped Tater get away.
As the years past, the two boys and Rodney’s twin sister Angie became friends despite Louisiana’s prejudices.
Then the high school is finally desegregated. Rodney and Tater both make the football team, become an unstoppable force that’s leading the team to the state championship.
But Angie and Tater’s relationship has moved beyond friendship and has turned Rodney’s world upside down.
There are some changes that may be too difficult to accept…
about the author
John Ed Bradley grew up in Opelousas, Louisiana.
As the son of a football coach, John played a lot of footfall. He was an All-State center in high school and a four-year letterman at Louisiana State University, where he was a team captain and named All-SEC as well as Academic All-SEC. There were even 15 or 16 pro teams interested in having him play for them, but John didn’t really want to play pro football.
He wanted to be a writer instead. His bachelor’s degree in creative writing should have tipped people off.
After writing letters to 50 different publications—magazines and newspapers—only one expressed interest having him write for them. The Washington Post started him off on a part-time basis and really liked his work. Six months later, he was hired full-time as a staff writer. Since then, John has also written for Esquire, GQ, and Sports Illustrated.
In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, John also writes fiction. Some of his novels include Tupelo Nights and Call Me by My Name. It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium is his memoir.
John lives in Mandeville, Louisiana, with his wife Kimberly and daughter Hannah.
Sources:
Author biography: SPJ Conference
Author interview: Sports Illustrated
Author video interview: LSU Alumni Association
Also by John Ed Bradley:
It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium. ESPN Books. 2007.
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