I spend a lot of time online -- marketing for work, blogging for fun, spending all our money on Etsy -- but it still feels a little strange when I blur the lines. For instance, when I talk about work here. I imagine some of you don't particularly care that I market books all day, but when my job includes a book on Friday Night Lights, I get twitchy at the prospect of not telling you about it.
There is no better show on tv now or ever, in my opinion, and I know that betrays my deep-rooted and everlasting love for Veronica Mars, but I betray because I must. The show is stunning in its brilliance and its subtlety, sometimes both in the same scene. It's not perfect, and it's not like any other show I've ever seen, but it's the best show I've ever watched, both by episode and overall. I like to say we named Kyle after Kyle Chandler, and although that's a big, fat lie, Coach Taylor's portrayer would be a damn good namesake.
It ends its five-year run next Friday on NBC. I've seen the finale (it aired on DirecTV this spring), but I will re-watch it again through my sobs, I'm sure, and I'll be reminded that amidst all the reality tv (that I watch, admittedly) and crappy sitcoms that still employ a laugh track, and dramas that are as predictable as they are cheesy, there is still tv out there to love, to be proud of, to remember.
I know, it's just tv. But, then again, it's not. If you've ever found a show you really and truly love, you know it's not.
In our book, A Friday Night Lights Companion (with an intro by Deadspin founder, Will Leitch), there are heartfelt and smart essays on what we love about this show and why and even a little on each character (try not to nod along to the few pages devoted to why we love Tim Riggins). It's a great read, and you can get it NOW on Kindle and next month in paperback. You can and should read Jonna's essay on the Taylors' perfectly imperfect marriage, specifically.
One of the passages I've re-read a zillion times is from Jacob Clifton's "Come Home: West Texas Identities" because it reminds me so much of what I feel as a liberal woman who's lived in conservative Texas for 18 years:
"There is no conservative lock on patriotism, any more than liberals have a monopoly on charity. But liberal patriotism feels like nitpicking, the attempt to create a better country through constant complaint, and conservative charity looks suspiciously like church."
The whole book is that good and both on the show itself and the bigger picture the show paints for us.
Anyway, I think you should absolutely read the book (and watch the show, my god, if you aren't already). In fact, if you have a blog (book-focused or not) and want to review the book on your blog, here's your lucky day. I have ten review copies to give out. (Edited to add: these aren't giveaway copies, unfortunately, but review copies for bloggers! Sorry if that wasn't clear.)
Just leave a comment or email me at shelikespurple AT gmail.com. I'll put a copy in the mail to you as soon as I can, if you're one of the first comments or emails.
***
(And, hey, if you don't like books or Friday Night Lights or me talking about work, big apologies! I won't do it that often, pinky swear.)