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Linda’ Book Obsession Reviews “Black & Blue” “Love, Sports and the Art of Empowerment” by Andra Douglas
Andra Douglas, Author of “Black & Blue” writes an exciting, intriguing, and engaging novel of women who live their dreams to play football. The Genres for this Novel are fiction, but much of the material comes from the author’s own experiences. This is a coming of age novel, a search for female worth in a man’s sport. Andra Douglas was the owner of the New York Sharks Pro Football League and is an artist. The author comes from the south and moved to New York City. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. The story starts in the present and goes back to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story.
Christine loves playing football more than anything as a child, and her grandmother buys Christine her first football. This is the south, and boys and men feel that football is a boy-man sport, and women shouldn’t be involved. Christine actually has a love for participating in the sport. As Christine matures, she attends Pratt Institue but never has forgotten her love of football. Christine pursues her love of Art in New York City.
When the opportunity presents itself, Christine “buys” a women’s team, and searches hard for players, coaches, locations, and other teams to play against. It is difficult not to be taken as seriously as the men who play the sport. The women who play on the team have their own set of problems and find fault with one another, but when it comes down to it, they are family. Funding the team’s travel expenses is difficult, as is uniform expenses, and medical costs.
The author discusses the importance of support, encouragement, and hope. I would recommend this novel as an example of women setting out to do what they wanted, and live their dreams.
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