Somewhere beyond the circle of money, glitz, drugs, and controversy that characterizes professional sports in America, remnants of an ideal exist. In Iowa, that ideal survives in the form of high school wrestling.
Each a three-time state champion, Jay Borschel and Dan LeClere have a chance in their senior year to join the sports most elite group: the four-timers, wrestlers who win four consecutive state titles. For Jay, a ferocious competitor who feeds off criticism and doubt, a victory would mean vindication over the great mass of skeptics waiting for him to fail. For Dan, who carries on his back the burdens of his tiny farming community, the dreams of his hard-driving coach and father, and his own personal demons, another title is the only acceptable outcome.
Four Days to Glory is the story of America as told through its small towns and their connection to sport the way it was once routinely perceived: as a means of mattering to the folks next door.
You won't put it down
The way "Four Days to Glory" picked up steam from chapter to chapter, I had a hard time setting it aside, and wound up reading it too fast. I actually had to go back a second time to pick up the little details I missed.
This is a great story about heart, sacrifice and pride. I have almost no background in wrestling, but I found myself afterwards going to the internet to find out how Jay and Dan are doing now. Thanks to their success, this looks like a story that is going to continue to be told for years. It should be -- they've got an awful lot to say to many of us who can use the inspiration.
Buy Four Days to Glory: Wrestling with the Soul of the American Heartland by Mark Kreidler At The Lowest Price!
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