{"product_id":"the-throwback-special-9780393353785","title":"The Throwback Special","description":"\u003cp\u003eHere is the absorbing story of twenty-two men who gather every fall to painstakingly reenact what ESPN called \"the most shocking play in NFL history\" and the Washington Redskins dubbed the \"Throwback Special\" the November 1985 play in which the Redskins' Joe Theismann had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants live on \u003cem\u003eMonday Night Football\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith wit and great empathy, Chris Bachelder introduces us to Charles, a psychologist whose expertise is in high demand; George, a garrulous public librarian; Fat Michael, envied and despised by the others for being exquisitely fit; Jeff, a recently divorced man who has become a theorist of marriage; and many more. Over the course of a weekend, the men reveal their secret hopes, fears, and passions as they choose roles, spend a long night of the soul preparing for the play, and finally enact their bizarre ritual for what may be the last time. Along the way, mishaps, misunderstandings, and grievances pile up, and the comforting traditions holding the group together threaten to give way.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Throwback Special\u003c\/em\u003e is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBachelder, Chris:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eChris Bachelder\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of \u003cem\u003eBear v. Shark\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eU.S.!\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAbbott Awaits\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Throwback Special\u003c\/em\u003e and his writing has appeared in \u003cem\u003eMcSweeney's\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Paris Review\u003c\/em\u003e. He lives in Cincinnati, where he teaches at the University of Cincinnati.","brand":"W. W. Norton \u0026 Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50543659122962,"sku":"9780393353785","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d7f04d74-5d4b-4fbb-867b-8ca3aac77f7f.jpg?v=1731512743","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-throwback-special-9780393353785","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}