Rose Bowl Dreams: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Football

Where else can you mix Shakespeare and football, Bloody Caesars and longnecks, playbooks and hymnals? Adam Jones weaves a lyrical tapestry out of what is essentially many large men fighting over a pigskin, and you don't even notice when the action moves from the kitchen to the stadium to the church and back again. That God is a pretty funny guy, too.

Adam Jones writes from his heart about a family, a hometown, a state and a football team that he has loved his entire life, and he does it with candor, compassion and a whip smart sense of timing and humor. His is a life well lived and he has no difficulty knowing Who to thank, and while I am on that subject, we can all thank God for this writer's unqualified talent. You do not have to be a Longhorn junkie to appreciate this book: anyone who has ever marked the Fall by Saturdays has a memorable read in store for him regardless of what conference he calls home. Adam Jones writes about family and football as well as Rick Bragg ever has, but without the requisite "writer's chip" on his shoulder, and in the doing he shows that a grateful man can definitely go home again.

Whether or not you come from a family of fans steeped in the often curious traditions of Texas (the state not the Team) football, which I don't, or whether or not you love college football with a passion that passes all understanding, which I don't, or whether or not you've buried your mother, which I haven't, or whether or not you can explain, must less interpret the actions of any number of college football coaches, which I can't, you need to READ THIS BOOK. Because, simply put, if you like great writing, which I do, and if you love books that are a joy to read because reading brings you joy, which I do because it does, then this book is for you. By way of full disclosure, Adam Jones is a friend, a great guy to break bread with, a hell of a lot of fun to swap stories with, and he's also managed to marry pretty well and produce some great kids. That's real nice and all, but this book goes way beyond nice. How many authors can write, and not offend "he fit in like a Hasidic Jew at a Southern Baptist Convention"? Jones pulls that one off, and many, many more. If you love football or you love to read, you need to read Rose Bowl Dreams.

I'm a Texan. I'm a Longhorn. I love the culture of both, but I'm not a rabid football fan as we Texans are expected to be. If you are, you will definitely love this book. If you aren't, don't pass it up just for that reason. Jones uses football as a framework for the passage of time and a touchstone for important events in his life. He clearly loves the game, but his book is about so much more than that. It's about growing up, living in Texas, the extraordinary women and men in his family who shaped the man he has become, the relationship between his faith and reality, the power of friends and the effect that all of these things had on his perspective upon the birth of his children. Jones is an insightful writer whose humor reflects his intelligence and compassion. You can just tell he's a really good guy, and it's a pleasure to read his memoir and get to know him. I look forward to his next book!

Although football is a thread in this story, it's really somewhat of a prop for a much bigger story about faith and family. Even though I am a card-carrying member of the orangeblood "Cult of '69," what moved me in Rose Bowl Dreams and kept me reading are the stories of grandparents, parents, children, and the perfect spouse bound up in a tale about a growing faith.