FOOTBALL BRAT: volume 2 of THE BRAT TRILOGY. Sonny Madeski, almost 13, starts Central High with three aspirations: to be varsity quarterback, classroom brainiac, and Romeo or Mercutio. By Friday of the first week he's persona non grata: expelled. Why? His rap sheet identifies him as pervert, druggie, thief, and thug, among other things. It's an odd list for a kid who wants to be a saint and whose imaginary friend is St. Stanislaus Kostka. Well, he did slap a pornographic note on another boy's desk, show up for practice under the influence of barbiturates, steal food from the cafeteria kitchen, and threaten a girl. On the face of it he's guilty, and the face of it is all the authorities are willing to look at: football coach Cassidy, English teacher Mrs. Leavy, Assistant Principal Mr. Vincent, and Sarah the Hall Monitor. They offer no understanding, recognize no extenuating circumstances, and listen to no ameliorating explanations. No one steps forward on his behalf, not even his family. His uncle thinks expulsion is the comeuppance he deserves, his dad is ill and distant, and his mother, who wanted her son to go to Saint Anselm's Academy, a parochial high school, is happy that he's "out of that awful place," meaning Central High. St. A's is run by the Christian Brothers, famous not only for their brandy but for their strictness and their ability "to smell sin ten feet away." Okay, Sonny takes a bath, fills his soul with Sanctifying Grace, and looks forward to a second chance at high school. Not so fast! His first day at St. A's he alienates Brother Zarzarsky, disciplinarian; Brother No Face, study hall guard; four other straight-laced Brothers, and the student body, all of whom know what he was accused of at Central. As Coach Vignarole tells him, "Your past precedes you." Sonny is not one to shrink from a challenge. He ignores the dirty looks and name-calling, and vows to renew the aspirations that were snuffed out at Central. St. A's won't be doing Romeo and Juliet until second semester, but there are classes to excel in and a football team to lead right now. There's also his reputation to refurbish. None of this will be easy. The classes, nothing but lectures, smother dissent and stifle creativity. The football situation looks better. St. A's quarterback has been dropped from the team for sexual misconduct, so there appears to be an opening for Sonny. Not so. The second-string quarterback is the son of Coach Vignarole's life-long friend Harold Conklin, one of St. A's leading donors. Obviously, Sonny has a steep mountain to climb. It's Mount Whitney, and he's stuck in Death Valley. Football Brat may be difficult for some, for it does not speak down to its readers. The narrator--Sonny tells the story--likes to use big words and long sentences now and then. But he's not tendentious, and he's obscure only to be discreet. For instance, he does not quote that list of dirty words, and he does not describe the former quarterback's bad behavior. There are, however, a few curse words, even though Sonny despises such language and does his best to limit it. The novel is not preachy or didactic, but it keeps the balance of good and evil clear. Sonny's mistakes and bad decisions come from exuberance, not evil intentions, and are qualified by humor and his determination to be a saint.
