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Damage by A.M. Jenkins, reviewed by Peter M.

In this fiction novel, A.M. Jenkins writes a well-written story about a high school senior in his last year of playing football for the Parkersville Panthers. In the book Damage the readers meet Austin Reid, the main character who expresses his life story in the small town of Parkersville. As Austin begins his story he talks about his family, friends, and passion for playing football.

Austin Reid’s father died from cancer of the esophagus when Austin was only three years of age. As the novel opens, we learn that Austin Reid is the narrator of the story and he is in his senior year of high school. Growing up in a small town, Austin lives with his mother and his younger sister, Becky. Austin has been playing football since the third grade and it is finally his senior year of Parkersville Panther Pride. Austin has many friends who also play football and go to school with him. Curtis, Austin’s best friend, is the running back of the team and is the captain of the Panthers. Throughout the novel, Austin constantly goes out on dates with Heather Mackenzie, who becomes Austin’s girlfriend later on in the novel. The town of Parkersville is a small town where high school football is very important to the townspeople. The Parkersville Panthers get off to a great start by winning their first several games of the season. The novel is fulfilled with stories of high school seniors and their lives of school and playing football. This story is about the character Austin Reid’s career and how football relates to Austin’s real life.

This novel offers the reader so much about the life of high school athletes not only on the football field but in their social lives as well. It also offers a great deal about doing something you love and working hard for something you want to accomplish. There are many themes and morals to this story. The author A.M. Jenkins uses very descriptive language to easily portray Austin Reid’s life. It was really a pleasure to be absorbed in such descriptive styles of writing. This book really shows how hard you have to work to accomplish your goals.

Some readers might not find the novel as interesting as others because you really need to like sports to be pleased with this story. While reading, some people may get confused when the author writes about different situations and characters' lives in different chapters. Additionally, the author is not really focused when the team plays football. The author just gives you the outcome of the game not many details are shown by A.M. Jenkins. Some readers might find this story a little long and boring.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Damage. Truly, I think this book deserves four stars. The stories of these boys’ lives are very interesting. I really think I can relate to this story because I play high school sports, and I found many similarities in my life and this novel. This book is highly recommended for teens who appreciate sports, especially football. I feel that all high school student athletes will enjoy reading the story of the Parkersville Panthers. While most teenagers can certainly enjoy the novel, it is also a great story for some younger athletes who are motivated to play sports.