This dynamic collection of short stories, which revolves around Argyle West High School's football team, features an ensemble cast of students during their sophomore, junior, and senior years. Some characters appear in only one story, while others appear in many. Written with sensitivity and conviction, the realistic stories are leavened with occasional, often ironic humor. Carter leads off with a witty zinger: the female editorial staff of the school literary magazine offers "A Girl's Guide to Football Players," which explains each position, then comments on the personality and relative intelligence typical of the player who does the job. "A Football Player's Guide to Love," which follows, is considerably shorter--two lines to be exact: "Love. Well, you see it's, uh, sort of, you know, kinda like when . . . Hey, can we talk about this later?" Readers can leave their stereotypes at the door, as Carter shows the unexpected strengths and the vulnerabilities of his characters.