"With his pitch-perfect blend of meticulous reporting and vivid storytelling, Bill Plaschke takes you inside the huddle, the homes and the hearts of the Paradise Bobcats and coach Rick Prinz after a historic wildfire leveled their town. Come on up to the rising. Don't wait for the movie. Read the book. This book.'' -- DAN SHAUGHNESSY, author of Wish It Lasted Forever: Life with the Larry Bird Celtics "Plaschke writes with an empathy and authority that only comes with having earned the trust of those in this resilient town. Tenderly written, expertly researched and reported, it is a book with inspiration on every page." -- GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI, ESPN's "College GameDay" "Heart-rending.
You must read this book. Period." -- Chico Enterprise Record "As one of the greatest sportswriters of all time, Bill Plaschke delivers a towering account of a wildfire matched in intensity only by the raging spirit of a California town and a football team that refused to be destroyed by it. Paradise Found is not a sports book. It's a book about all-American resilience, and one of the most profound stories you will ever read." -- IAN O'CONNOR, New York Times Bestselling Author of Belichick "Plaschke masterfully captures the passion and suffering of the players, coaches, and athletic director. Don't miss Plaschke's powerful and inspirational sports story about healing and finding humanity in devastating circumstances." -- Booklist (starred review) "A story with more big-picture stakes than that of Friday Night Lights.
[Plaschke is] a graceful and perceptive writer. A moving and well-told account of how a battered team regrouped after catastrophic losses." -- Kirkus Reviews "In Paradise Found Bill Plaschke penetrates the ash and smoke left behind after a devastating fire nearly destroyed a community. Writing with compassion and grace, he reveals what still remained untouched--the big hearts that brought a football team back on the field and breathed new life into a town that desperately needed it". -- GLENN STOUT, editor of The Year's Best Sports Writing and author of Young Woman and the Sea "Bill Plaschke captures the humanity of sports better than any writer in America. In Paradise Found the fire that devastated a community forged a team. But what happens after that may be the greatest lesson in life: paradise is fighting for each other. Friday Night Lights meets Unbroken.
" -- TONY REALI, host, Around the Horn "Bill Plaschke is one of America's great sports writers for a reason. This touching, heartwarming saga of a high school football team facing an unprecedented test reminds us that, even in dark times, hope finds a way. Once again, Plaschke delivers a masterpiece." -- JEFF PEARLMAN, New York Times bestselling author of Three-Ring Circus "Intense and inspiring. Told with clear-eyed honesty, this story of unfaltering purpose will resonate." -- Library Journal.