Out of the Pocket

A powerful young adult novel that explores the tumultuous journey of self-acceptance and will resonate with readers long after the final page.

“This book is for anyone who cares about understanding bigotry.”—Christ Crutcher, author of Whale Talk and King of the Mild Frontier

Bobby Framingham is the star quarterback at Durango High School and one of the most talented high school football players in California. He’s waiting on scholarship offers from big schools and hopes he’ll go pro after college. On the field, his teammates are like his brothers. But off the field, he knows he’s different—Bobby is gay.

Can he still be one of the guys and be honest about who he is? And even more, if people knew, could he still get that scholarship? Bobby’s not sure. After all, there are no openly gay male athletes in any of the major college or pro sports. Can he help change that? He doesn’t want to be a hero or a poster boy for gay rights—he just wants to play football—but how he handles his situation will send a big message.

Just like in football, once Bobby’s forced out of the pocket he’ll have to make a play. He’ll have to deal with the changing dynamics of the team and his changing relationships with his friends and family, and accept that his path to success might be more difficult, and more public, than he’d hoped.