“Before the Ever After” by Jacqueline Woodson,
Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Random House, New York, 2020
161 pages, Grades 5-8
Football is an exciting sport supported by millions of Americans. College football is intricately tied to private and state universities. Frequently, devoted followers purchase clothing items displaying their allegiance. Professional football also has rabid followers. For decades, fans of the now Las Vegas Raiders dressed in the most outrageous clothes.
Part of the reason for the allure of football is the violence involved in the sport. People like to see violent tackles. In recent years, the tragic part of this vicious tackling has been revealed by the many head injuries suffered by football players. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) occurs after numerous brain concussions. It results in early dementia and other brain disorders. Though football leagues are trying to reduce the incidents of CTE, the sport itself has violent tackling as an integral part.
Jacqueline Woodson writes about the tragedies surrounding CTE in this telling book, “Before the Ever After.”
Zechariah “ZJ” is a young boy eagerly waiting to greet his famous father after a football game. Zechariah Senior is a renowned tight end on a Super Bowl-winning team. Surrounded by famous people, and money, ZJ basks in the adulation given to his father. ZJ’s father calls him “Little Man” and they have a close, affectionate relationship.
The wear and tear of breaking tackles and suffering constant poundings in games is beginning to add up. Daddy starts having trouble recovering from the games. Then the elder Zechariah cannot remember things and his hands begin shaking. The symptoms get worse as he has terrible headaches and cannot get any relief. His mind begins closing down and he forgets family matters and relatives. ZJ and his mother take the older man to many doctors, but nothing helps. One day, he forgets the name of his son. What can ZJ and his mother do to help their increasingly stricken father and husband? To find the answers to this question, go to the library and check out “Before the Ever After” by Jacqueline Woodson.
This is a happy/sad book. Readers will find the loving family in a joyful relationship at the beginning of the book. Zechariah Sr. is a terrific husband and father, as well as a famous football player. However, the concussions continue to mount and after some years, the father is suffering mentally and physically. The football hero years are over, leaving a crippled man behind. ZJ’s father is increasingly unable to help himself despite the loving care given to him by his son and wife. Jacqueline Woodson asks the question of why players in general and black players in particular choose this sport.
Jacqueline Woodson is a famous writer. This book is like reading a combination of prose and lyrical poetry. This invites the reader into the book. She describes the beautiful relationship the family has before the concussions cause CTE in Zechariah Sr. The writing is similar to her exquisite book “brown girl dreaming,” making “Before the Ever After” a moving text.
I hope you get a chance to read this fine novel. Studies concerning CTE are now occurring to the benefit of all athletes and will make football and soccer safer for everyone. I hope some of the changes made in recent years about targeting and concussion protocols can reduce these tragedies.
