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| Craig T. Greenlee played safety in Marshall's secondary. |
West Virginia and the country in November 1970. Marshall University football players, coaches, family members, fans, and the flight crew were all killed returning home from a game at East Carolina University - just minutes from my hometown.
I wasn't alive then, but you don't grow up in the area I grew up in without knowing about that day.
There are books and movies about it, but there is always another side to the story ... the stories of those with a deep, personal connection to the tragedy.
November Ever After tells that story.
Author Craig T. Greenlee was a member of the Marshall football team for two years before leaving due to a lack of passion for the game. If not for that he could've (would've) been on that plane when it went down. He knew these people; had a vested interest in program and the people involved.
This is his story.
This is what he saw.
In the introduction, Greenlee is very clear about the fact that when it happened he tried to
avoid many of the news articles and things of that nature as he could. It was just too painful
to try to deal with.
But he couldn't avoid everything, and he still remembers what it was like
going through the grieving process. Greenlee has combined his own memories with a lot of
research to bring us the rest of the story.
November Ever After is a very well-written and emotional book. You can see the time that
was put into the writing and the research on every page, and you can feel the emotions as
you read. Greenlee puts it all out there so we as readers can try to get a better
understanding of what it was like in Huntington, West Virginia both before and after the
crash.
It's hard to explain how good this book is. No matter how many times you read about the
crash or watch the movie "We Are Marshall," you can't help but feel like something is missing.
The film shines an important spotlight on a dark spot in MU's history, but doesn't cover everything.
Greenlee successfully breaks it all down-the hope that the team was finally going to break
through as a top competitor, the devastation that overwhelmed the town, the rebuilding
process, even the racial tensions that almost destroyed the university before the tragedy took place.
The author makes it real. He makes you feel it all.
Whether you are just starting out learning about the crash or you are someone who has
done research of your own, this is a book you need to get. Now.
You don't just read this book, you experience it. Everyone needs to have this memoir on their personal book shelf.
Review by Vinzio
