LA SALLE - The LaSalle Public Library will host a virtual presentation with author Marjorie Herrera Lewis on Tuesday, Sept. 8 as she shares a true story of courage, perseverance, gender politics, war and Friday night football.

Autumn 1944 – for the folks of Brownwood, Texas, the only thing more important than winning the war is football. It is the heartbeat of Brownwood and Friday nights. For as long as assistant principal Tylene Wilson can recall, the town has gathered in the stands to cheer their boys on. The war, though, has changed everything. Most Brownwood men have gone to war and in the small town, possibilities for a new coach are limited. Tylene, who learned the game at her daddy’s knee, knows more about it than most men, so she does the unthinkable, convincing the school to let her take the job. Faced with opposition from the press, the community, rival coaches, referees, and even the players, Tylene remains resolute. When her boys rally around her, she leads the team - and the town - to a Friday night and subsequent season they will never forget.

Marjorie Herrera Lewis is the author of “When the Men Were Gone,” a novel based on the true story of Tylene Wilson. She is also co-editor of SportsDay Bound, a collection of sports stories published by The Dallas Morning News. Lewis knew early on that she wanted to be a sportswriter. After several years at small newspapers, she began working at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She later joined the Dallas Morning News sports writing staff. Throughout her career, Lewis covered college and professional sports, including the Texas Rangers and Dallas Mavericks, as well as tennis and golf. She also covered the Super Bowl, Wimbledon, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and several college bowl games. She teaches media ethics at the University of North Texas.

This program will be presented in a live virtual format via Zoom beginning at 6 p.m. on Sept. 8. It is free and open to the public. To receive the virtual viewing link, please register by going to https://bit.ly/3iTMfQg. For more information, please contact Rachael Blomquist, Digital Content Librarian, at rblomquist@lasalle.lib.il.us or call the Library at (815) 223-2341.