The Boys in Brown: A Team, a Coach, a Passage to Adulthood

Behind the rules and the fanfare, one football team believes in the basics. Coach Andy Bitto says his football players are lucky. You get to express your love for each other through the game of football, he says, That is a gift. In Mundelein, Illinois, the heart of Midwestern America, the parents and fans know the success at Carmel Catholic High School has to do with more than fundamentals. Call it love. Call it faith. Call it a certain way of life you just can’t find anywhere else. Local football star LaRon Biere was born addicted to drugs. After his natural mother abandoned him, retired healthcare worker Marion and her husband Jim adopted the infant and nursed him back to health. Marion wants just two things in life: for LaRon to be educated in a religious environment and to see her son graduate from Carmel. With the help of LaRon’s teammates and the community, could both wishes actually be possible? The Boys in Brown is sportswriter Jon J. Kerr’s gritty, in-depth narrative that follows the Corsairs through an unforgettable season of teamwork, sacrifice, and life’s imperfections. When a community fosters mentorship, faith, and leadership upon a group of young men, dozens of lives change in the process. Told through an entertaining and objective narrative, Kerr’s story tackles race, religion, and education amidst the highs and lows of a Catholic high school football season. If you like true stories that combine sports, society, and community, you’ll love Jon J. Kerr’s slice of life narrative. Buy The Boys in Brown to unlock the next great entry in the high school football genre