Offsides

Press and Reviews | Other Erik E. Esckilsen novels

Published by Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books

To Coach Dempsey, the Warriors team and their Indian mascot symbolize the honor and glory of the Southwind High School athletic tradition. But soccer star Tom Gray sees little more than a denigrating cultural stereotype in the team’s moniker and the stern, war-painted Indian-head profile. As a Mohawk, Tom knows only too well the hardships Native Americans face in their struggle for respect. So when his father’s tragic death forces him and his mother to move to Southwind, Tom must make the decision of a lifetime: betray his family and heritage, or boycott Dempsey’s team and abandon the sport he loves.

In Offsides, fast-paced soccer action brings a star player head-to-head with a stubborn coach, a community embroiled in political controversy, and a decision that redefines one young man’s sense of himself — and what’s worth fighting for.

Acknowledgments:

Author Erik E. Esckilsen thanks five Mohawk teenagers, students at Massena Central High School in upstate New York, for their extremely valuable contributions to Offsides:

Kristen Caldwell — Katsitsienienh´:tha
Spencer Jacobs — Tehoriho´:rens
Joanna Jock — Karakwinon
Sandra Smoke — Kanyenthah
Kanentahawi Delisle Thompson

Thanks also to Kathleen Dodge, Massena Central High School teacher, and Tom French, a teacher at Massena’s J. W. Leary Junior High School, for encouraging the above students to get involved in this project. West Coast teen super-reader Alana Miller also shared useful feedback in the early stages of this project.