"Friday Night Lights" - the book's author

Fans of "Friday Night Lights" author H. G. Bissinger will get a chance to meet him and get his autograph at a book signing from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. tomorrow, June 11, at Hastings Book Music & Video located at 3895 E. 42nd Street in Odessa, Texas.

Update 6/13/04: David J. Lee reported in the 6/12/04 Odessa American that 200 people showed up for the book signing and that about 100 books appeared to have been sold by the end of the signing. Here's more from the article:

The book about Permian High School's 1988 football season spurred controversy about racism and ethics in the city of Odessa.

"My sense is … times heals a lot of wounds," Bissinger said. "Let's face it. They're so ga-ga over the movie, they're like 'What book?' "

Movie director Peter Berg, Bissinger's cousin, is making a film based on the book.

[James "Boobie"] Miles said he believes the city has changed greatly since 1988. "There's no more black and white," he said. "That was 15 years ago. Let it be in the past."

And, Ken Brodnax in the 6/13/04 Odessa American reports that Mr. Bissinger had come to Odessa because Sports Illustrated had sent him back to write a story about how Odessa has changed. And, Mr. Brodnax had some interesting tidbits about Mr. Bissinger:

Still, the author admits that the phenomenal success of the book (he said it still sells about 35,000 copies a year) can sometimes be a burden.

Bissinger likens the attention given to him for writing "Friday Night Lights" to the football hero who is always frozen in time during his glory days. "It's sort of the nonfiction version of the high school quarterback. I've actually written other things in my life." The author said he thinks some of his later books are actually better-written. He went to Hollywood a couple of years ago to be a writer and producer for the popular television drama "NYPD Blue."

"But 'Friday Night Lights' is my badge, and sometimes I wear it proudly and sometimes I wonder, honestly, if it would have been better if I'd written it at a later time in my life."

We'll be watching for that Sports Illustrated article.