Brooklyn is noted for its diverse neighborhoods and the changing landscape of the borough is bringing more wealth and success to many of its residents. However, the neighborhood of Brownsville has felt that some of this success has left it behind. There is a great success story that originates from Brownsville – the youth football program known as the Mo Better Jaguars. This excellent book by Albert Samaha captures the spirit of these football squads, as well as its players and coaches.

The main focus of the book is not just the sport of football but the issues facing boys and young men in the inner city. Several players – Gio, Oomz, Isaiah and Hart just to name a few – are portrayed and their issues with family, school, gangs and other matters are told in painstaking detail. Some of the stories are inspirational, some are heartbreaking. Their lives are taking shape while playing for the Mo Better program and they may surprise the reader on just how some of their experiences do not fit the stereotype of life in the inner city.

The same goes for the coaches – Esau, Vick and Chris. These are even better reading as they are not only coaching the boys to improve their football skills but also on what they need to do or not do in order to succeed. Their overwhelming theme is to avoid “the streets” as they can swallow a young man up and he will find himself in gangs, in jail or dead. These coaches not only talk the talk, but they walk the walk. I found Vick’s story quite compelling, especially that at the same time he is telling his players about the importance of school and reading, he is trying to better himself by going to school to become a nursing assistant while trying to find a job.

The reader will also learn about Brownsville – its history, its struggles and the lack of support it has received from the rest of New York City. It is important for the reader to absorb this information as well, as it helps to illustrate what the Mo Better players are experiencing and how the Jaguars have become such a vital part of the neighborhood as many of these youth view football as the means to get onto a path to success. That success may come in the form of an NFL career or a scholarship to college where the education received will lead to a successful career in another field.

Football writing is not forgotten, however, and while Samaha is not a sportswriter by trade, his narratives of the action on field, both in practice and during the games, will be easily digested by all fans of the game no matter how closely they follow the sport. The detail is just as good here, especially when describing how much the players like to hit. It feels like they are releasing all of their frustrations with their issues at home or in school on the other kid, whether it is a teammate at practice or an opponent who will not be able to continue the play.

This book will make an impact on the reader in ways that other sports books cannot, especially when one considers the topic and the issues faced by these young men. It will make the reader think, it will make the reader cheer, and hopefully it will make the reader help to take action to ensure that young men living in places like Brownsville are not left behind.

I wish to thank Perseus Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For this book, Samaha followed a Pop Warner football team form 2013-2014. Based in Brownsville, Brooklyn, the club has a storied past, but the concussion issue is causing all area teams to struggle for players. Focusing on the coaches, several of the best players, and the families, Samaha examines why these kids are playing, why their parents let them, and what they think about it all.

Brownsville is a rough neighborhood, and while some of these kids live there, some are the sons of dads who made it out, typically due to football. Football can get you into a good public high school, or even a private one. A good high school means graduating and the possibility of a good job. Or a college scholarship. And they like it. Just because these kids or their parents are from Brownsville does not mean they don't have hopes and dreams--but football doesn't protect them from the lure of the streets. They play football because it is a foot in the door, but there are easier ways to make money quickly, and one goal of the coaches is to keep the kids occupied and on the straight and narrow. I found the book got a little repetitive, with another practice and the same drills same dads, same shouts, another game, same things. I know this is how it is, having been a soccer mom. Repetitive.

Samaha follows up in 2017, when the main group of kids is in 10th grade. They are in high school. I found the follow up chapter to be weak--partly due to only few kids being covered, partly due to it only being 3 years later. These kids are in high school right now! He also follows up with a few coaches, but again, I wanted more.

This book is certainly interesting, but will be most interesting to people who like reading about football, youth sports, rough neighborhoods, and school choices.

NEVER RAN, NEVER WILL, by Albert Samaha, tells the story of the Brownsville Pop Warner football program called Mo Better Jaguars. Samaha dives deep into the kids lives, their parents, and the coaches and community supporters that all meld together to tell the story of the Mo Better Jaguars.
Rich in history and community pride, Samaha writes of the Mo Better Jaguars with a certain reverence and respect to all the people currently and previously associated with the team. He paints a clear picture of Brownsville and its history, how it has been a neighborhood that has never escaped a high crime rate and that New York City has kind of ignored this downtrodden and mostly forgotten neighborhood and whatever help that was given to Brownsville, like building projects within the community has only aided the lack of prosperity. By looking at the community and how it relates to the team, the reader sees how intertwined the collective yearning of a neighborhood for a better life is and these teams of boys who are learning discipline, respect, and pride really are. Samaha approaches much of the book presenting the facts and then considering the pros and cons of each situation. For example, Samaha juxtaposes the idea that parents try to achieve enough financial stability to escape from Brownsville, and yet many of those same parents feel like living in Brownsville or other like communities can provide a yearning and drive to escape that can help young men, especially those with a Mo Better pedigree, achieve success in life.
Not only are their many societal questions that are considered, but Samaha also tells of the Mo Better teams and their games with such an emotional feel and clear description that the reader gets wrapped up in the kid's seasons. By the end of the book, the reader is riding the highs and lows of each game right along with the kids and the coaches.
Presented with challenging topics that warrant extensive consideration, NEVER RAN, NEVER WILL is a novel that is impactful in ways few books are. Entertained by the players, coaches, and their seasons, the reader enjoys the book as it's being read. Once finished, the book will linger in my mind for good while because of the questions it poses and the answers it searches to find. Samaha has crafted a book that should be considered one of the best in 2018.

An insightful exploration of the issues facing the youth in several communities across the country. The Mo Better Jaguars are more than just a football team, but rather it is an effective vehicle for the youths facing the crushing realities of the inner city to rise above their circumstances and succeed. This does not always happen, but one can still see how beneficial having a mentor can be for these individuals. The message in this book is strengthened further by outlining the criminal justice initiatives in the community as well as the failure/success of these initiatives.

I did not finish this book. I tried to read it a few times, but it didn’t grab me or hold my attention for longer than a few chapters. It might end up being wonderful, but I couldn’t get into it.

This book is very eye opening for a Midwestern woman like myself. I am a foster parent and raise kids that have very different attitudes and life experiences. This book opened my eyes to the circumstances that kids can come from. Those circumstances can really effect the way kids act and react to certain situations. I went to a very diverse high school that really catered to our star athletes and bussed kids in from other parts of town. I never really understood the reasoning for catering class plans to these athletes, but now I am seeing that athletics could be the best chance to change the kids circumstances and get them to college and reaching further goals down the road.

It takes a lot of courage to jump in and fight against the riptide of systemic racism, low-performing schools, familial economic strain and the lure of drugs in the East Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville. Chris Legree and his fellow coaches in the Mo Better Jaguar football program fight a daily battle to help young men stay the course, better themselves through sport, and hopefully escape the streets. This is the story told in Albert Samaha’s exceptional ethnographical book Never Ran, Never Will. With shrinking rosters and health concerns, Samaha’s takes a penetrating look at the value of youth football in the inner city. His balanced reporting chronicles the successes and unfortunate tragedies in the history of the football organization.

The first part of the book briefly details the 2013 season, but mainly focuses on the author’s tremendous research that lays the foundation for so many important discussions in the book. One needs to know the history of Brownsville, the state of law enforcement laws in NYC, and the economics of the transitioning neighborhoods to understand the plight of these young men. From stable middle-class families, immigrant families, and broken homes, Samaha relates the lives of about a half a dozen players and three coaches. The second part of the book takes a deeper dive into the 2014 season. Told with great intensity, the reader cannot help but root for the boys to win.

What struck me the most about this book was the overwhelming impression of the power of a mentor. Several studies over the last ten years have shown the considerable effect positive mentoring can have on youth. As Samaha writes: From ages 10-12, these boys “age out of innocence.” Gio, Hart, Isaiah, and Oomz are boys that need men like Chris, Esau, and Vick in their lives. These men structure their family lives and their jobs around the demands of the program, and should be lauded for that dedication.

Never Ran, Never Will belongs on the shelf next to Kotlowitz’s There Are No Children Here, Wojnarowski’s The Miracle of St. Anthony, and Coyle’s Hardball. This is an important book that poses real questions about what will fill the void if football and other sports disappear from inner cities. The author cares enough to look at all the factors that affect this neighborhood, and confesses in the introduction that he is one of the people who has moved into and gentrified these neighborhoods. His honesty provides a clear view, a transparency that only comes in the most honest and dedicated of writing. Thank you to Mr. Samaha for writing about these boys and their devoted mentors.