Chris Bachelder

A mild-mannered scientist with a hidden sense of humor struggles to repair his marriage and his relationship with his teen son during a month-long European tour.

"The sovereign nation of Las Vegas ... is host to Bear v. Shark II. ... All of America is obsessed with the upcoming spectacle, so tickets are hard to come by. With an essay entitled "Bear v. Shark: A reason to Live," young Curtis Norman wins a national writing contest and four tickets to the event. The Normans loads up their SUV and embark on a road trip to Vegas."--Jacket.

A story of misadventure, anxiety, and the everyday battles and triumphs of parenthood--Publisher's description.

Becoming a father can be one of the most profoundly terrifying, exhilarating, life-changing occasions in a man's life. Now 22 of today's masterful writers get straight to the heart of modern fatherhood in this incomparable collection of thought-provoking essays. From making that ultimate decision to have a kid to making it through the birth to tangling with a toddler mid-tantrum, and eventually letting a teen loose in the world, these fathers explore every facet of fatherhood and show how being a father changed the way they saw the world--and themselves.

The Throwback Special is the story of twenty-two ordinary guys who gather each fall to reenact what ESPN has called the most shocking play in NFL history: the November 1985 play in which Joe Theismann of the Washington Redskins had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. (The play was known by the Redskins as the Throwback Special.) Over the course of a weekend we follow the men as they choose roles; spend a long night of the soul revealing their secret hopes, fears, and passions as they prepare for the game; and finally enact their strange and yet oh-so-American ritual for what may be the last time. With his trademark microfine sense of humor and tragic sense of history (Michael Chabon), Chris Bachelder s moving and very funny tale is filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, and middle age.