Sacrifice by Cooper

Author Cooper always seems to have some higher principle or point to make with his writings. Employing the realistic backdrop of high school and college football, Cooper weaves a story of gender transition, which for one smallish individual, served to strengthen his passing and ground game. In "Sacrifice,"protagonist Courtney is a fine, although too small and not-quite-good enough for a college scholarship kind of quarterback. Just as the Greek god Hercules found colossal strength in his long hair, our smallish hero, with the assistance of his female love interest, finds strength through feminization. The more girlish he becomes the better player he turns out to be.

Just in case the analogy is not apparent, our hero's natural male characteristics such as his libido and machismo are actually sapping his strength. Is there a moral in this?  For Courtney, his total feminization provides the strength to succeed and proves to be the answer. "Sacrifice" is an excellent story with some on-point football knowledge. I particularly liked the author’s Doug Flutie reference.  For those who are not football fans, the diminutive (by football standards) Flutie rose to prominence during his college football career at Boston College in the 1980s, where he received the Heisman Trophy, college football’s highest honor, before going into an all-star career in the CFL. His "Hail Mary" touchdown pass against Miami in 1984, dubbed "The Pass", is considered among the most memorable moments in sports.

Reviewed by Samuel