All Americans

War and football are often used as metaphors for each other, and there is a rich legacy of connections between the gridiron and the battlefield in American history. Taking this legacy as his starting point, Sports Illustrated journalist Anderson uses the 1941 Army vs. Navy game as the anchor for a number of stories: of four American servicemen, of Annapolis and West Point, of the early history of college football and of America's armed forces during the 1930s and '40s. Not surprisingly, the soldiers' experiences during WWII are gripping, but the book is more than just a chronicle of the war's events. Readers will be inspired by the sacrifices boys made just for the chance to attend America's premier military academies, the difficulties that faced them once they arrived and the glory that attended success on and off the playing field. Most football fans will be amazed at the oddities of how the game was once played; Anderson's meticulous recreations of famous matchups illustrate the importance of the quick kick (punting), the common practice of using the same squad for both offense and defense (and often for extended periods of time), and the central role of the tailback, who got the ball most often and could run, pass or punt on any down at his discretion--""the quarterback,"" Anderson points out, ""rarely touched the ball."" And the muddy, blood- and sweat-soaked game-day heroics take readers back to a time of ""real"" football: leather helmets, broken noses and screaming fans pulling down goalposts after a win. Although the multiple narrative threads can at times make it difficult for the reader to settle in to any one story, on the whole, the book is an engaging tribute to the soldier-athletes of WWII.