Because one cannot bait from the bottom, he does not like bottom, even if he’s up 2–1. In the end, I cared so much about the matches, about Stephen’s understanding of the sport, that I am a proud, newly minted wrestling fan.īrett Espino’s mentality is simple: he doesn’t like to be bottom.

Using Stephen’s detail-oriented personality and fixation on winning, Habash is able explore the sport’s technical details in a way that would feel dense or overwrought in another novel. Habash, who revealed in an interview that he never wrestled, writes about the sport in a way that brings readers to an intimate level with wrestling’s nuances. To prove to everyone else you can do it.” “The two best reasons to do anything are: 1. There is only one thing for Stephen, and that one thing is winning. This intensity is the driving force behind all of Stephen’s actions and feelings. We are side by side with Stephen as he struggles to maintain the grueling pace he’s set for himself. This voice-driven, first-person novel offers enormous access to Stephen’s interior. Wrestling is genuine and true and real.”), and extraordinary focus (“But I don’t need to be old to know that to look back and realize you didn’t push yourself for something you loved is the greatest regret you can have.”). Anything that needs an object or water or an animal is not a sport. I’m constantly reminded that I’m not owed anything.”), humor (“I guess because sailboating and horse jumping, kite contests, golf, those aren’t sports. The novel reads like a manifesto, leading readers into the mind of a character filled with pain (“What will make my thoughts less ugly while I wait for my turn? I live in these little chambers of dissatisfaction like a frustrated prince. Willing to sacrifice beyond reasonable measure, Stephen makes his commitment to wrestling a credo. Stephen Florida is a talented wrestler at an average college, but he is exceptional in his devotion to his sport. The result is a fast-paced novel about sacrifice and dedication, as it follows college senior and wrestling national championship hopeful, Stephen Florida, in his attempt to win the 133lb weight class. Gabe Habash’s confident debut, Stephen Florida, explores the single-minded intensity behind the pursuit of your goals.

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