For parents, the decision on whether to allow their son to play football is a difficult one weighing very real risks with very real rewards. There are the social pressures to join in on America’s favorite sport – and also the concerns about how concussions may impact their child’s future. And then there is weighing how football can help form their child’s character. In telling the story of Zac Easter, Reid Forgrave tells the story of America’s complicated love affair with football, and examines the unique challenges of raising a boy in modern-day America.

Reid Forgrave writes about sports and other topics for GQ, the New York Times Magazine, and Mother Jones, among other publications. He has covered the NFL and college football for FoxSports.com and CBS Sports, and he currently writes for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. The article in which he first wrote about Zac Easter is included in Best American Sports Writing 2018. A past life found him working at the Des Moines Register in Iowa, where he wrote long-form narrative journalism and covered the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses. Forgrave lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons. Love, Zac is his first book.

Barnes & Noble will also be on site to sell copies of Reid’s book.

This program is best suited for adults. Registration is required.

Those wishing to attend may attend the event in two ways: in-person or virtually. In-person registrants will attend the event in The Library | Fairmount’s Meeting Room. Virtual registrants will receive an email with the Zoom Meeting Link and Meeting ID.