BOOKS
Stories Inspired by The New York Sharks
"Andra Douglas' sequel to Black & Blue is full of hilarious characters unforgettable dialog, drop-dead-funny scenes and evocative writing. This is more than a sports story, it's a love letter to those who are committed to being their authentic selves."
Billie Jean King
Sports Icon
Changing Cadence
Christine has reluctantly aged out of being the Quarterback of the New York Sharks, the most storied team in women's tackle football, but she is still the team's owner. With big decisions staring her down after 20 years, she has come to terms with selling the team.
Meanwhile, in rural Zephyrhills, Florida, Christine's mother Dorothy has decided to move from her lifelong home on The Hill to a nearby assisted living complex. Many lifetime residents of the town are, one by one, moving into the complex only to experience a childhood of sorts all over again.
As word gets out that Dorothy's daughter's women's tackle football team is going to play their last season, the semi-nosey, semi-bored group decides to follow the team through Facetime chats and by streaming the Sharks' games in the complex's movie room.
If you have ever questioned your station in life, felt the onslaught of age and ageism or struggled to find peace of mind in fickle times, then join this captivating season of hilarity and poignance as Christine travels back and forth between the team in NYC and The Commons, in Central Florida. Witnessing the unlikely bond that forms between the young, fast-talking New York City female athletes and the often-crusty octogenarians in a small, deep-south Florida town, is a head-on collision of "Old Florida" and the "Greatest City in the World!"
"Black and Blue will strike a chord with anyone who grew up before Title IX but its poignancy and appeal go beyond that. Andra Douglas covers it all."
Billie Jean King
Sports Icon
Black & Blue
In the Deep South, football is a religion and even as a young girl, Christine dearly loved the game. Her passion to not just watch but play and excel, was apparent. However, by the time she reached her teens, the South's particular message —that women are second-class citizens — had seeped in. Black & Blue is a book about what happens during her poignant, hilarious, oftimes demoralizing but ultimately successful journey into a world few people know about — the wild west of women's pro football.
From her roots in the Deep South to the streets and boroughs of New York City this is a book about coming of age, and the vivid characters who impact Christine along the way.
When the unexpected opportunity to finally play tackle football comes along, Christine must purchase the New York Sharks, a pro tackle franchise, to keep her dream alive. Christine and her teammates embark on a rollicking quest for the national title that is ostensibly about football, but when tragedy strikes, ultimately becomes a meditation on being different and requires Christine to re-examine herself, her motives and the choices she’s made.