Don’t just read Those Summer Nights …Experience it! 

I picked up Those Summer Nights by Laura Silverman after realizing the main character, Hannah, was a soccer player. Like Hannah, I had big dreams for soccer. I vividly remember telling people I was going to follow in the footsteps of Mia Hamm, winning Olympics medals and World Cup championships. So, tugged by nostalgia, I began reading Those Summer Nights. 

Here goes: After a year facing the consequences of her worst decisions, Hannah longs for a low key summer where she can prove to her parents that she’s responsible enough to return home from boarding school. But it’s hard to live life on the straight and narrow when she hasn’t dealt with any of her baggage due to her year away. So when her summer job puts her in close proximity to her former best friend, ex-teammates, and her younger brother’s best friend—who doesn’t seem so young anymore—she must decide whether to address her issues or fall back into old habits. Everyone knows old habits are hard to break… 

Those Summer Nights is dual timeline, interweaving Hannah’s story of two different summers. From the start we know that a year ago Hannah was a soccer force to be reckoned with, pushing herself and her teammates hard on and off the field in an effort to reach the Olympics. Her obsession closed her off from anything outside of the sport. In the here and now, Hannah is being motivated by, well, nothing really, except maybe the idea of not making waves. Her competitive nature has been buried down so deep you’d wonder if you were reading about the same girl. But her summer job at Bonanza, the local entertainment hot spot, brings her past mistakes to the forefront of her thoughts when her boss announces the annual Bonanza tournament. Suddenly, she’s thrown back into a competitive environment. Sure, it’s all fun and games at Bonanza, so it should be fine. Especially since Hannah ends up getting assigned to the bowling competition. Yeah, bowling, is that even a sport? No one even runs. So it should be no sweat. Literally. Then again, Hannah was never very good at keeping things low key when it came to winning or losing.  

In Hannah’s honor, I went bowling. In all fairness, it had been a long time since I’d set foot in an alley. At the same time I’m still a very competitive person. However, bowling with kids is drastically different from bowling with other young adults home during summer break. Allow me to illustrate. When playing with twenty somethings, you don’t have to drag the unwieldy plastic ramp to the foul line. Or deal with a bowler laying face down on the floor, dejected after not hitting a single pin. Or having tiny fingers stealthily pressing the reset button while, instead of the pins, you repeatedly hit the big metal arm with your ball, wondering why you’re the only lane who’s machinery is on the fritz.

At least I hope twenty-somethings don’t do those things.

Nevertheless, I had a great time playing ten frames. It was hard to channel my former competitive self, though, because I was far more consumed with making bowling an enjoyable experience for my kids. So, despite not earning a medal of any kind, you know, since I earned the worst score of my life—72, which was significantly less than the sad floor wallower—I’m happy to say I had a great time anyway. Good thing I finally realized that the experience is far more valuable than winning or losing. 

There you have it. Do yourself a favor and read Those Summer Nights. Round up a few friends and bowl your heart out. Have fun with it. Do the granny throw. Toss it with those eyes shut. Use your not-so-dominate hand and see what happens. In the event that you can’t knock down a single pin, don’t let the pressure of your failure lead you to cowering in the fetal position under the snack table. Enjoy the moment, win or lose. Do it for Hannah. Do it for yourself. You won’t regret it. 

If you haven’t already read  Those Summer Nights what are you waiting for? If you already have, why not pick it up again? Either way, take my advice when you do—don’t just read it, experience it! 

Want information about purchasing this book from Neighborhood Reads, a local Washington, MO book store? Click the book cover above!