Book
Apparently this was the year of non-fiction for me.
Perhaps best known for his baseball-centered book, Moneyball, Michael Lewis returns to sport to tell the story of one physically gifted teenager who gets plucked from the ghetto of Memphis to get his shot at a high school football career, and possibly more. Intertwined is a story about how the free market of football (the NFL) has come to value one seemingly insignificant lineman position has come to be almost as valued as any other.
The subject matter is compelling, but the story drags at times, needing perhaps more drama than there simply is in the story. As a fan of the NFL, the background for the story was interesting, and hearing the stories about the rise of the lineman was interesting. It was two stories I'd never heard before, one appealing to the sports fan in me, the other appealing to the economist in me.
The first book I ever read by Michael Lewis was Liar's Poker about Wall Street excess in the 1980's. His writing style is solid, and he strings together anecdotes well, weaving them into a greater story.
If you're interested in football, I would recommend this story. Just fight the temptation to Google the main character until the story's done.