While I was excited to try a new kind of material for a change, since I largely read YA books, I was very disappointed with Six. The book reads like a high school or college biography essay, including every little detail to show the teacher how much research the student has done. In particular, the section on the team itself was missing any real sense of the boys who played but instead consisted almost entirely of lists of players, opponents, and final scores with nothing to hold them together. It lacked the depth I expect from a strong biography, generally telling us things about the characters' nature rather than showing us them through evidence and never really touching on any negative aspects or character flaws. The school biography essay sense was reinforced by the Conclusion, which seemed to be simply a restatement of everything previously covered without any real conclusions drawn. Additionally, the text is in need of a good editor. The language is often overwraught; for example, I really can't thing of a situation where the phrase "their distant calls taunted the wingless ones below" would ever be well received. In places, the tense and timeline move around in a very confusing way. And, while I'm a strong supporter of Wikipedia, when your bibliographic essay notes the two sources you used for the history of football as both being websites, I become a little suspicious of the quality of the research being done. I think the idea behind this book is very interesting and, with some stronger research, good editing, and perhaps some more significant oral history, it could tell an uplifting inspiring story, but in its current state, it really misses the mark. ( )

I'm just a casual sports fan but am so glad that I received this book as an Early Reviewer selection. I hadn't known anything about six man football or even that there were other forms of football besides the standard 11 man team. Marc Rasmussen did a great job telling the story of Bill Welsh and the Claremont team. My husband was anxiously awaiting my finishing the book so he could read it. Great tribute to a wonderful coach. ( )

I enjoyed this book. the telling of the passion and devotion of a small town to its six man football team was moving and inspiring. I reccommend it to everyone. A great read! ( )

As a sports fan from the state of Georgia, I know nothing at all about the history of South Dakota high school sports. But this was a nice little read about the coach that leads a six-man football team from a tiny South Dakota town to the longest winning streak in the nation. I enjoyed learning about the six-man game and the story is compelling. I only wished that there had been more narrative included, like interviews with players and fans. This work comes off as a relatively dry recitation of facts in some places. ( )

(Review originally published on my blog: http://awordsworth.blogspot.com/2011/10/six.html)
((Review copy provided through LibraryThing Early Reviewers))

Functioning primarily as a biography of Coach Bill Welsh, Six also offers an in-depth look at life in rural South Dakota 'back in the day' when times were tough, and people were tougher. This was a time when sports meant everything to a town (although prior to Welsh's arrival, the primary sport in Claremont was baseball). Growing up in a similar environment, and working hard to earn - and play - his way through high school and college, Welsh was able to relate to his players on a personal level. He'd been there. He knew what they were going through, and he had a plan. Thanks to the positive influence of his own former coaches and teachers, Welsh understood the importance of investing in students as young men and not just players. This was the underlying theme of his entire coaching career - and it resulted in strong teams, and winning records. Respect and leadership are wonderful partners to enthusiasm on the playing field, and the Honkers had those factors plus talent.

Rasmussun, whose father was one of Welsh's players, does a great job of explaining the concepts and weaving the story of the football and other athletic teams into the biography of Welsh. Including photos and mementos that he found in family collections, Rasmussen gives visual depth to the story he tells. Perhaps not something most people would just pick up on a whim, it was definitely an informative and enjoyable read from a sportsy-perspective. ( )