Episode 17: From Friday Night Lights to Cailtin Jenner - Buzz Bissinger

Twenty-five years ago Buzz Bissinger went in search of the Friday night lights – to chronicle the high school football ritual that can bring together a small American town. The result of this journey that took him to Odessa, Texas became the New York Times bestseller “Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream”, a book that would later be adapted into both a movie and TV show of the same name. The book shows America’s love of football while exposing its racism and greed, which is just as prevalent today but often overlooked. Since then Bissinger has not shied away from controversial subjects, including his own life. He has written about his struggle as a shopaholic which has included spending over $500,000 on high-fashion clothing in just two years, as well as his love of wearing women’s clothing. In his very touching book “Father’s Day: Across America with an Unusual Dad and His Extraordinary Son” he explores his relationship with his son Zach, who is savant challenged by serious intellectual deficits, as they take a road trip across the U.S.. As a contributor for Vanity Fair he has written very revealing profiles - of the disgraced journalist Stephen Glass, post scandal Tiger Woods, Oscar nominated Bradley Cooper and maybe his most memorable - Caitlyn Jenner in which he chronicles “the fears and doubts, love and courage, and tensions and traumas involved in the transition”.

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