ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
BOOK BUYER’S PICK
Shades of Green
By Richard Deitsch Ron the fast
track to success as
Here’s a personal story that because it’s a joy for me. I’ve used an attorney and budding politician. Then,
reads like the stuff of my writing career as kind of out of the blue, he’s framed and convicted
great fiction: The protago- another educational experience. for murder, resulting in an 18-year prison
nist starred at Syracuse Writing and being a writer is a big sentence. There he spends his time plotting
University in football (where he part of who I am and what I always revenge against the people who put him
earned All-American honors as a wanted to be.” behind bars.
defensive end) and the classroom Green’s latest novel, Exact That’s the plot of this month’s Book
(he was the valedictorian of his Revenge, is the story of Raymond Buyer’s Pick, Exact Revenge, by Tim Green.
undergraduate class and an honors White, a rising political star who is I don’t like to admit it, but I’m a little
law-school graduate) before grad- framed for murder and becomes a envious of the multitalented Green. He’s
uating to the National Football one-man band of payback after found success in sports, the classroom, on
League (he played linebacker for spending nearly two decades in television and as an author—most people
the Atlanta Falcons for eight years prison. For Green, revenge is a lit- would consider themselves lucky to excel in
and is now a football commentator erary dish best served repeatedly. just one of those areas. Green’s skills as an for Fox Sports) and a prolific literary career “My last three or four novels really kind author are unquestionable. He writes in a confident voice through which he tells a
(Exact Revenge, which debuts in May, is his of started to take on a revenge element,” says fast-paced and riveting story.
From football to fantasy,
restless Green finds success
aymond White
appears to be
FRANCE FREEMAN
LAURE LILLE
Tim
Green
12th book). Green, whose nonfiction football memoir, The Exact Revenge is available in most
And we haven’t even mentioned that Tim Dark Side of the Game, was a New York Times warehouses and at
costco.com.
Green is a practicing lawyer, a commentator bestseller. He is also the author of a memoir —Pennie Clark Ianniciello,
for The Bob Edwards Show on XM Radio, an titled A Man and His Mother: An Adopted Costco Book Buyer
occasional contributor to USA Today and the Son’s Search; the movie rights have been pur-host of a new version of the TV show A chased by CBS. “I thought the greatest tale of
Current Affair. It begs the following ques- revenge was The Count of Monte Cristo and I met inmates. It was an unbelievable experi-tion: When does this author/lawyer/television see Exact Revenge as a modern-day Count of ence to be there, to see it, to smell it.”
commentator sleep? Monte Cristo.” Now Green will get to see and smell and
“If the normal workday is eight [hours], I The setting of the novel is Green’s home- experience what it’s like to host a daily show.
try to get 16 hours a day of productivity,” town of Skaneateles, New York, He says the updated version of A Current
Green tells The Connection, perhaps the only and the writer spent ti me at Affair (which debuted in March) will feature
person who can boast that he studied under nearby Auburn Prison to stories that are “tragic, comic and
both Tobias Wolff and George O’Leary. authenticate his story. “What I run the human experience.” It’s
“This is what I love to do. I went to school try to do is try to get as close yet another gig for a man who
and had a successful athletic career. People to the source as I possibly has already achieved more
said there was no way you can do that and be can,” he says. “The prison careers by the age of 41 than most
a serious student, but I was co-valedictorian was a place I wanted to of us ever will in a lifetime.
of my class. I was as serious in my studies as know and feel, because a “The first explanation is I have
I was in my athletics. quarter of this book takes been extremely fortunate,” says
“When I played in the NFLI was getting place in a prison. So I Green, who lives in Skaneateles
my law degree and writing at the same time. spent time in the prison with his wife, Illyssa, and their four
It’s easy for me to be prolific as a writer with the guards and I children. “In all the things I’ve done
I’ve had great people to teach me and
Book giveaway help me become better. Everything
that I have undertaken, I have undertaken with a healthy amount of humility, and an understanding that I’m just
smart enough to know that I’m not that
smart.” C
Costco has 10 autographed copies of No purchase is necessary. Entries must be
Tim Green’s Exact Revenge to give received or postmarked by June 1, 2005. Void
away. To enter, print your name, where prohibited. Employees of Costco and
membership number, address and daytime their families are not eligible. Winners will be
phone number on a postcard or letter and send notified by mail. One entry per household.
to: Exact Revenge, The Costco Connection, P.O. Send your feedback on
Box 34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088, or fax it to this month’s book to:
(425) 313-6718.
discussionquestions@costco.com
Richard Deitsch is a freelance writer living in
New York City.
