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Reviewed by Alma Boucher for Readers' Favorite
The Walk-On is an outstanding novel by Richard Podkowski. Although Mike "The Steelman" Stalowski rules the football field, he is beginning to spiral out of control. Mike played football despite suffering from severe pain and an injury for years. Mike turned to alcohol and painkillers to dull his suffering, both physical and emotional. Estranged from his wife, he unexpectedly meets Kim Richardson while still in the professional sports world. Kim saw Mike for who he was, a kind-hearted Chicagoan who had never lost sight of his humble beginnings. Mike embarks on a life-altering path as a result of significant game losses, painkillers, and excessive alcohol consumption. He was able to work through the pain and come to self-forgiveness through a path led by his mentor, a priest.
The Walk-On is a story of the lengths a player will go to in order to keep playing the game they love. The suffering they will endure, the treatments they will endure, and how the game will change their lives. The story is a page-turner, and Richard Podkowski had my attention from the start. It was easy to follow the game action, even for someone with limited football understanding. The characters were brilliantly developed and easy to relate to. I could feel Mike’s anguish and anger as he struggled with his troubles with alcohol and drugs. Mike’s fall from grace was traumatic, but he was given a chance for redemption. The story was beautifully written, and the chapters flowed into each other. It was much more than I expected and will stay with me for a while.
