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    Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson Summary

    Before the Ever After
    Jacqueline Woodson
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    Overview of Before the Ever After

    Jacqueline Woodson's award-winning verse novel follows ZJ, watching his NFL-star father fade to CTE. What happens when the game you love destroys the person you love? Six starred reviews for this poignant exploration of sports' devastating hidden cost.

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    When he plays music, "everything makes some kind of strange sense" as if his guitar "has all the answers."

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    1.5K Ratings4.7
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    Key Takeaways

    1

    When Heroes Fall: A Son's Journey Through His Father's Decline

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    ZJ's world revolves around his father - NFL superstar Zachariah "44" Johnson. But something is changing. His dad's hands shake. He forgets things. His headaches are unbearable. Through ZJ's innocent eyes, we witness the gradual unraveling of a family as his father suffers from what we now recognize as CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) - though in the late 1990s setting of this story, it remains a mysterious, unnamed condition. What happens when the hero who carried you on his shoulders can barely remember your name? What remains of a family when the center begins to crumble? This is ZJ's story of love, loss, and finding new ways to connect when everything familiar slips away.

    2

    Living in the Shadow of Glory: Before and After

    3

    Golden Memories and Treasured Moments

    4

    The Fantastic Four: Finding Support in Friendship

    5

    When Memory Fails: The Terrifying Transformation

    6

    Football's Hidden Cost: The Medical Mystery

    7

    Music as Medicine: Finding Hope in the Aftermath