A New Game Plan
Saslow tells the story of Drew Hixon, a college football player who overcomes a severe head injury and forges a new life.
Saslow recounts Hixon's injury, hospitalization and quest to find a new career. He moves between flashbacks and present-time narrative, changing tenses to help demarcate sections. The piece is a nice example of often-popular stories with the theme of triumph over adversity, particularly injury or illness. As in many stories like this, the success is portrayed—and perhaps experienced—as redemption.