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by Rhonda V. Boothe (Author)
A Healthy Fear is a harrowing coming-of-age novel set in the 1980s, where football is king and silence is survival.
When Jarvis and Corey, two young Black teens, relocate with their families to a predominantly white suburban town, they quickly learn that fitting in comes with rules-spoken and unspoken. Isolation, pressure, and the constant need to prove themselves shape their daily lives, until one opportunity seems to offer an escape: high school football.
At the center of the town's pride stands Coach Dan Butler, a revered figure whose influence reaches far beyond the field. To Jarvis and Corey, he represents belonging, protection, and a future bigger than their circumstances. But behind closed doors, mentorship twists into manipulation, and trust becomes a weapon.
As the boys struggle to navigate loyalty, fear, and the burden of secrets they never asked to carry, the cost of silence grows heavier. What begins as a story about ambition and brotherhood slowly unravels into one of power, betrayal, and survival. Each decision pulls them deeper into a web where speaking out could destroy everything-and staying quiet might destroy them instead.
Filled with sharp emotional turns, escalating tension, and revelations that challenge everything the town believes about its heroes, A Healthy Fear builds toward a shocking and unforgettable ending-one that redefines justice, courage, and what it truly means to come of age.
