Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football

“A solid oral history . . . [Cohen] lays bare his pride and compassion for the warriors who brought glory to Chi-Town for one unforgettable moment.” —Entertainment Weekly (A-)

Payton, Hampton, McMahon, and Ditka—even the casual football fan recognizes these names, the pillars of the 1985 Chicago bears: Walter “Sweetness” Payton, the fleet-footed running back; Dan Hampton, the hard-charging defensive tackle known as the “Danimal”; Jim McMahon, the punky quarterback, changing plays on the fly; and Mike Ditka, the hotheaded, mustachioed head coach.

In Monsters, author Rich Cohen breathlessly recounts the thrilling narrative of their 1985 championship season. It’s a story filled with outsized characters and unbelievable-but-true anecdotes gleaned from extensive interviews with the players themselves. It’s a story about fathers and sons, love and loyalty, hope and redemption, and pain and joy. It’s a story about football, in all its beauty and brutality—the uniquely American sport.

These are the 1985 Chicago Bears as only Cohen could describe them. You’ll never see the team, or the game, or your own childhood idols the same way again.

“Terrific . . . One of the book’s great joys is its successful efforts to tie the threads of the past through the story.” —Chicago Tribune

“This book—full of soul and searching, and also knock-you-down funny—is not just a great sports book, not just a great Chicago book, but a great book, period.” —Dave Eggers