Kelly Springer

The Gym Show Kelly Springer

The Gym Show tells the story of a man faced with a seemingly impossible set of circumstances. The social structure governing America's youth experienced a stark transformation near the end of the 1960s, but change came late to the small town of Mercyville, Pennsylvania, where the rules had yet to be written. When high school principal Jim Adamson discovers two of his students engaged in an activity that can only be described as taboo, he is at a loss as to how to manage this troubling situation. His efforts to do right by the students involved in the incident begin to uncover a wickedness that threatens the entire community. Jim's own demons compel him to re-examine his values and ask himself to what extent he should be protecting his students from the depravity residing within his beloved school. He challenges the powers in Mercyville, who simply want to sweep these troubles under the town's rug, and with the help of a most uncommon ally, he finds a solution, but in doing so, he risks everything. Against the backdrop of the high school's annual crowning event, The Gym Show takes the reader through seven months in the lives of Mercyville High School's students and teachers, the community and its leaders, and the man who does things his way-thoughtfully, but without regret and without apology.