What is this madness all about?

Anyone who has experienced it knows: being a Cleveland Browns fan is just different.

Why are we the only fans in the nation who ever demanded their team back—and got it? Why did three seasons without football fail even to dampen the enthusiasm? Why have we endured years of heartache (The Fumble, The Drive, “Red Right 88” . . .) yet grown ever more attached to the experience?

These 33 essays hold the answer. Author Scott Huler's nostalgic memoirs, and his personal interviews with Browns legends and other fans, uncover those essential, special elements of shared experience that define what being a Browns fan has meant for us all.

It's about pride. It's about desire, tempered by crushing disappointment. It's about tradition, and learning how to root for the home team at your father's side. It's about rivalry and electrifying victory. It's about longing—for a return to past championships, for future glory. It's about heart. It's about all that, and much more.

This odyssey takes Browns fans back to some wonderful places. It revives some truly heartbreaking moments. And it looks to the future with great hope.

If you're Brown, you'll enjoy the ride.

Praise for On Being Brown

"An understated little book but extremely well done. . . . [an] absorbing collection."
— Cincinnati Enquirer

"A 183-page rumination on fandom, a Leaves of Gridiron Grass. The 33 essays and interviews are as bite-sized as pretzels and just as addictive."
— Cleveland Free Times

"Consistently poignant, occasionally profound. . . the pleasures of fandom are in the details."
— The Cleveland Scene

"Less about the big plays, more about the feeling of it all."
— Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Huler captures brilliantly the love affair between the city and the team."
— Currents

"The head-high hit comes from author Scott Huler. . . . His 33 essays mix his memories of rooting for the Browns beside his father and uncle with interviews in person or by phone with fan-favorite Browns athletes."
—Akron Beacon-Journal

"Huler writes with passion and compassion . . . . The book is personal and personable.
—Medina County Gazette

"Easy to follow and hard to put down."
—Cuyahoga Falls News Press

"[Not] just another history lesson. . . Huler is writing about emotions here; not history. This book is therapeutic."
— Sports Jam

"The finest book ever written about the Browns."
— WERE-AM, Cleveland

"A terrific read."
— WEWS-TV, Cleveland