"The subtitle of Carey Henry Keefe’s A Tide of Dreams says it all: UNTOLD.
Not only does this spectacular piece of work reveal behind-the-curtain stories of the much written-about Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, but it chronicles in a fascinating way the simultaneous journeys of Bryant and his two closest coaching confidantes and friends – Carney Laslie and Frank Moseley. Beginning in the early 1930s as rugged Crimson Tide football players, this trio of great football minds remained inseparable for most of their careers. Especially poignant are their World War II days when they utilized football techniques and workouts to train what would become the world’s greatest fighter pilots. Following their service, the trio reunited as coaches and continued to lead young men on the gridiron for years to come. A Tide of Dreams is more than a story of three football buddies doing what they loved most: it’s a magnificent display of friendship, love, and loyalty."

Tommy Ford
Retired, Director of Athletic Alumni Association, 33 years:

"Carey Henry Keefe has written a love story, or better said, a story of many loves. ....the devotion of a group of men who experienced the common bond of playing football for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide takes the reader on an adventure.... through the trials of World War II, family, winning and losing football games. On first impression many people will think this is a football book. After reading Keefe’s excellently written text all will know it is an account of devotion, sacrifice, and of love."

Ken Gaddy
Retired Director of the Paul W. Bryant Museum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama:

"Just when you think you know everything about Coach Bear Bryant, Carey Henry Keefe adds a new dimension to his life with this moving portrait about his enduring friendships with her grandfather Carney Laslie and Frank Moseley.  This narrative travels to little-explored wartime training camps where Alabama’s most beloved football coaches bonded for life, prepped the first generation of top gun fliers and mastered the ingredients for producing championship football teams.”

Anne R. Keene, Author
The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win WWII and granddaughter of the commander of the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School in Chapel Hill, NC:

"This book seamlessly weaves together many interesting tales of friendship, college football, preparing our Navy fliers for battle in WWII, and the strength of character and resolve that Coaches Bryant, Laslie and Moseley exhibited all their lives. I was completely immersed in this period of history as I was reading. Loved it!”

Mickie

"It was a really good book and anyone who loves college football and Bear Bryant well enjoy it! There were parts that i felt were a tad slow but I pushed through and very glad i did!"

Anne

"I just finished reading A Tide of Dreams. It is a fascinating story of the lives and partnerships of three legendary football coaches. I am sad that I have no more pages to read of Carey’s beautiful story.
Carey Henry Keefe’s storytelling is thoughtful, insightful, and heartwarming. She brings all the people in her story to life through her vibrant descriptions and through her ability to capture the essence of each person. I felt as though I was following all the important figures in the story through their life journeys. There are lots of twists and turns along the way all throughout the book which kept me riveted and eager to read and learn more.

Carey Henry Keefe is a gifted writer. I highly recommend A Tide of Dreams to any Alabama fan or to anyone who enjoys stories of the challenges and triumphs that one experiences when following one’s dreams.I just finished reading A Tide of Dreams. It is a fascinating story of the lives and partnerships of three legendary football coaches. I am sad that I have no more pages to read of Carey’s beautiful story.
Carey Henry Keefe’s storytelling is thoughtful, insightful, and heartwarming. She brings all the people in her story to life through her vibrant descriptions and through her ability to capture the essence of each person. I felt as though I was following all the important figures in the story through their life journeys. There are lots of twists and turns along the way all throughout the book which kept me riveted and eager to read and learn more.

Carey Henry Keefe is a gifted writer. I highly recommend A Tide of Dreams to any Alabama fan or to anyone who enjoys stories of the challenges and triumphs that one experiences when following one’s dreams."

RPamazoncustomer

"Fabulous football and human interest stories!
It makes a wonderful gift for the readers in your life."

Pattie McHugh

"College football is a lifeblood of not only our home but many homes so I found Carey’s nonfiction book about her grandfather, her godfather, and the legendary coach fascinating.

I had no idea this trio of three had such a rich history coaching together. I also loved the history of college football that Carey adds into this book.

The book centers from the 1940s until the early 1960s. She tells us some very rich history of college football including the use of college coaches to help train Naval pilots during WWII.

Carey has stories about the three coaches and their interactions with other legends such as Wallace Wade, Frank Howard, and General Robert Neyland. There are also great schools and rivalries told about including the University of Kentucky, the University of Tennessee, Duke University, Texas A&M, West Point, and I could go on.

This a great tribute about coaching, friendship, and the roots that made college football what is has become today.

I listened to this book as a gift through Audible. All opinions are my own."

Debbie Rozier

"Having been a student at the University of Alabama, I was always aware of the triumphs and tribulations of the Crimson Tide, but the book weaves together the back stories of all the coaches and their relationships through the years. This book also notes the impact that these former Crimson Tide players had on the many universities athletic programs, most notably, The University of Kentucky, Texas A and M, Virginia Tech, Clemson University, the US Military Academy, and the Virginia Military Institute. In addition, these coaches also positively impacted several high school programs. Great read and special thanks to the author for her timely responses to my emails."

Danielle Drago

"Contains numerous nuggets of previously unrevealed info about pre WW2 Bama football then describes what happened to Coach Bryant and close friends during the war.Then ensues how Bear and associates affected college football through multiple coaching positions.The relationships between Bear and his close teammates are broken down and how important coaches Laslie and Moseley were to Bear’s rise to the top."

George Adams

"Being an SEC girl, I jumped on this book when it was offered to me. I am also someone who remembers watching Bear Bryant coach. I was young, but even on tv, he was impressive. I also had a camp at Alabama one summer when I was about 10 years old. I remember those football players coming into the cafeteria and y’all…THEY WERE HUGE! I will never forget the “in awe” feeling I had that week.

This book brought all of this back! It is very well written and I learned so much I didn’t know. This is in depth and well researched. And I am going to get this for my father in law for Christmas. He may be an Ole Miss Fan but he will enjoy this!

The narrator, GM Hakim, had the perfect voice, it is deep and smooth!

Need a good football read…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today."

Reeca Elliott

"Great reading for "Bear" Bryant fans!"

John E. Ziegler

"Great book about Coach Bryant and his coach friends through college, WWII, and after!"

BETTY J BURROUGHS

"Christmas gift.."

Elaine Nelson

"If you know me, you know I love football so I was really excited when this book was offered to me to read. This book is so much more than just about football though. I really enjoyed reading about the bond that the three friends had and how that translated into naval officers & then onto the football field. I really thought this was well done on audio specifically and would probably recommend it be read that way. Definitely a read folks should pick up!"

Meredith B

"Even though I am not a team fan of where these coach’s played or coached, I loved getting to know the people who helped bring more attention to the sport. I found it really interesting the role coaches had during the war and using the mentality of football to train the soldiers was something I didn’t know was done. It touched on the sacrifices that coaches sometimes have to make in their personal lives that not many people think about. The audio was a fun way to compare the differences between then and now."

Sarah W

"Although I’m not a big sports fan, I always enjoy the excitement of college football season. I love seeing team spirit and passionate fans and thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. It was interesting to learn more about the history of college football and I can now understand its significance in the south. Mostly though I appreciated the incredible friendship and respect that these three legendary coaches shared for many years. Their stories were extremely inspiring and I really enjoyed learning about their accomplishments. The authors note was fantastic as well."

Christy T.

"This was such an interesting read! For me especially because you wouldn’t look at my tastes and expect me to read this. But there is something to be said for the camaraderie amongst sports. I loved the historical aspect that took us down a path of these coaches lives. It was heartbreaking in parts, even. I definitely recommend!"

Ariel Soles

"This book mixes two things I love, history and sports, I live in a house where College Football is part of our lives so reading this story was simply fascinating. If you like sports and historical fiction this book is for you."

Vero Garcia

"I enjoyed this book so much. It takes you through a lifetime of friendship among Coach "Bear" Bryant, Carney Laslie, and Frank Moseley. Most people are aware of "Bear" Bryant as a top coach in American college football history, but not too many people are aware of Laslie or Moseley. The book dives into how these coaches came to be and what they experienced in order to become one of the greatest coaching teams ever. There is no doubt that the unsung hero, the side-kick, the wing-man in Carney Laslie helped "Bear" Bryant to become the head coaching role. particularly at Alabama. This book tells the story of how important it is in life to surround yourself with the right people, and Carney Laslie was one of those people. Both men, along with Frank Moseley, created a dynamic coaching trio though the decades of the 1940s-1980s. A great read about history and college football coaching in America."

SF

"It is a story of three friends with the same passion for coaching the college game of football. The adventures of the three, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Frank Moseley, and the authors' grandfather, Carney Laslie, as they pursued their shared goal of coaching together, is a captivating tale and an easy, enjoyable read. Carey Henry Keefe's investigative style, family and friend connections, and natural ability to weave a story make this effort a superb accomplishment. Her interview skills and ability to gain access to people and records are evident as you are given insights into the lives of these men and their families and connections to the history around them at these times. Carey's unique strength of personality and the sincere curiosity of a granddaughter seeking knowledge of her history had the people who knew these men eager to recount their stories and offer connections that make this a great read and a story more of loyalty and friendship than anything else."

Susan Tranquillo

"It’s college football season and the perfect time to get my ears on this audiobook. And, for the first time, my husband loved listening along with me in the car. The story of friendship behind the scenes of this story is remarkable. The history of college football while focusing on these three legendary coaches is worthy of a W. Great job combining football with the coach-war link, using football mentality to train soldiers, and the parallels of sacrifice. A remarkable story I’m grateful to have listened to."

Kim

"A Tide of Dreams by Carey Henry Keefe is a wonderful book that I listened to the audiobook by GM Hakim.

I am a HUGE football fan and this story is about the Untold Backstory of Coaches Paul "Bear" Bryant, Carney Laslie and Frank Moseley.

During Pearl Harbor in 1941, many dreams were put to the side, including the three coaches turned naval officers aka the '90 Day Wonders.

After the war, the three coaches came back together and coached College teams to championships.
The story is from 1920 to 1961 spanning over 40 years.

This was an excellent story about friendship, loyalty, war, and honor.

Highly recommend!"

Miss W Book Reviews

"Although I’m not particularly interested in college football, this book had me from the first page! Ms. Keefe uses her personal connections to bring the reader inside the fascinating machinations of this highly charged world during the glory days of the sport. She weaves a timeline which follows a cadre of exceptional young men from WWII era military adventures through to the grand achievements that made them legends. A veritable Who’s Who of college football royalty, the story provides humanity and personal anecdotes to the larger-than-life characters who played and coached the best of the best in the sport."

LCB

"Great gift for lovers of college football!"

Barbara A.

"I received this book as a gift and was so excited! An extremely well written story of the lives of 3 men and their impact on the Alabama Crimson Tide! Full of interesting facts and stories and the book reveals the true meaning of teamwork and friendship!"

Mary-Alice Shiflette

"Amazing story! Love giving this as a gift to all the coaches and sports fans in our lives."

Carter

"This is an excellent book for anyone who has a love for football!"

Gibby

"A Tide of Dreams is a very well-written, readable, hence, very interesting and factual book about football and the three close friends who topped the charts in the college sport. I have just cataloged it for our library. Only an insider like Carey Henry Keefe, granddaughter of Coach Laslie, could have had the avenues to write such a compelling and moving tale. It is appealing to even those like myself who are not well-versed in football, and something not-to-be-missed for those who are."

Chris Curlette

"I'll be honest... I didn't know what to expect of this book. I'm not a particularly avid college football fan, never mind an Alabama supporter. But I do love history and sports generally and this book delivered on the delivering against that perfect intersection of narrative storytelling and non-fictional prose that draws any reader in. It was particularly fascinating to learn the role of Alabama's future coaching elite during the onset of WWII and how they transitioned into powerhouses of NCAA athletics. A great read for anyone mildly interested in any of those things!"

Amazon User

"This book tells the story of coaching friendships, and how Bear Bryant and Buck Laslie came to be the winning coaches for Alabama that they were. Who knew that there was a role for football coaches in the training of naval recruits in World War II? That athletes who played football together at Alabama would become future coaches there, and at other Southern powerhouse football teams? The information here catches the flavor and challenges of the coaches' lives and provides a highly enjoyable read!"

The mysterious philosopher

"Carey gives away a piece of herself with this book. It is not only a key bit of history, it is a story about her family.

Reading “A Tide of Dreams” was for me an investment in developing a better picture of the two generations before mine. This book is highly relatable. It puts together generational puzzle pieces.

You come away with a grip."

Brenden McHugh

"Book is excellent and is great. I bought the book at the Paul Bear Bryant store from the author Carey Henry Keefe in October 2022. Thank you for the autographed copy of the book Carey."

"I bought this book at the Paul W. Bryant Museum when I went to a football game. Very good book, and tells a story far greater than just football!"

Steven Ferretti

"This book is a must read if you want to know about 3 great friends and coaches."

Chuck

"A beautiful story about friendship, sportsmanship, sacrifice and our US football history. I am so happy to have found this book, I have a new appreciation for the dynamics of our beloved sport. Highly recommend!"

Wonderful story!