Publication Date: March 3, 2026
Paranoid administrators, interdepartmental feuds, quirky staff members, and an eccentric headmaster: welcome to Winston Grant High School.
Mark Patterson has a master’s degree in physics, wants to do nothing more than surf and ski, and believes that high school teaching will be the cushy job of his dreams. He receives a rude awakening when he becomes a physics teacher at Winston Grant, a begrudging little brother amidst rival private school heavyweights.
From the outset, Mark must tiptoe through a virtual minefield of Procrustean rules, coddling parents, scheming colleagues, and, of course, teen-aged students.
Things don’t go well, inside or outside the classroom. His students call him Mr. Goofegg. His football team is pathetic. His lunch-table kids behave like Neanderthals. His teaching supervisor, aka the “education implementation strategist,” criticizes him for using equations. His colleagues have even organized a betting pool for when he will get fired.
And when Mark discovers that a weak student in his class is a physics genius, he finds himself caught in the middle of a conflict between father and son, a conflict which could destroy the young man’s potential. Or help Mark find his.
If there is one time to open up a book without reading the back blurb or knowing anything about it, Throwing the Hammer is a perfect fit.
What author Gary J. Kirchner accomplishes is a story that defies being slotted neatly into a specific category of fiction.
At the center of the story is Mark Patterson, who manages to land a job at Winston Grant High School teaching physics and coaching football and soccer.
Referred to as “Numbnuts” by his father-in-law, “Bruce” by the forgetful headmaster, and “Mr. Goofegg” by his students, Mark even manages to take part in the staff pool to see how long he will last. He’s coaching two sports he has no knowledge of, and it is a roller coaster ride of laughs.
Anyone who has ever taught high school students will be able to identify with the zany rules and regulations. The author’s quick wit is woven throughout the story, with some scenes easily drawing laughter.
However, at the core of the story is a deeper message that is conveyed through Mark’s lessons in hammer throwing from a 75-year-old Russian. There is an important parallel between Mark’s success with the hammer and understanding his purpose in life.
Take a deep breath and see what Throwing the Hammer is all about. You won’t be disappointed.
Gary J. Kirchner studied physics at McGill University and did his Master’s work in sports biomechanics. He taught physics at several Montreal area high schools as well as at John Abbott College. In 2014 he was awarded La Mention d’honneur de l’Association québécoise de pédagogie collégiale for teaching excellence. He is also a recipient of Football Canada’s Gino Fracas Award. Throwing the Hammer is Kirchner’s fifth novel.
