Rough House: A Father, a Son, and the Pursuit of Pro Wrestling Glory

by Alison Lyn Miller

Overview

Dispatches from the underbelly of America’s fakest sport.

In Rough House, Alison Lyn Miller introduces Hunter James, an aspiring star born into a family of wrestlers in a small Georgia town. Hunter lifts, runs, and pounds protein, fortifying himself into a human action figure with one goal: to get signed by a major promotion. Wrestling was going to be a ticket out for Hunter’s father, but it never came; he vowed his children wouldn’t waste their lives chasing a dream with no guarantee of success. Despite his father’s wishes, Hunter drops out of college to pursue his ambition, settling for the accessible catharsis of the sport’s smallest stages where, for a few hours, they can be whoever they want to be.

Rich with drama, humor, and heart, Rough House peels back the curtain on one of America’s most easily dismissed cultural phenomena. Within, Miller unpacks the history of wrestling, interweaving insights from iconic stars, industry insiders, and fellow journalists. Whether you’re a die–hard fan or new to the spectacle, this universal story about the pursuit of dreams, the power of performance, and the intricate dance of good versus evil will leave you cheering from the sidelines.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781324086581
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	01/20/2026
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Alison Lyn Miller has reported and written about independent professional wrestlers around her home state of Georgia and published related pieces in Sports Illustrated and Gravy. She has also written for the Atlanta Journal–Constitution, Washington Post, and Garden & Gun, among other publications. She lives in Athens, Georgia.

Editorial Reviews

"I picture Alison Lyn Miller standing by the backyard training ring, or backstage at the weekend throwdown inside a Georgia strip mall. She’s an anthropologist, an interpreter who aims to explain this wildly popular ‘chump of sports’ to people like me who read books. Neither snide nor worshipful, Miller understands wrestling as violent, cathartic storytelling by ‘actors who do their own stunts,’ an art form that deserves respect. Read Rough House to learn about how the ‘dulcet thunder of body to mat became a balm’ for so many, the bargain between wrestlers and fans,…and why it matters to our political moment."— Ted Conover, author of Cheap Land Colorado and Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing

"I could not love a book more. As I think about Rough House, I think what Alison Lyn Miller has done here is portraiture—Robert Frank meets John McPhee—and the real people who come to life on her pages, and their specific and universal dreams and fears, will haunt you long after the book is finished and passed like a secret to a friend. Sure, it’s a wrestling book. But that’s perfect. Because we are, all of us, imperfect animals on a spinning rock, fighting with the forces all around us, beset even, wrestling off the past and with the future, wishing real life had the simplicity of a 20-by-20 square."— Wright Thompson, ESPN, author of The Barn

"Wrestling exists in a dream state—not just for the fans who come to see good conquer evil, but for the performers who wage constant battles with their flaws and desires. Alison Lyn Miller gets up close to show how the deepest struggles of family and identity can play out even under the dim lights of a dilapidated Georgia gym. You might not know the wrestlers in Miller’s book, but when you finish Rough House, you’ll know their hearts."— Tommy Tomlinson, author of Dogland and The Elephant in the Room

"With empathy and grace and insight, driven by respectful and intimate reporting, Alison Lyn Miller pulls the curtain back on a grand American spectacle to show us all that, while suplexes and body slams can be faked, the honest human dramas that draw wrestlers to ‘this brutal ballet’ are universal and revealing."— John T. Edge, host of ESPN’s TrueSouth and author of House of Smoke: A Southerner Goes Searching for Home

"In Rough House, Alison Lyn Miller proves what fans of professional wrestling have always known: This pseudo-sport is the skeleton key for unlocking the mysteries—and horrors—of the United States. Miller, like the wrestlers she documents, puts in a back-breaking effort to prove that wrestling matters, and the results are as thrilling as any hardcore brawl. Truly, this is a book that belongs on the shelves of not just wrestling fans, but anyone who wants to understand the agonized American soul."— Josephine Riesman, author of Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America

"Behind the show and beneath the costumes, Rough House reveals some of the best of America. In this soulful and impeccably researched story, Alison Lyn Miller separates the good guys from the bad guys, the babyfaces from the heels, and the myths from the legends. It’s a fantastic show."— Tim Brown, author of The Tao of the Backup Catcher

"Pro wrestling may or may not be a sport, but it’s without question a magnificent spectacle, the badass American analog of kabuki or pantomime. Rough House is a moving and fascinating look behind the scenes of this spectacle at the grassroots level, from the backyard trampolines where boys and girls learn to copy their heroes to the small-town gyms where they try to join them. You’ll find yourself rooting for both the babyfaces and the heels, even if you already know who will win and who will lose, because Alison Lyn Miller makes you question what it means to ‘win’ or ‘lose’ in this game."— Ed Southern, author of Fight Songs: A Story of Love and Sports in a Complicated South

From the Publisher