In Big Girl Blitz, Danielle Allen gives the grand gesture trope a fresh, sporty twist by relating the trope to the American football play known as the blitz. It works beautifully in the story because Jazmyn Payne, a teacher, aspiring novelist, and lifelong football fan, falls in love with a professional football player. When her own love story requires a grand gesture moment, the blitz inspires her to “go big or go home.”
For beginners and experienced annotators alike, annotating the title of a book is a worthwhile endeavor. Titles appear in texts in all sorts of creative ways, some simple and some with tons of complexity. It’s usually not a hard annotation to make, as a book’s title tends to stand out. The great this is that a title is something you can annotate in every book you read. It can become a consistent part of your annotating practice starting today with Big Girl Blitz.
How to Annotate the Title In Big Girl Blitz
You’ll need 8 tabs of the same color to annotate the title in Big Girl Blitz, plus a coordinating highlighter or pen for underlining. 1 tab will be for your annotating key. The other 7 tabs will be for marking pages in the book.
The list below contains every appearance of the title in the Big Girl Blitz by Danielle Allen, including all the moments in the text where “blitz” comes up as well as “grand gesture.” Since these words are intricately linked in Jazmyn Payne’s world, it’s important to do both for this annotating project.
Tab 1 – Chapter 2, p 14
“I love a good blitz. It’s organized disruption. It takes timing, execution, and adaptability. And when done right, it can be a game changer,” I rambled. “It’s the ultimate ‘go big or go home’ play.” / “A blitz, huh?” There was a playfulness and familiarity to his tone. “And what about for offense?”
Tab 2 – Chapter 2, p 17
“You don’t believe in grand gestures?” I asked sarcastically. / He let out a light chuckle. “I mean, yeah, if the situation calls for it. But I’m more low-key with it. I move in silence.”
“You like grand gestures?” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. I looked at the man groveling across the bar and shook my head. “I like what’s real,” I answered, getting back to the game. “I don’t like a lot of attention, so doing all that would be”—I hesitated before settling on a word—“embarrassing.”
Tab 3 – Chapter 19, p 232
“The third play was a blitz, and because of how the quarterback fled the pocket, Lamar sacked him. / ‘Yes!’ I cheered.”
Tab 4 – Chapter 23, p 289
“As if on cue, for the first play of the game, the Monarchs’ defense executed an all-out blitz. Lamar strip sacked the quarterback, and the middle linebacker, Reed, recovered the ball.”
“’Wow, that was a way to start the game! Let’s check the replay,’ the commentator announced. ‘You can see Coach Rice and the Maryland Monarchs are making a statement by starting the game with an all-out blitz.’”
Tab 5 – Chapter 25, p 310
“He chuckled. ‘Hello to the beautiful Ms. Jazmyn Payne. Did you see that blitz?’”
Tab 6 – Chapter 33, p 420-421
Nina Ford: And in football terms, you’ve been playing offense, now you need to play defense.
Jazmyn Payne: What does that even look like?
Nina Ford: The hell if I know! But if you’re the coach and the other team has the ball and you need to make a stop, what are you going to do to shake shit up?! What’s your favorite play?
Jazmyn Payne: A blitz.
Aaliyah James: I don’t know what that means, but yes, blitz! Do that.
Nina Ford: Do something. Anything!
Nina Ford: What does blitzing look like in the game?
Jazmyn Payne: It’s organized disruption. The ultimate go big or go home play outside of a Hail Mary.
Aaliyah James: Yes, blitz!
Nina Ford: Yes! Organized disruption. Go big and tell the world you’re Lamar’s girlfriend. And go home with him and throw that ass in a circle.
“That’s how you blitz,” Nina confirmed. / “I think that’s a great idea!” Aaliyah agreed. “It’s romantic. That’s basically like sending him flowers to his job.”/ “Blitz! Blitz! Blitz!” Nina chanted, and then Aaliyah joined in. /“You don’t even know what blitzing is,” I complained as I tried not to laugh.
Tab 7 – Chapter 35, p 443
“To be seen, cared for, and considered was the ultimate show of love. For me, it wasn’t about big, over-the-top grand gestures. It was being protected, being chosen, and being loved out loud despite what anyone had to say. His love wasn’t loud. His love was genuine. He anticipated my needs and delivered—not because he needed me to know it was him but because he needed me to be taken care of. He didn’t do it for credit. He did it for me.”
Annotate With Sara 