Suggested Reading List

[Johnny Wright]

"All Played Out - The Full Story of Italia '90" by Pete Davies

Even has a full chapter on the Italy v USA match titled, "The Biggest Thing in Our Lives". Mostly focused on England and their fans travels, but still a solid read.

John

[Dr. Wankler]

Andy Dougan: Dynamo: Defending the Honour of Kiev

I've read most of the books mentioned so far, and I'd put this one right at the top of the list. Here's the description from the bigsoccer store.

http://www.bigsoccer.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=162_2_69&products_id=1991&

[supersport]

Must reads

Football Against the Enemy, Kuper

Miracle of Castel di Sangro, McGinniss

Grass of Another Country, I can't remember the author of this one, but its pretty good, he follows the US National team through Italia '90.

[Real Ray]

Two books that don't get much mention on this site:

1. "London Fields," by Charlie Connelly, is a nice look at English football throuh the lens of the 1998-99 FA Cup. He touches all of the bases, with some interesting chapters about the New Den, womens football, the Hackney Marshes, among others.

2."The Beautiful Team: In Search Of Pele & The 1970 Brazilians," by Garry Jenkins. A nice little book as well, with Jenkins going to Brazil and catching up with many of the players. Photos too of Gerson, Felix, Piazza, Carlos Alberto, etc., as they are today. The chapter on Tostao is very interesting and gives insight to the tension on the team re: Medici regime. In fact, one of his biggest regrets was not protesting the Medici team reception. "I rationalized that one thing had nothing to do with the other, we are professionals in sports and we could not mix that with political problems. It was a chnace I had to protest, I regretted it very much."

[jacko]

Passovatchka--story of moscow dynamo trip to england after ww II

Brilliant Orange--one of the best soccer books ever written.

Dynamo--story of kiev team during wwII. jb

[usa1950]

The Grass of Another Country is by Merrill.

I second The Game of Their Lives by Geoffry Douglas, it inspired my username.


My favourite is The Kop, the End of an Era, by Stephen F. Kelly. It's a history of Liverpool's Spion Kop, up to the point it went all seated after the Taylor Report. Instead of reading like a history text, Kelly tells the story strictly through anectdotes from players, Kopites, Stewards who worked there for years and years. Fantastic for any Liverpool Fan, and my greatest ever ebay buy for only $3. Hard to find in the States I'm sure.

Red and Raw is also solid. It's teh history of Liverpool v Manchester United.

For a bit of a laugh, try The Van, by Roddy Doyle. It's a novel about two Irishmen who quit their jobs to sell fish and chips out of a van, which they park outside of pubs in Ireland during Italia 90. Nice work. Doyle also wrote Trainspotting.

[Pmoliu]

Barca: A People's Passion.

Probably the best book on why FC Barcelona is FC Barcelona.

Paul

[Dr. Wankler]

Originally posted by usa1950
For a bit of a laugh, try The Van, by Roddy Doyle. It's a novel about two Irishmen who quit their jobs to sell fish and chips out of a van, which they park outside of pubs in Ireland during Italia 90. Nice work. Doyle also wrote Trainspotting.

Good stuff in The Van, and in Roddy Doyle in general, but Irvine Welsh wrote Trainspotting. There's a bit of footy in that novel, and footy also makes a cameo in Welsh's Glue as well.

[cosmosRIP]

Originally posted by Playable Back
I have just started A Season With Verona by Tim Parks. Anyone with any opinions on this book? I just read the review in tomorrow's NYT Book Review, looking forward to reading this.

[houndguy]

It's light reading but I recommend UNLUCKY by Dave Ungrady. Its a look at lower division soccer in the US.

Here's the link to a review and buying info.

http://www.a-league.com/features/2002/fea,2002,0001.shtml

[Bleacherbutt]

Another title to add to the summer reading list is Jere Longman's The Girls of Summer. It chronicles the USNWT of 1999. Each chapter covers a little more of the final game against China while focusing on a particular player's bio/personality sketch. It also gives you a glimpse into the methods, mindsets and techniques that are used to prepare for competition on a world stage. I read it in one sitting. Don't take my word for it, my wife loved the book, too--and she has a perspective that is not entirely dominated by the spotted ball.

[Beach Soccer]

<B>The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro or Fever Pitch</B>
On most soccer heads top list for a reason
Also, Hornby kicks ass. I recommend his non-soccer stuff as well.

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<B>I have just started A Season With Verona by Tim Parks. Anyone with any opinions on this book?</B>
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This book is worthy of attention on this board because it’s a soccer book about a
message board! This is, however, is the books major flaw. Reading a book about what some “ultra” style racists post on the web is twice as lame as reading “ultra” style racist post on the web first hand.
Parks is great author known for revealing all the layers of Italy’s culture, language and politics. What Italy is “really” like is his business, and business is good in this book, making the padding with stuff from “The Wall” discussion boards so disappointing. These parts are incestuous and off-putting. One minute Parks has you away in an exotic land on a grand adventure soccer style, the next he’s got you at the monitor reading absurd posts. We can just come here for that.
Also, I fear this book will cause some of the members of BIGSOCCER to slip farther into dementia. Some here already think there posts are mana from heaven blessing all who click. Now they’re going to think they too will be quoted in a famous soccer book one day.
Aside from this it’s a good book depending on how much you care to delve into discussing racism, cuz, as you will quickly learn in this book, you cant write about a season with Verona without writing about a season’s worth of racism.
Not to say this book is about these two things the exclusivley. It’s mostly about being a fan and he really is good at illuminating the Italian way of life.

I saw on SSN the book of the moment was <B>Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life</B>: Alex Bellos . Has anybody read it? I should have got this instead of paying for an import copy of <B>Ultra Nippon</B>: Jonathan Birchall
Its interesting and Japan is cool but the book drags a lil.

[babytiger2001]

One book that hasn't been brought up here yet, and it's long since out of print so I don't think that it would, and that's George Best's autobiography, "The Good, The Bad, and The Bubbly".

Has a lot of good stories about his experiences on the pitch, certainly-- but what hooked me into the book was how frankly he discussed his alcoholism and the reasons why he was the way that he was, in that regard.

That alone provoked a dichotomy of emotions when I read it-- the joy and euphoria of the beautiful game, and the somber nature of this real-life character's tragic flaw.

An old friend of mine back in California (who incidentally, played with and against Best during their NASL days) recommended the book to me, and I'm glad that he did, for reasons beyond Best being one of my heroes growing up. 200-plus pages in the text, and I did not put it down for a second-- took care of it in a single night.

Cheers,
William

[QPR Kevin H]

Originally posted by Dr. Wankler
Good stuff in The Van, and in Roddy Doyle in general, but Irvine Welsh wrote Trainspotting. There's a bit of footy in that novel, and footy also makes a cameo in Welsh's Glue as well.
If you liked the football stories in the Van, try and pick up My Favourite Year - the Hornby anthology. Doyle writes the first story - about his WC 90 viewing experience. Its the true story behind his Van chapter. Funniest stuff I've read about the game.

And for another good novel with soccer in it...check out White City Blue by Tim Lott. A novel about 4 QPR supporting friends - by a QPR supporting writer. Great read.

[dwinkler]

I really enjoyed Full Time: the Secret Life of Tony Cascarino by Cascarino and Paul Kimmage. Not your typical ghosted autobiography.

[Beach Soccer]

What happened to my <B> bold print </B>? It was fine yesterday. When you initally read my post days ago it was looking correct yes? What changed? What does everyone see? My codes or normal bold print? Sorry for off topic. Oh my, all my post look like this now wtf?

[denalimn]

I'll echo some of the comments already made --

The Far Corner by Harry Pearson
Hand of God by Jimmy Burns

One book that was quite good but not already recommended is Dream On. Follows Tottenham in the 1995-1996 season. Even if you're not a Spurs fan (I'm not), it provides some very good insight on the business of a football club and its mercurial owner.

Also Fathers and Sons by Colin Schindler
and many of the anthologies from When Saturday Comes are quite entertaining (www.wsc.co.uk)

[eric_appleby]

My Favorite Year is brilliant.

[mnthunder]

I recommend 'A Season With Verona' by Tim Parks.
It is a very funny book about a season spent following Hellas Verona around for a season. It has really good insight into Italian life as well as Serie A.

[bronxiniowa]

My three top candidates:

Spurs and Arsenal fans will appreciate "The Great Divide" by Alex Fynn and Olivia Blair. Well, I know Arsenal fans will; it documents how the clubs are moving in opposite directions and has some very nice things to say about Arsene Wenger, which caused this Yank who follows Spurs to take another look at the Gunners. Meanwhile, the authors blast the seemingly unending inertia of the Sugar era in failing to stock Spurs with enough quality players to make the team a player in today's Premier League.

Former Spurs boss Alan Sugar comes in for a thrashing, too, in David Conn's sobering "The Football Business." While a bit on the polemical side (Conn has it in for the Thatcher government of the Eighties and the Conservatives in general and ascribes to them all the ills of modern Britain), it's still a well-written account of how the big clubs have taken the money and run, to the detriment, the author says, of the rest of those who play the sport. The book is a good introduction to the structure of English football as well, covering the relationships between the FA and the Football League, and also touches on Hillsborough as the turning point.

For those who'd like a little insight into South American football, "The Beautiful Game" by Chris Taylor looks at the good as well as the seamy side of the sport on that continent. Argentina and Brazil are covered, of course, as well as Central America, Mexico, Uruguay and even Bolivia and Venezuela. His theme is that it's too bad that the atmosphere of chaos, corruption and scandal taint what's an entertaining version of the game.