Where did you find this book? I looked at amazon.co.uk and they said it was out of print. Do you know of somewhere I could buy it?
Sightlines I can't believe that Sightlines by Simon Inglis has not been mentioned in this forum. The author talks about visiting stadia around the world, and while he hits Croke Park in Ireland, Wrigley Field and the Aussie Olympic Stadium, there are excellent sections on visiting soccer stadia. The running story throughout the book is his bid to visit as many stadia in Buenos Aries as possible in a week. Great reading that I couldn't put down.
There is one listed on half.com for $123 (USD). http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=107875&domain_id=1856&meta_id=1 For that price it better be a signed first edition in pristine condition, but it's listed under acceptable?!?!?!
Also try Football againsta the Enemy by Simon Kuper, he travelled the world discovering the bizarre effects fotball had on politics and culture. A very funny book. Hand of God, The Life and Times of Diego Maradona, by Jimmy Burns. And also Futebol, The Brazilian Way of Life , by Alex Bellos, along with "Miracle..." is the best book on football I've ever read.
I agree completely - Sightlines is wonderful. I'm reading Hillsborough - The Truth right now - unbelievably sad.
This is truly a great book. Athletes are not heroes in my estimation. This book tells the story of real heroes. My oldest child starts micro soccer this year, I want the team to be named FC Start in honor of these guys. Since I read this book I have from time to time considered how I might have responded in the same situation, I fear that I would not measure up.
Red Star, Excellent point - they were real heroes. By the way, in my first years of coaching I had my kids name the team. Stupid idea. Later, we went to Gunners, Arsenal, and then Panic FC. Use FC Start - it will be something for them to remember. If anyone asks "Named after a team in the Ukraine during WWII but also, this is a starting point for these players"
Have a look at the Hillsborough chapter of Faith of our Fathers by Alan Edge, if you get the chance. Really important insight from someone close to the tragedy.
Great thread--I have ordered 4 books recommended in this thread, and I cannot wait to read them. By far, the best website I have found for books, both new and used, is www.alibris.com. I was able to find nearly every book in this thread...some are a bit pricey for me, and some have too long of a wait to arrive, but if there is a rare book that you really want, I'd go there.
I just finished this book. It was OK. Not as insightful as I would have preferred, but not bad at any rate. Some of the material was interesting, especally about the East German fan presecuted by the Stasi. Wasn't there a book on Hillsborough and the aftermath, covering what happened to soccer and other parts of life? Sachin
Glad to see the thread revived. Reminds me on what I need to catch up, per my reading. By the way, I'm presuming that many of the titles (and certainly the Australian ones) can be found not just via the normal sources like Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com), but also via the Dymocks bookstore chain, through www.dymocks.com.au. Cheers, William
First off, thanks of the link to alibris! it's a nice supplement to the one I usually let drain my bank account, http://www.abebooks.com Anyway, I have four more to add that I haven't seen mentioned yet, and which I've read over the past couple of months: Gazza Agonistes by English poet and literary biographer (specializing in recalcitrant subjects) Ian Hamilton. An interesting book on what Gazza means/meant to his fans. Hold on to you Day Job by Des McKeown. One of my all-time favorites: the diary of a year in the life of a part time footballer in the Scottish second division (playing for Partick Thistle and the Queen of the South). He's a full-time sales director for Scotland's largest stationary firm, which lead to a great line in a newspaper after Des had a bad match: something like, "during the week McKeown is a stationary salesman in Glasgow. Unfortunately yesterday, he was a stationary left back for Thistle." For those who've already read this, Des was going to play this year for Stenhousmuir, but he got his leg broken in a pre season friendly. Get Those Sheep Off the Pitch: A life in non-league Football by Phil Staley. Not great, but some humorous anectdotes about a life managing part timers in the wayyyyy lower divisions of the British game, from Wales to Merseyside Manchester United Ruined My Life by Colin Shindler. WARNING: this seriously disses Man U fans, as he's a City supporter. Also, there's a lot of references to cricket. And it's also a great book about growing up Jewish in post war England, and damn funny. And his treatment of the Munich air disaster in 1958 will bring tears (of sadness) to your eyes, too. Next up for me is Futebol, the book about Brazilian soccer, and A Season in Verona, which I put off reading because of a stupid article Tim Parks wrote in FourFourTwo. And I have it on good authority that my wife is getting Stanley Matthews' The Way it Was for me as a stocking stuffer.
A few years ago I read the story of "Busby's Babes", it was pretty good, but then I was just getting into the Euro game and was taken with the dread side.
I forgot to mention that I've seen Dynamo: Defending the Honour of Kiev has been published in the States, and I've seen it at the local Barnes and Noble. It's got a slightly different title, but should be fairly easy to get: Dynamo: Triumph and Tragedy in Nazi-Occupied Kiev
You can get most of these books from the British Amazon site. Here's the Bournemouth one... http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...72583/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_0_1/026-2840565-5844464
I think that was part of the book's charm, that this American writer became so involved in this Serie B team that he starts to trying to tell the manager how to play. Its sort of every fan's fantasy.
Does anyone know if Sightlines has been published in the US? I have not been able to find anything about it.
Re: Re: Suggested Reading List Neither Amazon or Barnes & Noble had anything available on their site, but Amazon had someone selling a used copy for $35. Amazon's UK site www.amazon.co.uk has a paperback copy for #6.40. Even with shipping it would be less than the used one.
I didn't care for "Among the Thugs". Basically English people are arrogent. There I summed up the book. Although the writer did become a soccer fan by the end of the book, so I guess it's not all bad.
I think you mean Unlucky - A season of struggle by Dave Ungrady, an American by the way. Here's a link and a review http://www.a-league.com/features/2002/fea,2002,0001.shtml