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gracefullypunk's review against another edition
2.0
If your thing is soccer, this book probably isn't for you. The author comes right out and says that, although he has covered eight World Cups (apparently the Women's tournaments don't actually count toward the total) he's not an expert on soccer. The book reflects that in its rather dumbed-down-ness, what it seems to believe an American audience needs. It's also filled with stereotypes regarding how teams play and how cultures behave.
Don't get me wrong, Vecesy genuinely seems to love the *experience* of going to a World Cup. But he also never seemed to want to learn about the sport, which feels strange. You can certainly find joy in this book, but it'll be surrounded by many trite remarks, and statements that have been made again and again.
Don't get me wrong, Vecesy genuinely seems to love the *experience* of going to a World Cup. But he also never seemed to want to learn about the sport, which feels strange. You can certainly find joy in this book, but it'll be surrounded by many trite remarks, and statements that have been made again and again.
ladyheroj's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun read, considering the Round of 16 in Brazil is about to start. It wasn't particularly in-depth, but Vecsey's "soccer memory" (as he refers to it at one point) is longer than mine. I appreciated the first half of the book, where he recounts tournaments I wasn't alive for/too young to remember. The later half was a good nostalgic read. I did like that he also spent time on the women's tournaments, not just the men's world cup that this book was clearly timed for. But like others have said, Vecsey is awfully light on details, considering he's been a sports journalist for fifty-some years. He has spent most of his career covering baseball, so maybe this brevity is to be expected. (Or maybe it's to be expected because brevity was the only way to get the book finished in time to be released just prior to the World Cup.)
weelilbit's review against another edition
5.0
Adored this book and immediately sent a copy to my dad to read. GREAT prose about footy.
ncalv05's review against another edition
2.0
There are better soccer memoirs out there. No real in-depth reflection. Eight World Cups summarized in 254 pages (pages 255-290 are an appendix, bibliography, and an index)? I know Vecsey is a respected sports journalist but he came across as a typical American sports journalist that "found" soccer. Sure...it seems like he came to appreciate the game but still wrote about it as if it were an assignment. I just think he could have put together a more detailed reflection of seeing eight fricking World Cups. Eight.
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