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mgagermeier's review against another edition
4.0
I am a football fanatic, this is just a fact of my life. Thus, being a child of globalization, the fact that an author looked at Globalization through the lens of football is amazing. It was really interesting to see the interplay of sports and politics. Loved this book.
bennyd's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting, but very heady sociological read. There's a lot of good insight into the behind-the-scenes of the soccer world. Ever wanted to know why hooliganism exists? Or how Franco's regime helped to make Barcelona the most loved and hated franchise in professional sports? How about the corruption of Italian refereeing and why nobody can do anything about it? If you're looking for a straight-up book about the soccer world, don't get this. If you're into sociology and are interested in reading about it from a soccer perspective, this is the book for you.
alex_hev's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.5
Interesting thesis. Some of the topics were easier for me to follow than others, but I learned about soccer culture in different places and some history as well.
chrisiant's review against another edition
4.0
This book was unexpectedly cool. I know people who've read it expecting interesting soccer-related stuff and been disappointed, but I picked it up with absolutely no preconceived notions of what it would be about, and no expectations, and I was really pleasantly surprised.
It's not really a theory of globalization at all, but a series of case studies in which the author illustrates how soccer plays into ethnic and class rivalries, the emancipation of women, political dynasties and other corners of societies you might not expect to find a direct connections to sports.
I found it really accessible, and full of a lot of really surprising information that was quite fascinating.
It's not really a theory of globalization at all, but a series of case studies in which the author illustrates how soccer plays into ethnic and class rivalries, the emancipation of women, political dynasties and other corners of societies you might not expect to find a direct connections to sports.
I found it really accessible, and full of a lot of really surprising information that was quite fascinating.
thewholeplot's review against another edition
3.0
I am a huge soccer fan (as many of you know), so I looked forward to reading this book. However, I do not feel as if the author really accomplished what he set out to do. Hearing the stories of several soccer clubs from around the world was very interesting; however, I still don't know how they explain the world....
thetoreadlistpodcast's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
4.0
"I don't feel like I can recommend this book to 'people' ... but I had A WONDERFUL TIME." - Episode 83, HOW SOCCER EXPLAINS TO PARADISE
https://thetoreadlistpodcast.libsyn.com/how-soccer-explains-to-paradise
https://thetoreadlistpodcast.libsyn.com/how-soccer-explains-to-paradise
eforce1's review against another edition
5.0
I mean really, why wouldn't I like this book? It is about soccer and the soccer culture all over the world, along with globalization and international relations. Awesome!
mugren's review against another edition
3.0
Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, but soccer instead of food.
sonofcrunch's review against another edition
3.0
Foer clearly has passion for the material and it shows. Unfortunately there is a lot of stuff that is vague and skimmed over. I'd love to see a longer version of this book. There are a lot of biases in the book, but Foer admits them freely which adds to the feel the book puts out.
Overall the book is worth the time. Problem is, the subject is worth more time that the book gives. Read it, but then keep digging deeper. An orderly bibliography or footnote section would really help here, but none exists.
Overall the book is worth the time. Problem is, the subject is worth more time that the book gives. Read it, but then keep digging deeper. An orderly bibliography or footnote section would really help here, but none exists.