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A review by jessgrieser
How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization by Franklin Foer
3.0
Foer definitely leaves the best for last in this book. I was expecting to read something that was more cohesive, rather than multiple studies of soccer in various nation-states. The book feels a bit disjointed for having been written in that style. That said, each foray into the respective country's culture surrounding soccer sheds very interesting light on a number of late 20th and early 21st century political dilemmas. Among the more interesting were the discussions of Irish fans' still entrenched anti-papist stances, the explanations of Italian oligarchs, and the subtle Catalonian nationalism that underlies the Barca fandom.
Some of the chapters are quite a bit longer than necessary, and drag. But others are pithy and carried by strong narratives and quirky characters, which make the book move along more swiftly. The best two chapters come at the end, when Foer explains the internal conflict between secular Iranian nationalism and the more religious state favored by Iranian leadership, and the American divide over soccer as it represents a class war. Reading this in early 2017 is particularly interesting in that respect.
I would've liked an epilogue like the prologue, tying the various disparate arguments together in more detail. The book feels like a series of chapters which barely speak to one another, and a final chapter which ties it together would've made it stronger. That said, this is a quick read, and as I explained to the woman on the airplane who asked if I was a soccer player, it's a way to read a book ostensibly about sports that is actually about things I find more compelling. :)
Some of the chapters are quite a bit longer than necessary, and drag. But others are pithy and carried by strong narratives and quirky characters, which make the book move along more swiftly. The best two chapters come at the end, when Foer explains the internal conflict between secular Iranian nationalism and the more religious state favored by Iranian leadership, and the American divide over soccer as it represents a class war. Reading this in early 2017 is particularly interesting in that respect.
I would've liked an epilogue like the prologue, tying the various disparate arguments together in more detail. The book feels like a series of chapters which barely speak to one another, and a final chapter which ties it together would've made it stronger. That said, this is a quick read, and as I explained to the woman on the airplane who asked if I was a soccer player, it's a way to read a book ostensibly about sports that is actually about things I find more compelling. :)