November 16, 2010
Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France
Laurent Dubois
“Laurent Dubois mines the history of French soccer for fascinating theories and riveting stories. His understanding of the relationship between the game and politics is subtle, leading readers deep into important discussions about race and national identity. For those of us who admired the poetics of Les Bleus this is essential reading.”—Franklin Foer
October 20, 2010
The Ball Is Round: A Global History of Football
(Part One)
David Goldblatt
“Since it became a worldwide phenomenon, nobody has attempted to write an overall history of the game. Now David Goldblatt’s stunning book will be the measure against which all other such volumes are judged.” – The Guardian
September 22, 2010
Temples of the Earthbound Gods: Stadiums in the Cultural Landscapes of Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires
Chris Gaffney
“Written for both academic and general audiences, the book seems appropriate for undergraduate or graduate teaching as well as more widespread readership. I highly recommend Temples of the Earthbound Gods as both a lively read and an insightful reflection on sports and society in Latin America.” —Journal of Latin American Geography
May 25, 2010
African Soccerscapes: How a Continent Changed the World’s Game
Peter Alegi
“In this wonderfully researched and richly textured narrative, Alegi tells the vital story of how football transformed Africa and Africa transformed football during the 20th century. The book is a must-read for all those wishing to gain a greater understanding of the past, and future, of the global game.” – Laurent Dubois
March 2010
Golden and Blue Like my Heart: Masculinity, Youth, and Power Among Soccer Fans in Mexico City
Roger Magazine
“This is one of the few works that describes soccer fans in Mexico. It is particularly valuable because it is based on the author’s close personal observations of the [soccer fans’] behavior.” — James Taggart
February 2010
Spartak Moscow: A History of the People’s Team in the Worker’s State
Robert Edelman
“In Spartak Moscow, Robert Edelman gives us a fine work of history and sport. More than merely a chronicle of a team or of Soviet soccer, this is a book about culture and politics, ideology and leisure, entertainment and the state. And it’s a great story, well told.”—Elliott Gorn
January 2010
The Global Game: Writers on Soccer
John Turnbull, Alon Raab, Tom Satterlee
“The first truly global survey of writing on the global game. . . . The collection gives a powerful reminder to Anglo-Saxon literary cultures that football—the most global cultural phenomenon of all—has a rich, multivocal literary tradition.”—David Goldblatt
