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How Soccer Explains The World
An Unlikely Theory Of Globalization
by Franklin Foer


6.3

based on 10 reviews
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based on 3 votes
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Official Publisher Site

Franklin Foer takes us on a surprising tour through the world of soccer, shattering the myths of our new global age along the way. From Brazil to Bosnia and from Italy to Iran, How Soccer Explains the World is an eye-opening chronicle of how a beautiful sport and its fanatical followers can illuminate the fault lines of a society, whether poverty, anti-Semitism, or radical Islam. [HarperCollins]

HarperCollins, 272 pages
06/29/2004
$24.95

ISBN: 0066212340

Nonfiction
Current Events & Politics
Social Sciences
Sports

All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...

Chicago Tribune John Freeman

He engages each city and team with the spirit of a true fan, and he emerges with impressions so vivid they feel like they've been whispered into your ear over a nice pint of lager.

Booklist Kier Graff

Evenhanded and well reported, it's written in a crisp and engaging style that will hook even readers who have no idea how the "beautiful game" is played. [1 June 2004, p.1675]

Kirkus Reviews

Though the globalism thread sometimes disappears, the author is unfailingly interesting. Lively and provocative -- even for those who just don't get what FIFA is all about.

Publishers Weekly

One doesn't have to be a soccer fan to truly appreciate this absorbing book.

The New York Times Book Review Joe Queenan

Foer's book is such an eccentric, fascinating exposé of a world most of us know nothing about that his inability to prove his central thesis seems almost irrelevant.

Washington Post Jay R. Mandle

A travelogue full of important insights into both cultural change and persistence.

The Independent David Goldblatt

Grand arguments aside, Foer tells some fine tales and travels with an engaging and engaged eye. He is funny, sharp, waspish, alert and reflective.

PopMatters Roger Holland

This is the root of my problem with much of Foer's book. Make no mistake about it, he writes well, he gives good anecdote, he describes some interesting characters and tells some interesting stories, but I'm not convinced he actually gets football and I distrust him as a writer and an analyst.

San Francisco Chronicle Jesse Berrett

Even if Foer's larger argument remains only sporadically convincing, his vividly reported tableau may well cause American sports fans to breathe a sigh of relief about how little, really, our games matter.

Boston Globe Allen Guttmann

The last chapter is the weakest. Yuppie parents enroll their children in soccer leagues while right-wing politicians and talk show hosts sneer at soccer as a sissy game played by closet socialists. Soccer moms may be keener on globalization than NASCAR dads, but it's hard to believe that attitudes toward soccer explain (rather than exemplify) their differences.

The average user rating for this book is 6.3 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

jon w gave it a0:
this book showed no interest in the heart and soul of the most beautiful game on earth but simply tore it apart with nationalist and political destruction

Kris F gave it a10:
Brilliantly composed and a phenomenal read for not just fans of the game but to anyone hoping to learn about many of the problems facing the world today.

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How Soccer Explains The World An Unlikely Theory Of Globalization by Franklin Foer

How Soccer Explains The World
An Unlikely Theory Of Globalization
by Franklin Foer