With the excitement of the Champions League, European title races, the start of the Major League Soccer season and World Cup qualifiers it's an exciting time of the year to be a soccer fan. So whether you're a diehard fan of the sport or are merely soccer curious (and want to see what most of the world is so excited about), here's a selection of 10 books about the "beautiful game".
Soccer in sun and shadow / Eduardo Galeano (796.334 G152)
This is the most beautiful book on the sport that I've read. In it Galeano intertwines his personal experiences with the history of the sport, history of South America and the 20th century.
How soccer explains the world : an unlikely theory of globalization / Franklin Foer (796.334 F654)
Despite the misleading title this book is a fascinating and quick read, and one that uses soccer to examine some far larger issues.
Beyond bend it like Beckham : the global phenomenon of women's soccer / Timothy F. Grainey (796.334 G743)
This book traces the history of women's soccer, from World War I up to the 2011 World Cup. Though dated in parts, it paints a great picture of the history and evolution of women's soccer in both the U.S. and internationally.
Soccernomics : why England loses, why Germany and Brazil win, and why the U.S., Japan, Australia, Turkey and even India are destined to become the kings of the world's most popular sport / Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski (796.334 K96)
A look at the international side of the sport through an economic lens. Also check out Money and soccer : a soccernomics guide which focuses on the economics of soccer clubs.
Among the thugs / Bill Buford (363.32 B929)
An examination of soccer's most unfortunate side: hooliganism. Soccer hooliganism has been with the sport for over a century and typically involves violent, destructive and racist behavior by unruly soccer fans or gangs. Buford spent 8 years studying and following the culture and this book is the result.
Outcasts united : an American town, a refugee team, and one woman's quest to make a difference / Warren St. John (796.334 S774)
In the 1990s refugees from parts of Africa and the Middle East were resettled in the small town of Clarkston, Georgia. This book shares the story of a dedicated soccer coach who starts a soccer program (named the Fugees) to unite a group of refugee youth boys as they adjust to their new lives.
Fever pitch / Nick Hornby (796.334 H814)
A memoir by the celebrated British author, humorously written though years of match reports of Hornby's beloved Arsenal football (soccer) club.
The global game : writers on soccer / edited by John Turnbull, Thom Satterlee, & Alon Raab (796.334 G562)
A diverse literary collection of 56 essays, poems, letters, and other musings on the sport: from a 7th century Chinese poem about the proto-soccer sport of cuju, to an essay reflecting on the political implications of a streaker at an international game.
Soccer in a football world : the story of America's forgotten game / David Wangerin (796.334 W246)
Not necessarily for the casual soccer fan, but a very good (and very detailed) history of soccer in the U.S. for the more devout fan. Also see his follow up book Distant corners : American soccer's history of missed opportunities and lost causes.
This love is not for cowards : salvation and soccer in Ciudad Juárez / Robert Andrew Powell (796.334 P882)
Powell, an American journalist moves to Ciudad Juarez (one of the world's most dangerous cities) to follow The Indios (one of Mexico's worst soccer teams) and their dedicated fans. What follows is not just a story about soccer, but of hope, death, and the dangerous reality of millions of Juarense people.
