Daddy's Little Goalie: A Father, His Daughters, and Sports [Hardcover]

Robert Strauss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 2011

The National Federation of High School Associations estimates that approximately 3.1 million girls participate in high school sports. Daddy's Little Goalie, written by professional sports writer Robert Strauss, is about a new generation of fathers who are nurturing their daughters as girl jocks throughout their years of schooling.

In Daddy's Little Goalie, Strauss shares an invitingly poignant and humorous collection of anecdotes about the father/daughter sporting dynamic based on his own experiences with his daughters, Ella and Sylvia. Proud dads, been-there moms, and sporting daughters alike will recognize themselves in Strauss's stories. From the pride inspired by a daughter's first left-handed layup to the shin-kicking action on the soccer field, Daddy's Little Goalie is not a primer on how to raise the next Venus or Serena Williams, but about the normal run of girl jockdom and the important role of the father/daughter relationship in sports--and life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

It is a love letter of sorts, but without the syrup and sap. And the tears. What separates it from the well-worn genre of fathers and offspring bonding is gender.
--Philadelphia Inquirer

As much a meditation on fathering girls as it is on sports, Strauss puts neither girl on a pedestal; turning phrases about life in "a land of $25 T-shirts and $28 shorts" that  leave readers longing for overtime. --New Jersey Monthly

"Daddy's Little Goalie" breaks the mold...delightful, a breeze to read, and filled with the kind of love that will have you crying and laughing. --Buzz Bissinger, author of "Friday Night Lights" and "Three Nights in August"

He tells the bittersweet story of his girls' athletic exploits with style, sympathy and what you need when your kids hit the field -- a sense of humor. --Ben Yagoda, author of "Memoir: A History" and "About Town: The New Yorker and the World It Made"

Strauss may have been the worst hockey player at Carleton College, but in "Daddy's Little Goalie" he proves he is a world-class father and storyteller. --Ray Didinger, member of the National Football Hall of Fame writers' wing

About the Author

Robert Strauss is the proud father of two daughters who play sports. He has been a staffer at Sports Illustrated and has written extensively for the New York Times. He is an adjunct professor of writing in the English department at the University of Pennsylvania; he also managed to play, just barely, Division III freshman basketball and rugby at Carleton College. He lives with his wife, Susan, and daughters, Ella and Sylvia, in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (April 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449402348
• ISBN-13: 978-1449402341
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #688,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Strauss is the proud father of two daughters who play sports. He has been a staffer at Sports Illustrated and the Philadelphia Daily News and has written extensively for the New York Times. He is an adjunct professor of writing in the English department at the University of Pennsylvania; he also managed to play, just barely, Division III freshman basketball and rugby at Carleton College. He lives with his wife, Susan, and daughters, Ella and Sylvia, in Haddonfield, New Jersey.