Customer Reviews

Soccer in Sun and Shadow

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This is a thoughtful little soccer history reader by a well-known Uruguayan poet and writer. It's written in tiny little topical chunks covering the history of soccer in roughly chronological order. Starting with the pre-history of soccer it unravels leisurely until at the end there is a small denunciation of the big money interests that have corrupted the game which has a grip on the imaginations of little boys (and now girls) around the world. Scattered throughout are lyrical testimonials to individual performers and goals throughout history. As I read, I kept wishing for an accompanying DVD to show these magical goals, but upon reflection, I realized that what Galeano can paint as magic with words might well fade into banality when subjected to the freeze frame. Even though a lot of the players and matches mentioned will mean little to North American soccer fans, the book is still essential reading for its ability to impart the mystical grip the sport has on much of the globe.

Soccer in Sun and Shadow is a superb book covering the very early days of soccer to modern soccer's start in England to the world game that is played today, and all of it is superb. Even if you are not a huge soccer fan, Galeano's passionate writing will draw you into the fold and make you care for at least as long as the book is open.

Galeano recalls his childhood memories of goals scored and saves missed, the beautiful dance his heroes performed with the ball, and his pride in South American soccer. His writing is sublime and metaphoric, and Galeano never stumbles. By the time he examines the new phase of commercial soccer you'll want to cry at the tainting of a game that is (was?) so pure. The commercialization of soccer will help peolpe from the states relate to the rest of the world: after all, it was just a couple of decades ago when our four major sports were ruined by escalating salaries, corporate involvement and worthless expansion. Galeano wears his heart on his sleeve and creates a wonderful read that anyone, sports fan or not, should enjoy.

Soccer in Sun and Shadow is Eduardo Galeano's lyrical portrayal of the magic, passion and spontaneity of the sport set in a historical context from soccer's beginnings to the arrival of Bralizian dominance and the subsequent mass marketing of the sport via television and various corporations. The book is comprised of many anecdotes relating the feats of some of soccer's mythic heroes such as Friedenreich, Garrincha, Di Stefano, Cruyff, and of course, the inimitable Pelé. This format will probably appeal more to soccer neophytes than long-time fans, but nonetheless, it is still a good read.

I enjoyed reading stories about various aspects of the sports history and the personalities that formed it. I liked learning about the person who invented the bicycle kick and Di Stefano's incredible goal or how Zizinho scored a double goal against Yugoslavia during the 1950 World Cup. Throughout the book, Galeano imbues the narrative with a tone of passionate reverence for soccer, although he is critical of the big-money machine it has become in recent years.

This is a good book for both fans and non-fans of soccer.

This breathtaking collection of soccer vignettes would resonate only with those who had played the game in the streets, who can still remember the names of the neighborhood heros and legends. That bygone era had certainly produced the most imaginative and skillful players in the history of the game. And it is the poor neighborhoods and urban slums that still produce the best creative genius in terms of individual talent, not the resplendent multi-million dollar youth academies of the post-industrial world. The stories and observations in Galeano's book are vibrant with emotion, there is nostalgia, sadness and sorrow parlayed through the memory. One observation is particularly poignant, that of an empty soccer stadium after the game, the feeling of emptiness and mortality. Thank God, Uruguyan soccer is probably the only one true to its great tradition, and althouigh the country is ridden with endemic problems beseeching that part of the world, no other team in the world can weave a gossamer lace of short passes like they do. May be such old notions as dignity and integrity could be reinvigorated in our commodified world if people read such books. After finishing the book, it's a no-brainer to understand why the World Cup dwarfs any other sporting event in terms of TV audience by the billions!

I liked the my old paperback edition so much, I bought a hardbound version of the new edition. (The new material BTW is just a continuation of Galeano's commentaries this time centered on the 2002 World Cup tournament. Older version just went up to the 1998 tournament.)

Any discussion of Galeano's writing must begin with his inimitable style. For lack of a proper genre, I call his writings "mosaicos", as each little vignette is like an individual tile in a larger, greater picture. Sometimes this format can be a bit disjointed, but in "Soccer Sun Shadow", it works because the Reader understands that the vignettes are organized chronologically. Galeano does have some vignettes about the origins of the game and its spread to the far-flung corners of the world by British imperialists, but by and large the narrative begins with accounts of games/goals/players from the early 1950s. Since Galeano is Uruguayan, he also has a decidedly Latin American bias (so don't expect to be reading about European teams of the era).

I'm 42 years old and a fan of soccer; some of the stories/players mentioned I had never heard of, so it was refreshing to hear a bit of this history. Once Galeano's narrative caught up to my earliest memories of the game (1970/1974 World Cups), I felt like I was talking to an old friend about a subject we both love. I think that's why I like this book so much: it blends my love of literature (I'm an English teacher) with my love of soccer, and it does it so poetically, so precisely, with such quick turns of language, it is a distinct pleasure to read and reminisce.

I'm not saying you should buy two copies of "Soccer Sun Shadow" (like I did), but if you buy one, I'm sure you'll enjoy the read.

Galeano's book remains the most lyrical and whimsical book ever written about soccer / football. He is one of the few writers who has managed to both embody and describe the spirit of the beautiful game at the same time. Wonderful to have such a talented writer and spirit give the game the treatment it deserves. A rare book...

There are few books of non-fiction whose writing transcends the subject matter, but this is such a book. I am not a soccer player but this book made me a fan of the game and a fan of Galeano. He puts us on a field, in the stands, at the goal, in the sun, and under the shadows. He transports us into the game and celebrates its mystique and passion and sadness. And, amazingly, he does it in as few words as possible, giving us just a few paragraphs at a time but creating huge panoramas of emotion with those words. I'll tell you how much I love this book: it sits on my night stand, ready for me to read a paragraph or two and be transported by a magical game and a writer of similar power.

I couldn't put the book down, being South American, much English language books are so heavily biased towards european teams and matches. Nothing against them, I love them as well, and who deosn't love a great game anywhere? But it was nice to read about the formation of modern soccer in England done the way only Galeano could. Followed by the entry of soccer in Buenos Aires and Galeano's soccer world from his childhood days in Uruguay.

I guess this defines me well but if I had to take a book to the beach for pleasure reading this would be it, why?

The prose, the language, this is THE guy who you'd want to do match-report, if you were the 'man-of-the-match' in the most important game of your life, why?

Galeano's word choice is like poetry, that only comes when one makes the sweetest kick ever. It definalty is as a magazine reviewer put it, 'like Pele in a field of second-stringers'.

Eduardo Galeano has created the ultimate "soccer" book: perfect for both the well versed fan and the reader who knows little about "the beautiful game". The secret is the way that Galeano conveys his deep passion for the sport through short, well crafted stories and reflections.

Along the way, we learn not only about "futbol", but about how the game fits into the tapestry of life throughout the majority of the rest of the world. Simply Brilliant!

Media coverage of the World Cup makes it clear once again: when it comes to soccer, many Americans just don't get it. This little book could be the key for those who would like to figure out what makes for all the passion and excitement. Galeano writes about soccer with passion, with poetry, and with sensitivity to social realities (particularly in Latin America). His short vignettes describe players, matches, specific plays, the evolution of the game. They comment on the current style of play (he doesn't like it much) and on the glories of the past. He is particularly good at showing how deep the soccer passion runs in Latin American culture.

The ideal edition of this book would have an accompanying video with clips of at least some of the moments Galeano describes. Failing that, however, the book itself makes magic with words to describe the "beautiful game". Galeano's politics come through also, and they only help to give the right sort of "local color" to the text. The translation is very well done, so that one hardly ever wonders how much better things might have been said in the original.

All in all, a great little book!