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St. John of the Midfield

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Powerful, thought-provoking, and filled with the love of the game, "St. John of the Midfield" by Garasamo Maccagnone is a literary fiction lover's dream.

Told entirely as a flashback, Mario Santini begins by retelling the story of the night Bulgarian soccer great Georgi "Bobo" Stoikov shared with him how he and his brother, Jordan, jumped from a speeding train to escape Communist Bulgaria in the hopes of living the American Dream. All is lost when Jordan and Bobo are injured during the escape, but Bobo satisfies his love of the game by teaching youth soccer to travel teams. When Mario's son Luca joins Bobo's team, it sets in motion an intense one-sided rivalry between Bobo and a man from his past, which ultimately leads to Bobo's death.

As a parent to a son who played youth sports, I can attest to the realism found within the pages of "St. John of the Midfield"--when the desire to win is so strong, that people do unspeakable things all in the name of victory. Opening the story with Bobo telling the story of his defection to Mario is pure genius, as it immediately draws the reader in and makes Bobo a sympathetic character. And the challenges Mario deals with as he tries to be a good man despite the ties to his Sicilian crime family, speak eloquently to the struggles all people deal with as they move through life. While a little heavy on the similies for my taste, this is an excellent read.

In "St. John of the Midfield" Garasamo Maccagnone combines youth soccer, the Sicilian mob, and the frailities of the human condition to create an entertaining and all too realistic portrait of youth sports that all adults will enjoy.

What on the surface looks like a book about coaching soccer, its importance in the life of an adolescent and the effects on the family when a child belongs to a sports team grows into a book about life altering experiences which impact everyone involved. The book is about competition, loss, love, betrayal, murder, violence, and redemption. Most readers will be hooked within the first five pages. Garasamo Maccagnone writes a powerfully moving novel which leaves a huge impact on the reader toward the end when a number of unexpected events from various subplots within the novel intersect. The surprise ending hits the reader like a ton of bricks. It is totally unanticipated, coming out of the blue. What becomes crystal clear is how the family becomes the main priorty as the the subplots are resolved and interwoven into the main storyline.

The story is told in the second person, by Mario whose son Luca joins a soccer team coached by a once famous world champion soccer player from Bulgaria named Georgi "Bobo" Stoikov. Bobo and his brother Jordan narrowly escaped from under the yoke of communism. The Stoikov brothers hoped to join a league in the United States but due to injuries sustained during their escape their plans would never be fulfilled. Instead Bobo became a soccer coach for youngsters in southwest Michigan. He helps develop their physical skills but most importantly he builds their self-esteem, and teaches them the benefits of team work. He did what others before him only dreamed about, he motivated his young players to win the state championship. There was no way to predict the unintended and unexpected consequences of this win ... for Bobo nor for one of his best players, Luca, the midfielder. Nor could one predict how fate would intervene and treat Mario.

The book is multi-layered and complex because the author so beautifully ties together the Sicilian roots of Mario (the person whose voice describes events) with the main plot of the story. He does an admirable job of describing his mother, a sensitive woman of Polish descent, who mourns the loss of her daughter (Mario's sister). Sophie had drowned accidentally at the age of 17. His father is a strong willed man whose love of family and loyalty to his Mafia heritage rules his life. The family business involves drug smuggling under the guise of a trucking operation. Mario, the narrator of this book deals only with the legitimate aspects of the business. It is quite astonishing how the competitive nature of winning at soccer becomes blown into a life and death struggle for many who are affiliated with the sport Needless to say, there are many life altering lessons which surface within this book. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

Since I coached AYSO youth soccer for four years, I can relate to these descriptions of the competitive aspects of the sport. Since I was often pressed into working as a referee as well, I experienced the negative aspects of trying to call a game and have parents complain about the calls. When I received a message that I was required to attend a training session on how to handle a physical assault from a parent, I chose to bow out of coaching.
The main premise of this book is that two stars of the Bulgarian national soccer team during the Communist era defected by leaping from a moving train. Both were injured in the jump and can no longer play at that level. One of the men (Bobo) is now expressing his love for the game by coaching youth soccer and trying to instill all of the good qualities of sportsmanship into the boys. The narrator (Mario Santini) has a son named Luca who is playing on Bobo's team.
Bobo is a superb coach and under his tutelage, his teams become very powerful and his players masters of the sport. However, this is the time when things get ugly. There are tournaments and a great deal of despicable competitive actions that culminate in a cheap shot against Luca. Other, less subtle manipulations include a coach that chooses his players based on the quality of their mother's body, extramarital flings and trash talking. All thoroughly believable and some of which I have witnessed.
A second undercurrent is that the father of the narrator is a member of an organized Sicilian crime family that imports and distributes illegal drugs. The family is ruthless and will have someone killed if they are sufficiently angered. When the parent of a soccer player gets inexcusably nasty, the family steps in and "takes care of it."
This book does not have a happy ending, people die, others are injured and it is all quite depressing. Unfortunately, while the circumstances depicted here are extreme, given the atmosphere that exists at some youth sports events, they are not all that implausible. The author tells a good story and while there are many different plot elements involving the soccer teams and Mario's family, he does not engage in plot device overload. I started the book and was so engrossed that I finished it in a day.

G. Maccagnone is an artist. Except, his medium is story telling. He uses words to create a compelling tale that places you right in the story. You can't help but to be caught up in the chain of events that occur. There were situations where not only could I not put the book down, but I actually had to read faster to see what happens.

It is not for children. This is not a sports story that will be required reading in school. You needn't have a clear understanding of soccer or organized crime to enjoy it. Its subtle religious overtones will be obvious only when reflecting upon the read, an experience similar to the mindset of Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea". Maccagnone puts you right in his novel, you experience the anguish, joys and guilt of the characters. It is a ride you won't soon forget.

I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed. The short stories alone (in this book), printed after the main story, St. John of the Midfield, are worth the purchase price.

Having escaped from communist Bulgaria, world-class soccer star Bobo Stoikov starts a new life in America as a youth soccer coach. Fueled by the same drive that propelled him to unprecedented success as a player, Bobo leads his team on a fevered run to the championship title match; however, when his arch rival aims not only to squash his team's hopes for victory - but also destroy his reputation - Bobo soon realizes that the battle he's waging involves more than just a game...

Equally compelling and heartrending, St. John Of The Midfield is an all-engrossing read. Ostensibly about sports, author Garasamo Maccagnone's enlightening tale is more about the importance of character, tenacity, an perseverance in the face of all the various challenges that confront us over the course of our lives. In Bobo, Maccagnone has crafted an unsung heroic figure who - while not flawless - serves as a shining example of solid personal integrity. Furthermore, by touching on a broad range of different topics, including everything from love to loss to the enduring strength of family ties, St. John Of the Midfield maintains a universal appeal sure to hold the interest of readers of all ages and from diverse cultural backgrounds.

With taut, intriguing plotlines and a host of vivid characters, St. John Of The Midfield is a richly rewarding literary treat. Highly recommended.


Renee Washburn
Apex Reviews

I also have very little experience with soccer, but that didn't prevent me from enjoying this book. This was a very well written story that kept me up past my bedtime in order to finish. I just didn't want to put it down until I knew the ending.

I have read two other books by the author and enjoyed those as well. This book is for every adult.

St. John of the Midfield....This is one of the best stories I've
ever read about soccer... it's more
literary than your typical story with a sports theme
and it's not filled with cliches or
contrived scenes. Plus, It ends in an unexpected
way, which makes it that much better.

I have to confess I don't like to read that much, but everything related to technology and soccer is something I will be interested in. The story in this book is so good that I read it in only a couple of days, I got my family interested, specially my daughter but as stated in the first pages this is not recommended for kids, however I read to her some good sentences I found in this book. As an immigrant I felt attached to the book and also because my two kids play and love the sport so I was picturing myslef as being part of the story in some portions. All "behind the scenes" from the soccer field were just fantastic. I will recommend other to read and enjoy it as much as I did.

An excellent read. Entertaining, thought-provoking and unfortunately realistic. Maccagnone transports the reader into the story through the narrator, Mario Santini. His easy writing style and fascinating storylines make the book nearly impossible to put down. Maccagnone deftly ventures into a myriad of themes centered on a child's venture into youth soccer. From a parent's pride and effort to provide great opportunities for his son, an amazing athlete's political struggles to find freedom and then forced to pay a hefty price for it, the pure evilness of a jealous, insecure competitor, to the indiscretions of a basically good human being and the depths of family loyalty and love, Maccagnone subtly parallels these themes to religious metaphors. The story touches the heart of the reader in loving, disappointing and infuriating ways - and once finished, the story continues to cause the reader to think about the different scenarios and their connotations. I highly recommend the book - for not only, an interesting "read", but as an experience to learn from.

St. John of the Midfield Scores!
The saying goes "Sometimes in soccer you have to score goals." Well Mac, you did it. St John of the Midfield is in the net.
Garasamo Maccagnone, is one of the best authors I have ever read. He has a talent that is remarkable and St. John of the Midfield doesn't disappoint.
I think what I like best about Mac's writing and St. John of the Midfield in particular, is that it is so . . . manly. There is nothing flat, politically correct or whitewashed about a Maccagnone story. He writes with depth and raw humanity. I like being in the head of his characters. As alien as the male perspective is for me, the realism is comfortingly honest. I don't feel lied to.
It doesn't matter that the story line might be shocking or disconcertingly painful, characters, and situations ring with truth. I laugh with the Santini Brothers in the kitchen as they tease their boy, Luca. I see Frankie call out and Mario shadowbox the dance of the heavyweights. I feel Mario's guilt and fear. I believe in Bobo, I suffer with Mario, and I rage with Frankie.
Garasamo Maccagnone writes life into his stories; from the littlest observation -the waitress "with rugged facial skin like the underbelly of a rhino,--"to the bigger issues of ego gratification, responsibility and ethics. Mac writes it all in, Life and all of its dirty, selfish, poignant, angry, triumphant, beautiful, heartbreaking confusion, and he does it again with St. John of the Midfield.
This book is easily finished in one sitting, it is that good. I recommend it as a great gift for the reading men in your life, husbands, fathers, brothers, grown sons, and nephews. Women will love it too. One thing is for certain, you will never forget the character of Bobo, the true St. John of the Midfield.