Customer Reviews

World Cup 2010: The Indispensable Guide to Soccer and Geopolitics

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I got this book not too long ago as a gift and I have to say I wasn't expecting anything great, especially given the fact that I had never heard of the authors before. But I was honestly pleasantly surprised b/c it was a lot more than just another regular, amateur-ish guide to soccer. It's different from other guides I've read in the sense that it doesn't simply list facts and figures of each national team. It kinda goes beyond that and explores the cultural phenomenon behind the single event that brings about half the planet together. I felt the book combined soccer and anthropology, which I thought was innovative.
Also really enjoyed the wittiness of the book, makes it so much more pleasurable to read than some other guides I have come across [yes i am a soccer fanatic..!]. I would recommend the book to anyone who has some sort of interest in soccer. It'll give you a great head start on getting to know the national teams and understanding the world cup.

I love soccer and politics and I got a good deal for this book on Amazon.com, but the content did not deliver. The two authors do give a comprehensive breakdown of the 32 tournament participants divided into eight groups. They definitely give some facts and figures on each team and also provide predictions and background information for the tournament as a whole. But the quality of writing is poor and the many factual and spelling errors tell me that the authors did not proofread and fact check their text which, with a published piece of work, must be an embarrassment. In publishing a book or a journal article, etc. it is never recommended, as the authors did more than a few times, to say "According to Wikipedia..." That is never an appropriate source of information for a book, let alone a term paper in college. The spelling and factual errors remind me of the slogan of voting in Chicago in the 1960 election: early and often. For example, did you know that Cameroon won the Confederations Cup in 2002 (Page 234)? No? That's because Cameroon not only has never won a Confederations Cup, no such tournament existed in 2002. Also, apparently according to the authors, Australia lost to Brazil 2-0 in the 2006 World Cup 2nd round (Page 210), except that is not true because Australia lost to Italy on a late penalty. Seriously, I could list at least ten more examples, it's that bad. Additionally, their analysis of the state of soccer in the USA chapter leaves a lot to be desired. One particularly terrible passage was (Page 166) because the US woman's soccer team is so good, soccer has become a "women's game" and thus, according to the authors, "has the unintended effect of making it unacceptable to a large part of middle (and male) America." Really? I guess that little fact of soccer being the most popular youth sport in the United States year after year, with millions of Americans from all backgrounds and states playing year after year, was missed by the two authors. Oops. As for the politics or geopolitics, it's a pretty light and superficial presentation. With the World Cup coming up there are many choices (and resources) to get your information for the big event. So pass on this 370 page volume and go for something that is more professionally put together. For the unsuspecting reader this book might impress, but make no mistake, there are so many errors of semantics, spelling, facts, and analysis that this book should NOT be on anybody's must read list for the upcoming World Cup.

My husband is a soccer fanatic and he loves this book!! It's well written, has a great description on the players, spiced with funny, goofy, sometimes ironic comments. It has description about the countries, what are their history, how they got this far. How do I know? I read it too!!
This books has everything for everybody. If you start to like soccer or if you a huge fan, you'll enjoy it I bet.

Stark & Stark's guide to the World Cup is a must read for anyone who wants to learn more about the phenomenon that causes the earth to stand still for an entire month every four years. As the authors point out, the World Cup is the greatest cultural event of our time, and football is its language. So, if you're looking for a witty introduction to the world of football and its deep cultural implications, this book is for you!

Whether you are an avid football fanatic or just someone who wants to get in on the action during this world cup, this book is a must read for you. With information about each of the teams as well as various fun an interesting facts about the game and the tournament, it is an excellent, easy-to-read guide for everyone! As someone who doesn't know all that much about soccer, this guide was especially helpful for understanding the phenomenon that really does have everyone in the world watching! READ IT!

This book is a gem - it goes beyond mere outlines of the game and tournament, giving a veritable wealth of information that is totally accessible to even the most football-deprived reader.
Read this!
bruuh

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Apart from the odd typo or mistake the sassy approach the authors take made reading this book a blast. As long as you're looking for something fun and enjoyable to read about the world cup I would say look no further. If all you want is something dry and factual there isn't too much to be gained here, one could find most of the information on the web, probably even wikipedia, but you certainly won't find everything you're looking for presented in such an easy to read format. I found myself laughing on more than one occasion and strongly recommend this book to everyone look for a light read on such a great topic.

I'm a newbie to World Cup Soccer and this book was a great investment because not only did it educate me about the "beautiful game" but it also provided excellent insight into each team as well as interesting tidbits not only about the players but the cultural and political history of the country and its effect on the team. Even the national anthems of each country are discussed. In short, it was my "Bible" to the 2010 World Cup. Can't wait for the 2014 issue!

i was really hoping for a something a little more in depth than a seeming overview not much different than the CIA Fact book. I could have lived without this book, even though I am an avid World Cup fan.

Not bad, but kind of shallow. Seems to be designed for the American fan who doesn't know much. More in-depth analysis would have been welcome. Decent overview, but that's about it.