The Beautiful Game: Sixteen Girls and the Soccer Season That Changed Everything (Paperback)

by Jonathan Littman (Author) "elbows out and ready, the girl with the piercing eyes and apple cheeks figured she had an edge, maybe two..." (more)
Key Phrases: pasta feed, woman coach, beautiful game, Jonathan Littman, Santa Rosa, State Cup (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Littman, an investigative journalist who has written two books on computer hackers, takes his title here from Brazilian soccer great Pele, who described soccer as "That beautiful game I love so well." In this excellent book, Littman describes what happens when a former college soccer star becomes the coach of a rather nondescript girls' soccer team in Santa Rosa, CA, and tries to lead the team to a championship, a goal they have never achieved. In this well-written, readable story, Littman follows the Santa Rosa Thunder closely throughout the season, detailing the highs and lows and showing that the difference in intensity between men's and women's sports is becoming blurredAthe coaching techniques of the Thunder coach appear to be as strict as those of many men's coaches. This fine book deserves wide readership among both young female athletes and their parents. Recommended for public and school libraries.AWilliam O. Scheeren, Hempfield Area Sr. H.S. Lib., Greensburg, PA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"A well-balanced journey that celebrates sports, girlhood, and determination." -- San Francisco Examiner

"An exciting book, filled with team spirit, similar to IN THESE GIRLS HOPE IS A MUSCLE." -- Booklist

"REQUIRED READING! You'll cheer for the girls...and may even shed a tear..." -- Sports Illustrated for Women

"This is a season inside, an honest look at a girls elite soccer team... Worth reading..." -- Los Angeles Times

"This is a story that should be passed along, girl to girl, mother to mother, dad to dad." -- USA TODAY.com

"Well-written, readable...This find book deserves wide readership among both young female athletes and their parents." -- Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (August 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380808609
• ISBN-13: 978-0380808601
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #280,898 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars at what price glory?, June 13, 2003

By	Bub (Cape Coral, FL) - See all my reviews

The better book would be to write about these girls 5 or 10 years from now and ask them to reflect on the season. As the parent of children playing club soccer, I admire the tenacity and spirit these girls displayed. But as another reviewer wrote, it's more likely they bonded in their unity against the coach and her tactics. I kept waiting for the author to delve into the oft-times maniacal world of club soccer, fueled by parents seeking to either re-live or re-invent their own youth. Why else would parents allow their girls to practice in bad conditions that would encourage injury or illness, or let them try to play injured? But the author went along for the ride, writing about these girls as if they were 25 and not 14 (a tough age, soccer or no soccer). Look no further than the back cover with the team photo as evidence that all was not well, even in their finest hour. All the girls and coaches are smiling, except for Kim, the star player. She looks like she's at a funeral. But her dad is smiling ear to ear.

I also had a big problem with the author's writing style. Didn't like to use subjects in his sentences. Liked to start his sentences with a verb. Got to be annoying after reading the first chapter. Wished he didn't do that.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Readers, like players must work to get full benefit, December 16, 1999

By	Fran Sepler "inhaler of great books" (Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Beautiful Game:: Sixteen Girls And The Soccer Season That Changed Everything (Hardcover)

I have coached girls soccer for years, and am a mom to two high level players. What I love about this book is the demands it places on the reader. Like the training the girls undertook, the rewards are not obvious, the results not simple. Emiria is not likeable. Her training methods are controversial, to say the least. Her adversaries are not one dimensional political hacks, but parents looking out for their kids, and the players are not all natural, gifted athletes. Littman does not ask us to love or hate any of these people, but lets us work through the story to learn the unwritten lesson -which is that the girls, despite or because of (reader decides) their parents and coach learned the real lessons of the game -- how to be a team and how to value themselves. The technical descriptions of the games leave something to be desired, and soccer junkies will want to hear more about what exactly wasdone to make the transformation from kick and chase to possession WORK. But the real stories are the girls, and like others, I turned to the back cover over and over again to connect with them. At the end of the book and the season, Emiria tells the girls that their loss humiliated and upset HER. Littman does not indulge in the requisite adult analysis of this egocentric, immature position, but lets us hear the girls make their judgements. My only wish is that we could see the next season to its end and learn whether the girls finally realized who their coach was -- one another!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was there., April 19, 2004

By A Customer

I am the mom of one of the players and have just recently re-read this book about my daughter's team. Looking back on our Thunder experience, I know that it was a unique, almost surreal experience. At the time, we knew it was special but of course, you can't fully appreciate it until it is over. After winning State Cup, Thunder continued to grow and develop as a team, winning several major tournaments and getting back to the State Cup finals in 2000 only to lose to the Placer Sharks. I still see many of the girls and most agree that Thunder was an experience that shaped their life. It wasn't just the soccer or the incredible success the team had, it was more than that. It was the relationships, the experience, and the unique bond that is formed when a group comes together with a unifying goal. It is that undefinable, special something that takes just a talented team and makes it into a great team. So, for those readers that wonder, did it work out okay? I think, for the families that I am close, that yes, yes it did. We are better for the experience.