Franklin Foer takes us on a surprising tour through the world of soccer, shattering the myths of our new global age along the way. From Brazil to Bosnia and from Italy to Iran, How Soccer Explains the World is an eye-opening chronicle of how a beautiful sport and its fanatical followers can illuminate the fault lines of a society, whether poverty, anti-Semitism, or radical Islam. [HarperCollins]
Critic Reviews
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Outstanding
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Chicago Tribune John Freeman
He engages each city and team with the spirit of a true fan, and he emerges with impressions so vivid they feel like they've been whispered into your ear over a nice pint of lager.
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Outstanding
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Booklist Kier Graff
Evenhanded and well reported, it's written in a crisp and engaging style that will hook even readers who have no idea how the "beautiful game" is played. [1 June 2004, p.1675]
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Favorable
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Kirkus Reviews
Though the globalism thread sometimes disappears, the author is unfailingly interesting. Lively and provocative -- even for those who just don't get what FIFA is all about.
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Favorable
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Publishers Weekly
One doesn't have to be a soccer fan to truly appreciate this absorbing book.
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Favorable
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The New York Times Book Review Joe Queenan
Foer's book is such an eccentric, fascinating exposé of a world most of us know nothing about that his inability to prove his central thesis seems almost irrelevant.
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Favorable
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Washington Post Jay R. Mandle
A travelogue full of important insights into both cultural change and persistence.
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Favorable
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The Independent David Goldblatt
Grand arguments aside, Foer tells some fine tales and travels with an engaging and engaged eye. He is funny, sharp, waspish, alert and reflective.
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Mixed
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PopMatters Roger Holland
This is the root of my problem with much of Foer's book. Make no mistake about it, he writes well, he gives good anecdote, he describes some interesting characters and tells some interesting stories, but I'm not convinced he actually gets football and I distrust him as a writer and an analyst.
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Mixed
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San Francisco Chronicle Jesse Berrett
Even if Foer's larger argument remains only sporadically convincing, his vividly reported tableau may well cause American sports fans to breathe a sigh of relief about how little, really, our games matter.
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Mixed
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Boston Globe Allen Guttmann
The last chapter is the weakest. Yuppie parents enroll their children in soccer leagues while right-wing politicians and talk show hosts sneer at soccer as a sissy game played by closet socialists. Soccer moms may be keener on globalization than NASCAR dads, but it's hard to believe that attitudes toward soccer explain (rather than exemplify) their differences.
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