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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN num: 9781859844236
ISBN number: 1859844235
Label: Verso
Manufacturer: Verso
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 256
Printing Date: 2003-04
Publishing house: Verso
Sale Popularity Level: 160397
Studio: Verso
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
This new edition of Eduardo Galeano's riveting commentary on the history and politics of soccer includes newly written material on the 2002 World Cup, which one quarter of humanity watched. Discussing everything from the leveling of the Twin Towers to the death of the sole survivor of that extraordinary match between British and German soldiers in 1915, one of South America's greatest commentators issues forth on robotic soccer in Japan, the mass-production of the game as a sign of the decline of civilization, the amazing sucess of Senegal and Turkey, and how Nike beat Adidas.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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This is a wonderfully nostalgic group of vignettes and reflections. At times, the writing is quite poignant. This will resonate with long-time soccer (futbol) aficionados, who know the history of the game. Younger readers will be lost in some of the allusions and will not know some of the players.
Rated by buyers -
Eduardo Galeano has collected a series of short essays developing random thoughts about professional soccer. He seems to decry the fact that professional soccer has become big entertainment business. I detected an inate longing for watching men play soccer just for the joy of participating in a boys game in several of Mr. Galeano's essays. However, he does develop some interesting imagry and metaphors to describe the game of soccer.
Rated by buyers 
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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 discusion 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.
Rated by buyers -
This is a beatifully written little book about the world's greatest game. When I come across people who just can't udnerstand why soccer is the favorite sport (in all countries but the US) I give them this book to read.
It is actually a series of elegant little essays -- (it doesn't neccesarily need to be read in order).
Rated by buyers -
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.
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