Rating: 
Summary: One of he best books on soccer ever written
Review: If you love soccer and you haven't read this book, you are a sinner. Repent dammit!
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars
Review: If you were in France for June and July you will recognize the imperative "eat soccer, sleep soccer, drink Coca-Cola". What was left off was "and read this book !" If it doesn't stir you, call your HMO for a pulse check.
Rating:
Summary: A passionate, perceptive, and poetic introduction to soccer
Review: Media coverage of the World Cup makes it clear once again: when it comes to soccer, many Americans just don't get it. This little book could be the key for those who would like to figure out what makes for all the passion and excitement. Galeano writes about soccer with passion, with poetry, and with sensitivity to social realities (particularly in Latin America). His short vignettes describe players, matches, specific plays, the evolution of the game. They comment on the current style of play (he doesn't like it much) and on the glories of the past. He is particularly good at showing how deep the soccer passion runs in Latin American culture.The ideal edition of this book would have an accompanying video with clips of at least some of the moments Galeano describes. Failing that, however, the book itself makes magic with words to describe the "beautiful game". Galeano's politics come through also, and they only help to give the right sort of "local color" to the text. The translation is very well done, so that one hardly ever wonders how much better things might have been said in the original. All in all, a great little book!
Rating:
Summary: Poetic history of the world's game
Review: Soccer in Sun and Shadow is a superb book covering the very early days of soccer to modern soccer's start in England to the world game that is played today, and all of it is superb. Even if you are not a huge soccer fan, Galeano's passionate writing will draw you into the fold and make you care for at least as long as the book is open. Galeano recalls his childhood memories of goals scored and saves missed, the beautiful dance his heroes performed with the ball, and his pride in South American soccer. His writing is sublime and metaphoric, and Galeano never stumbles. By the time he examines the new phase of commercial soccer you'll want to cry at the tainting of a game that is (was?) so pure. The commercialization of soccer will help peolpe from the states relate to the rest of the world: after all, it was just a couple of decades ago when our four major sports were ruined by escalating salaries, corporate involvement and worthless expansion. Galeano wears his heart on his sleeve and creates a wonderful read that anyone, sports fan or not, should enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: A Bore
Review: Soccer in the Sun reads more like a story for a young child than a reader looking for a serious futbol tale. Short half page stories fill the book like short articles found in the front of Sports Illustrated. Moreover, the arthur's views on history from the perspective of a socialist were in line with MoveOn.org and trite. Soccer in the Sun's great Amazon reviews confused me because the reader's recomendations of Fever Pitch, Miracle of Castel Di Sangro, Among the Thugs and Captain for Life: And Other Temporary Assignments were spot on.
Rating:
Summary: The Culture of "Futbol"
Review: The two most talked about topics in the world are the weather and soccer/football. Galeano's lyrical style of writing bites and pulls on heartstrings. He is realistic about the state of soccer today (and of the soccer of his own country, Uruguay, diminished after the early-years domination of the sport) and does not pretend to be an expert. In is first anecdote, "Confession of the Author," he writes that he is a "poor beggar for good football" and "for the love of God, let there be a phenomenal play." He tells stories about great soccer players and the influences they have had on world culture. He makes you double over with laughter and pinches you hard with irony. Galeano has a very singular gift and if you should be looking for a magical look at a sometimes brutal sport, this Uruguayan writer deserves to be read.
Rating: 
Summary: Football writing by an actual writer
Review: This book stands out particularly because of the talent of the writer. It is ostensibly about football (soccer), but it is really about life and the humans who live it, as revealed through "the beautiful game." Rarely does writing about football display the poetry seen on the pitch. This book does in spades.
Rating:
Summary: A Thoughtful & Lyrical Reader
Review: This is a thoughtful little soccer history reader by a well-known Uruguayan poet and writer. It's written in tiny little topical chunks covering the history of soccer in roughly chronological order. Starting with the pre-history of soccer it unravels leisurely until at the end there is a small denunciation of the big money interests that have corrupted the game which has a grip on the imaginations of little boys (and now girls) around the world. Scattered throughout are lyrical testimonials to individual performers and goals throughout history. As I read, I kept wishing for an accompanying DVD to show these magical goals, but upon reflection, I realized that what Galeano can paint as magic with words might well fade into banality when subjected to the freeze frame. Even though a lot of the players and matches mentioned will mean little to North American soccer fans, the book is still essential reading for its ability to impart the mystical grip the sport has on much of the globe.
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous words about the Beautiful Game
Review: This is an essential read for anyone who believes that sports books cannot also be beautifully written. This is a charming book, full of references to players never seen and not heard of before. No matter, because the reader cannot fail to be touched by the story of the ex-footballer who goes back to the site of his most famous performances. Sadly the stadium has been replaced by a supermarket, but the player recounts how he picked up the ball over there in the produce, played a give-and-go pass with a teammate by the bread aisle that allowed him to split the defenders and slot home the ball where the freezer section is. This book is as warm as the sun on your back waiting for the referee to signal the beginning of the game.
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous words about the Beautiful Game
Review: This is an essential read for anyone who believes that sports books cannot also be beautifully written. This is a charming book, full of references to players never seen and not heard of before. No matter, because the reader cannot fail to be touched by the story of the ex-footballer who goes back to the site of his most famous performances. Sadly the stadium has been replaced by a supermarket, but the player recounts how he picked up the ball over there in the produce, played a give-and-go pass with a teammate by the bread aisle that allowed him to split the defenders and slot home the ball where the freezer section is. This book is as warm as the sun on your back waiting for the referee to signal the beginning of the game.
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