Barca: A People's Passion by Jimmy Burns

Book Review

Horribly written, but interesting enough for a Barca fan. I read the version that came out in 1998. I believe it was updated recently.

Interviews with legends of the game were informative, as were stories of the founding of the club by Swiss and English ex-pats in Catalunya at the turn of the century. The author does a decent job of portraying the importance of the club for Catalans, but this reviewer felt he could have been more descriptive of the role of the club for Catalans during Franco's dictatorship. In all, not a great read, but if you are a Barca fan you might find parts interesting. There must be better books out there on the club, however. I'll keep looking.

Book Review: Soccerhead by Jim Haner

As any good soccer junkie, I devour any and all interesting-looking books on soccer. I just finished Jim Haner's Soccerhead: An Accidental Journey into the Heart of the American Game (2006, North Point Press). If you are at all curious about the game in the US, or about youth sports in general, I recommend this book. It offers humorous accounts of a no-nothing youth soccer coach (Haner), and his metamorphosis into a full-fledged soccer nut.

It also offers insight to the history of the game in the US. Haner describes how the game predates American football, basketball and baseball by a significant margin, and offers some explanation of how it lost it's status as an American sport over time.

In addition, Soccerhead offers reminders about the nature of youth sport, and the role of parents in youth athletics. Haner interviewed many experts, and spoke from his own experience. The second-most important point, specifically related to soccer, is that the best coaches at the youth level coach the least. The most important point, and this is relevant to all youth sport, is that it should be fun. Period.