Book Description

In the summer of 1996, Joe McGinniss, the author of such nonfiction bestsellers as The Selling of the President, Fatal Vision, Blind Faith, and The Last Brother, set out for the remote Italian village of Castel di Sangro, located deep within the forbidding and isolated region of the Abruzzo.

His goal was the spend a season with the village soccer team, which only weeks before had accomplished the feat - hailed throughout Italy as a "miracle" - of winning promotion to the second-highest professional league in the land. Though Castel di Sangro had only five thousand inhabitants, its team would now compete against those from such cities as Genoa, Turin, Padua, and Venice in a fight to keep its miracle alive.

Almost immediately Joe McGinnis was embroiled in a small-town drama that had less to do with a game played by men kicking a ball than with hope, fear, love, loss, and almost unbearable suspense. He found himself, like everyone in the town, bursting with affection and anxiety for this quixotic and boisterous band of young Italian athletes. Through victories, losses, scandals, deaths, and hard lessons in the Italian way of sport, he found a story whose depth and power stunned him.

This book is his account of that year, a masterpiece of storytelling that transcends its particularts to embrace universal emotions. Written with passion, tenderness, and humor - plus an appreciation for the absurd - THE MIRACLE OF CASTEL DI SANGRO is an unforgettable portrait of Italy's people, its towns and cities, and it complicated, irrepressible spirit. ... Read more

Reviews (89)

An Unmiraculous Read
This book has a hilarious beginning and I was all set to enjoy the book until the author's character started to seep through the pages of the story. The author's behavior was just like the stereotype of the "Ugly American" and I was embarrassed at his actions. The book was an interesting portrayal of a small town in Italy, and the antidotes of the town's citizens and the soccer players were interesting and well written. I do not know anything about soccer and I found the descriptions of the games tedious and boring. I would not recommend this book to anyone who is not a soccer fan. The author recounted conversations in Italian, and then translated the Italian into English. A small dose of this is ok for effect, but when most of the conversations are presented in this manner, it becomes monotonous.

The World of Miracles
McGinniss is entertaining as he jumps headfirst into -- and quickly becomes a part of -- some aspects of Italian culture that Americans are sure to find interesting: the soccer craze, small-town Abruzzese living, the bonds of family and friends, the patrone of Italian business and mafia, and even the fiesty and periodically outrageous Italian media. As one who has ancestors from Abruzzo and who has spent years living in Italy, Joe McGinnis does a wonderful job of sharing these aspects with the reader within the context of a true and interesting story which keeps one turning the pages.

Incidentally, shortly after reading this book during the summer of '99, I decided to make a pilgrimage to Castel di Sangro. McGinnis' descriptions of the place are quite accurate, although I felt the city had a casual and rundown beauty about it (McGinnis characterizes the place as nondescript). The final stop of my trek was at Marcella's pizzeria. While I did not know the name of her establishment, I simply asked people I met on the street "Where is Marcella's pizzeria?" They all knew, and were able to point me in the right direction.

I must have been the first person to visit Marcella since the publication of the book: she seemed quite surprised and flattered to see me. At first, she thought I was a friend of McGinnis, and seemed a bit puzzled that someone would come to Castel di Sangro simply on the basis of reading Joe's book. McGinnis had sent her a complimentary copy of the book, but she had never read it since she does not understand English. She politely asked me "So what does Joe say about me in the book?" When I told her that she was his most favorite person, she smiled broadly, pulled out her cell phone and address book, and began dialing McGinnis' phone number. She reached Joe's wife and told her about my visit. Although the pizzeria was closed at the time, Marcella offered me food and drink, which I graciously declined. We had a few laughs about the "miracle", I obtained an autograph for my book, and managed to obtain a few pictures of us near the Castel di Sangro team portrait which still adorns the pizzeria walls. A truly kind and molto gentile woman, who sent me on my way with a big kiss and a hug.

Thanks, Joe McGinnis, for sharing an interesting world which most Americans would never otherwise have the benefit of experiencing. Although I was privileged to receive a firsthand glance of this world during my pilgrimage, the reader of "Miracle of Castel di Sangro" can, thanks to this wonderful book, enjoy a similar glance without ever having to make the 2 1/2 hour drive from Rome.

"The Fanatic is a fan in a madhouse"- Eduardo Galeano
Reviewer: tom cieszinski from United States
The above quote is found on page 345 of this book and a renowned author in his own right, of various books, including one on football-soccer; "football in sun and shadow; an emotional history of the World Cup." This phrase, if I had to pick one, out of this multi-dimensional book would best summarise this outstanding work by Joe McGinnis.
Outstanding, I do not believe, I will reiterate what other reviewers have excellently recanted about this book; I would say, what I believe McGinnis brings to his writing, are numerous literary references as the above and an abundant use of the Italian language make this an excellent read.

Agreeing with one reviewer, half way through the book, it unravels some, some I say, but then, comes back for an excellent finish.

Some opine, Joe McGinnis is the "bulldozer" in this work, that he contains shade of being an "ugly American", to me however, when all is said and done & it is forgivable; understand me there please, but he falls short, of the players, he supposedly "cares" so much about, these hapless heroes, he presents in such a rich context, in their achievements, most to never be recognized in the very large system of Italian soccer, Calcio. He falls short, he burns bridges, he does not become a part of the system, but at what cost?

I would characterise Mr. McGinnis as being "pushy", similar to the second guessings of a "Monday morning quarterback" or as being confrontational and abrasive at times but by golly; who isn't or has not been at some periods of time in their life? Why, Mr. McGinnis faults the system at some points of this book, but if he were doing this in most countries, namely the US and giving advice to a coach, in this case, Osvaldo Jaconi; he might well run into a "my way or the highway" mentality (can one picture, an author of a book, giving advice to an American sports coach in the locker room, with so much frequency? I doubt it). Absolutely, correct, is the reviewer who opines he should have handled the ending differently and without giving it away as well; we have something, that is on a minor scale, similar to the Shoeless Joe Jackson Blacksox scandal of Baseball. The thing is, is that in this book, "corruption" plays a rather minor part of the book as a whole. In fact and very humorously, McGinnis often places his opinions on Coach Jaconi on how a game should be played or who should play in the game. Though he gets away with this, as far as the ownership and the office management of the team, Castel Di Sangro goes, I am surprised, McGinnis gets away with many of the things he does; read that to say; the ownership has shades seemingly of the Sicilian scenes from Godfather II; not that extreme, I mind you, but the author does seem to propose this thesis. In fact, we would be led to believe, from what McGinnis writes, that the whole of Italy, to some extent, has "organised crime" as a part of the system, though it is not as pronounced as that which we see in Sicily.

And I do believe, for the minor role, of speaking about the so-called "corruption" in this book, Mr. McGinnis quotes Eduardo Galeano's writings on soccer. Has McGinnis seen how, even in the World Cup, at times, one can see, games, in these seemingly most important of all soccer games, absolute sham calls? We saw such in the last World Cup, probably prime examples, but these are by no means, the only examples.

McGinnis takes us to places, we previously have not been; so I five star it. Once in one of these overseas countries, I stayed in a hotel, where a visiting team was doing as well. I felt for the players, I can relate to the book; in that the team I personally had contact with was by no means in the upper echelon of the league.

All of that I say, is well and good, but this book, shines, on it's writing of the games, the season and story line,

"...With one voice, the crowd was chanting, "Ca-Stell-O! Ca-Stell-O!" (page 347).

I can pass on some of the extemporary info but I take the good with the bad. I'm looking for a sequel; which I doubt can ever be; maybe something similar should be written by the author.

Oh, and lastly, I have the hard-cover edition of this book, there seems to be about 16 pages of photos, vs. what someone mentioned, possibly reading a paperback edition, said his book did not have the photographs. I'd find it difficult to fathom this book without the accompanying pictures, the first being of the town of Castel di Sangro; very picturesque; a team photo; photos of virtually every major character in the book, including il Signore Rezza and including pictures of the team in their "Soviet Jeans" uniforms.

Book about a miracle reveals story of corruption and sadness
I'm a sucker for sports books so I was eager to read this one. Not being a soccer fan, it was cool to read about the author's passion of soccer. Well Mcginniss is close to insane. The first half of the book is great when you read about the soccer team, the tiny town of Castel di Sangro, and their amazing achievement of playing these great Italian teams. But the story gives you a dose of reality - deaths, corruption, deceit, disloyalty, stubbornness, etc. The fact is that when I read about cheap and unforgiving the team management and ownership, I was almost prepared for the shocking ending. I'm glad the author put this part in because the truth is there are no fairy tale endings. The weakness in the book is there was no examination of what makes soccer fans so nutty and passionate. He had this perfect place where he could talk to every single fan if he wanted to and find out what is it about this game? Still a recommended read.

Lo miracolo - an american interferes
The single most superb football book I have ever read, with a narrative and plotline that would be a feat of tremendous inmagination if fiction is made more shocking by the fact that these events actually transpired. McGinniss comes across as a typical American - interfering in things he is supposedly a passive witness to. This grates with me, but also spices the book. The calciatore are presented in a most sympathetic manner, although i feel are patronised by the author. Buy this book, I have not found a more stunning insight into Il Calcio. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I love soccer.......
Soccer is an incredible sport that is soaring across America like no sport before.In the female relm,soccer is becoming away to stand up for female athletes who have incredible talent with a soccer ball,I think that anysoccer lover should read this awsome book. ... Read more

Book Description

Lively full-color illustrations and fun-to-read text combine in theattractive Explosion Zone books to tell the stories of important inventors and their discoveries. Interesting narrative relates the ways in which these imaginative men approached their discoveries. Stories are supplemented with easy-to-understand explanations of the scientific principles underlying each phase of their inventions. Two-page spreads feature sidebars called Here’s the Science, presenting short and clear explanations of the how the inventions work, based on principles of physics and chemistry. Young readers will find sufficient detail in the many illustrated explanations so that they can build models for themselves and investigate principles of science and technology first hand. Working out of their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, Wilbur and Orville Wright begin experimenting with gliders, developing a variety of wing designs and methods for controlling glider flight. For flight tests they travel to a windy hill in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. After much trial and error, they succeed in constructing a workable glider. They take their next giant step in 1904, attaching a gasoline engine to a glider, thus building the first successful airplane. (Ages 8–12)Lively full-color illustrations and fun-to-read text combine in theattractive Explosion Zone books to tell the stories of important inventors and their discoveries. Interesting narrative relates the ways in which these imaginative men approached their discoveries. Stories are supplemented with easy-to-understand explanations of the scientific principles underlying each phase of their inventions. Two-page spreads feature sidebars called Here’s the Science, presenting short and clear explanations of the how the inventions work, based on principles of physics and chemistry. Young readers will find sufficient detail in the many illustrated explanations so that they can build models for themselves and investigate principles of science and technology first hand. Working out of their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, Wilbur and Orville Wright begin experimenting with gliders, developing a variety of wing designs and methods for controlling glider flight. For flight tests they travel to a windy hill in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. After much trial and error, they succeed in constructing a workable glider. They take their next giant step in 1904, attaching a gasoline engine to a glider, thus building the first successful airplane. (Ages 8–12) ... Read more

Reviews (1)

GREAT!!!
An excellent book for any soccer players!! ... Read more

Book Description

The Beckham enigma continues. Since the publication of Cashmore’s challenging social biography in 2003, the working-class kid from the East London has left Manchester and conquered the world. Undisputedly one of the world’s most famous men, Beckham has transcended sport to become an all-purpose cultural icon for the twenty-first century.

What are the sources of Beckham’s godlike status? Why does someone who looks good, but speaks in platitudes and does little but play football, command the adulation of the planet? By dissecting his life and setting it in context of the age of celebrity, Cashmore argues that Beckham has been turned into a product, a commodity that can be bought and sold like any other piece of merchandise. There is not just a person named Beckham: there are countless Beckhams that exist independently of time and space, constructions of peoples’ imaginations.

The second edition of Beckham updates the original’s arguments, covering the events that have shaped the Beckham phenomenon: the Flying Boot that symbolized the growing disquiet at Manchester United, the replacement of his first agents SFX with Simon Fuller (the creator of Pop Idol), the failed attempt to capture a US market, the growing presence of adidas, the sportswear giants, and the transfer saga that took Beckham to Madrid – and his influence beyond.

Among the other features of the second edition are chapters on: Manchester United, the club that provided Beckham with his first showcase; Rupert Murdoch’s takeover of British football; Beckham’s ambiguous sexual image and his gay following; the importance of Madonna in kick-starting the age of celebrity in which Beckham prospered; Beckham’s curious relationships with the legacy of Warhol.

Completely revised and updated, the new text emphasizes the often overlooked part played by Victoria in the making of the icon and the guile with which she helped plan an enterprise that had no precedents. ... Read more