Rating: 
Summary: At last, the definitive tale of THE sports story of '99....
Review: Good things come to those who wait; that's what we're always told. The NY Times' chief Olympics writer comes through with a book that delivers what it promises - a description of every facet of the women's world cup tournament. It shows just how much the national governing body of soccer disrespected them, from the coach on down, in the months after their win. The reservations which were expressed when Brandi Chastain posed for Gear Magazine with a strategically placed soccer ball. And the debunking once and for all of her "orchestrated" shirt-doffing at the end of the final by conspiracy theorists who've watched one too many Oliver Stone movies. It also lets us in on just how much people in the U.S. news media were staggeringly asleep at the switch, when reporters had to <pay their own way> to cover the tournament and only later were refunded by their sports editors. But first and foremost it comes back to 20 women who became the warm-weather version of the 1980 US men's Olympic hockey team; a team which an entire nation closed ranks behind. They are brought to vivid life by Longman here. Reading it also harkens back to a time when you could pick up a newspaper's sports section and not have it resemble a police blotter. Or a litany of overpaid, underachieving athletes who, no matter how much they stink out their sports, always want to get paid even more. Of a time when American sport used to be pretty nice, unlike what it is now. That the same people who moan about the success of women's sports are the same ones who complain about no role models in sport. Longman presents 20 compelling ones here. He puts you smack dab in the center of the maelstrom that was July 10, 1999 at the Rose Bowl and you won't even have to pay a scalper's ticket. It's a book that can be read over and over again, and you'll never get tired of it. A wonderful achievement and certainly worthy of any non-fiction awards at the end of the year.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you, Jere Longman for this wonderful book....
Review: Have you ever read a book and dreaded coming to the end? You can't stop reading it, but you try and pace yourself because you don't want it to ever stop. Well, obviously, I feel this way about The Girls of Summer, by Jere Longman. I was at the 1999 Women's World Cup Final, and reading this book brought back all the memories of that day: the sweltering heat, the anxiety, and the pure joy. Longman describes every important play in wonderful slow motion, and poetic imagery. The player profiles are seamless and beautifully intertwined throughout the book. It might seem as though I am bias towards Longman's effort, but being a huge US Team supporter, wouldn't I have higher expectations than the normal, everyday reader? I wish everyone could read The Girls of Summer. To make a long story short, The Girls of Summer is a triumphant first effort by Jere Longman. The player profiles, history, and raw emotion in these 300 plus pages is a marvel. Thank you, Mr. Longman!
Rating:
Summary: superb soccer
Review: I loved this book. It told about the history of what made the team and womens soccer so good and fun. If you love soccer and history, you will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: superb soccer
Review: I loved this book. It told about the history of what made the team and womens soccer so good and fun. If you love soccer and history, you will love this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not just for soccer fans...
Review: I read this book at a critical time in my professional life asa fundraiser, and it couldn't have come at a better time. As a budding athlete (a runner), I hadn't played soccer since I was on a YMCA team in the 2nd grade, but I was very interested in learning more about these women athletes who seemed so dedicated to their sport in an era of big-money sports and disintegrating team loyalty. I figured, hey, I need a role model, and here I have an entire team of them! But what struck me the most as I read the book was exactly that: the team. I mean the whole concept of the team itself, beyond the individual personalities that comprise it. Anyone with a desire to learn how to achieve team work in any setting -- whether on the soccer field or in the office -- should read this book. At a time in my job when teamwork at my all-women office seemed to be at its lowest ebb, with backstabbing and harsh hallway gossiping eating away at office morale, it was a joyous relief to read of a group of strong, hard-driving, hard-playing women who feared each other, respected each other, screamed at each other, laughed with each other, cried with each other, all the while pursuing and ACHIEVING a common goal with such ferocity and drive and sheer dignity that was breathtaking to behold. It left me with tremendous hope for my own group of strong, hard-driving, hard-playing women and our certain ability to achieve our lofty goal ... for a cause we each personally believe in. Sure, we don't have 90,000 people watching us, but we do have 3,000 -- and more -- who do depend on us and the money we hope to bring in. I have the urge to buy a copy of this book for every woman in my office. Although I wasn't privileged enough to have witnessed that seminal moment in soccer history at the Rose Bowl in '99, I do feel blessed to have encountered this graceful and inspiring team in this marvelous book. I run with greater purpose in my stride, my eye firmly set on a sweet ... victory, and I work with a lift in my spirit and renewed faith in my co-workers, my teammates.
Rating:
Summary: Great read
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading about these fine atheletes, from the beginnings of the national team, through to that searingly hot day in July. The writer takes the reader inside the inner workings of the team as a whole, the players as individuals, as well as behind the scenes with the coaches, and the game. I particularly enjoyed the way the author brings us onto the field with the players during the final game. Relive the penalties, and actually feel it as the players did. As a female soccer player and a fan of the game, it is certainly one of the best "soccer books" I've read. My one complaint is that the text is littered with typos, ike it had been edited in a hurry.
Rating:
Summary: great and insperational
Review: I thought that this was a great book. I enjoyed reading it because my favorite female athletes were the subjects in this book. This book shows the stroggle that athletes go through and the publicity that is always there no matter what. This was probably the best book that i ever read because i play soccer and i like to seee wha goes around on the proffesional level. The us womens soccer team has gone trough their ups and downs and this book went through it step by step. I felt as though i know what they were going through because it was so real. Mia Hamm is right now the best womens soccer play in the world. She is well know in any ste and country. She has been on adds and verious things to promote the womens soccer team. Others team mates have done the same but none to the level of Mia Hamm. This book shows what she has been through and her own personal struggle to make it as a proffesional athlete. Now that i have read this book i have even more respect for the womens national soccer team and all proffesional athletes because i am aware of what they have gone through. I have been able to read about my favorite female athletes and know about their past. I recomend this book to anyone who is a female athlete or loves the game of soccer. It's not just for girls it is great for men to learn about proffesiional athletes. alex rothemich
Rating:
Summary: great and insperational
Review: I thought that this was a great book. I enjoyed reading it because my favorite female athletes were the subjects in this book. This book shows the stroggle that athletes go through and the publicity that is always there no matter what. This was probably the best book that i ever read because i play soccer and i like to seee wha goes around on the proffesional level. The us womens soccer team has gone trough their ups and downs and this book went through it step by step. I felt as though i know what they were going through because it was so real. Mia Hamm is right now the best womens soccer play in the world. She is well know in any ste and country. She has been on adds and verious things to promote the womens soccer team. Others team mates have done the same but none to the level of Mia Hamm. This book shows what she has been through and her own personal struggle to make it as a proffesional athlete. Now that i have read this book i have even more respect for the womens national soccer team and all proffesional athletes because i am aware of what they have gone through. I have been able to read about my favorite female athletes and know about their past. I recomend this book to anyone who is a female athlete or loves the game of soccer. It's not just for girls it is great for men to learn about proffesiional athletes. alex rothemich
Rating:
Summary: 1999 Womens Soccer
Review: Jere Longman does an incredible job of grabbing your attention right from the start. This book gave me goosebumps all over again. This book may not be as enjoyable to people who did not attend a WWC game or see one on TV, but it still offers great pictures, and a retelling of July 10, 1999 that is second to none. Having attended one of the WWC games myself, I can totally relate to when he talks about the atmosphere surrounding the event. He is a very gifted writer, and I would recommend this book to anyone, soccer fan or not. It tells of the American experience, and this event brought together people from all walks of life. This book is a must have.
Rating:
Summary: July 10, 1999 never looked so good.
Review: Jere Longman does an incredible job of grabbing your attention right from the start. This book gave me goosebumps all over again. This book may not be as enjoyable to people who did not attend a WWC game or see one on TV, but it still offers great pictures, and a retelling of July 10, 1999 that is second to none. Having attended one of the WWC games myself, I can totally relate to when he talks about the atmosphere surrounding the event. He is a very gifted writer, and I would recommend this book to anyone, soccer fan or not. It tells of the American experience, and this event brought together people from all walks of life. This book is a must have.
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