Rating: 
Summary: A book for anyone and everyone
Review: Jere Longman has a real hit here. You don't have to love soccer to love this book. Not only does Longman tell of the Womens World Cup win, but of the entire existance of the National team. He discusses subjects that other authors would never dream of touching, such as sexual orientation of the players. He goes on in-depth about that subject along with many others. If you just want a simple and to the point review of WWC '99, than this book is definately not for you, but I would still consider reading it. It brings back the goosebumps all over again. -The book also includes a few biographical chapters on both american players:Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, and Michelle Akers, as well as a bio of China's Sun Wen and Gao Hong. And almost every USA player was interviwed for the book
Rating:
Summary: A book for anyone and everyone
Review: Jere Longman has a real hit here. You don't have to love soccer to love this book. Not only does Longman tell of the Womens World Cup win, but of the entire existance of the National team. He discusses subjects that other authors would never dream of touching, such as sexual orientation of the players. He goes on in-depth about that subject along with many others. If you just want a simple and to the point review of WWC '99, than this book is definately not for you, but I would still consider reading it. It brings back the goosebumps all over again. -The book also includes a few biographical chapters on both american players:Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, and Michelle Akers, as well as a bio of China's Sun Wen and Gao Hong. And almost every USA player was interviwed for the book
Rating:
Summary: Girls of the Century
Review: Jere Longman's, The Girls of Summer, is by far one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. I am a huge Womens National Team fan. I am always in search for a great book, depicting the life and success's of the entire team. He coherses through the professional and personal lives of the women that grabbed the hearts of the United States. Their success is revealed in this wonderful book. I persoanally, could not put this book down when I purchased it. I finished it in two days, it was just so up-lifting. It's a great motivational book. You always wish you were there to experience the moments that the team lived through. From country to country, trial to trial, this team is very special. If someone would like to know the US history of womens soccer, this is a perfect buy. I could picture myself there, it was detailed and deeply moving. I really enjoyed reading on the players whom fought so hard to gain respect and recognition. I'm sure, if we saw the final game against China in 1999, we can all say where we were, and how we reacted. For many of us, such as I, we cried for joy. That game was the turning point in womens sports. And Longman made me remember once again what it was like to watch that game, and see the 90,000+ fans going wild after Brandy Chastain scored the final PK. It is a fantastic book for any soccer fan, man or woman. It is a book to read if you feel you need to be inspired. It's worth the buy.
Rating:
Summary: Girls of the Century
Review: Jere Longman's, The Girls of Summer, is by far one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. I am a huge Womens National Team fan. I am always in search for a great book, depicting the life and success's of the entire team. He coherses through the professional and personal lives of the women that grabbed the hearts of the United States. Their success is revealed in this wonderful book. I persoanally, could not put this book down when I purchased it. I finished it in two days, it was just so up-lifting. It's a great motivational book. You always wish you were there to experience the moments that the team lived through. From country to country, trial to trial, this team is very special. If someone would like to know the US history of womens soccer, this is a perfect buy. I could picture myself there, it was detailed and deeply moving. I really enjoyed reading on the players whom fought so hard to gain respect and recognition. I'm sure, if we saw the final game against China in 1999, we can all say where we were, and how we reacted. For many of us, such as I, we cried for joy. That game was the turning point in womens sports. And Longman made me remember once again what it was like to watch that game, and see the 90,000+ fans going wild after Brandy Chastain scored the final PK. It is a fantastic book for any soccer fan, man or woman. It is a book to read if you feel you need to be inspired. It's worth the buy.
Rating: 
Summary: 1999 Womens Soccer
Review: Players go through alot not just on the field though, fighting for things that they believe in. People don't realize what hard work it takes. In being a women people dont give you as much recognision as they do male ball players. They dont get paid as much even though they work just as hard as male players do. In 1999 the U.S. womens soccer team showed the world that woman can do it. The Girls of Summer by Jere Longman shows and tells the woman's U.S. soccer teams struggles throughout there period of dominance in the 1999 Womans Wolrd Cup tournament. Jere Longman really told you about how people didn't think the Woman's World Cup would get recognision. The U.S. womans's team proved them wrong with there domination throughout the World Cup and there win againts China to win it all. The author really got into this and almost showed you what it is like to be a player.
Rating: 
Summary: The Authorized Version
Review: Some sports events catapult themselves onto the world stage--those who saw the 1980 Olympics hockey finals, for instance, will never forget them--and others are pushed onto that stage by a combination of media and corporate interests. The author writes his story as if it was the first snd yet who doubts it was the second? That doesn't take anything away from the atheletes or the event but I finished this book with a sense that there was a much more interesting story about money and marketing which was left untold. The book's title, lastly, is typical American arrogance: few people outside of the US paid the same attention to the women's world cup (in the rest of the world soccer is the masculine sport).
Rating:
Summary: the 99 World Cup final and history of the U.S. women's team
Review: The Girls of Summer provides an in-depth look not only of the 1999 World Cup final match against China but also gives a good history of the U.S. women's national team. The book looks at brief parts of the game as they occurred and then breaks away from the game to fill in details about how a particular player or the team in general reached this moment in time. Depsite breaking away from the action, it does give complete coverage to the game from their arrival at the Rose Bowl to the celebration in the locker room after the game. It provides a great deal of insight into the early struggles of the national team to their national glory in 1999. Although it is almost entirely about soccer, it does examine the struggle women in general have faced across the globe to be allowed to play sports. The story does not end with the victory against China. It also looks at the struggle the national team faced with the U.S. Soccer Federation after the tournament. The author has done a good job of including interviews and vignettes from many of the main players on the team. If you are looking for a simple recounting of the U.S. victory, this book is not for you. This book also does not provide much detail about the World Cup games leading up to the final. If you are looking for detailed coverage about how the U.S. team developed over the last 12 years, you will enjoy reading The Girls of Summer.
Rating:
Summary: If you're a fan of women's sports this is a must read
Review: This book gives you an inside view of the recent US Women's World Cup Victory. It tells the story of the women who played in front of the largest crowd every in women's sports history. The first chapter alone puts you on the field just minutes before the historical tie breaking shot. Even if you don't like the sport of soccer, this book is worth reading. It tell of victory as a team! Great Book!
Rating:
Summary: Pedestrian Account Of A Great Team and Victory
Review: This is a competent account of the U.S. national women's soccer team and its victory in the 1999 Women's World Cup. Jere Longman structured the book around the final match with China. I suppose the idea was to build tension while flashing back to early matches and describing the players and the team in depth. I found the structure to be a major annoyance, however. A straight chronology and/or a chapter on each player probably would have been more effective. The lack of an index is annoying. The information and quotes are strong, but there are few new insights (Tiffeny Milbrett's comments on the older players being the most prominent). The pictures are a disappointment, centering on Michelle Akers' travails in the final with a few others. And as another review points out, there are plenty of typos. But the team is so inspiring that it carries this book.
Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read in a long time
Review: This was an awesome book and the best I've read in a longtime. Everyone should read this regardless of if they play soccer or not.
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