Rating: 
Summary: Great read, good account of Italian soccer
Review: Like Joe McGinniss, I also was captivated by European soccer, and specifically Roberto Baggio, starting with the 1994 World Cup. Since then, I have had a voracious appetite for all information regarding Italian soccer. Thus, the book jacket caught my eye. I knew Castel di Sangro had a lower division soccer team, since they had just lost to Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia. While I was delighted to find this book on an Italian soccer team, I was even more delighted to discover that the book is very well written with plenty of drama and humor.The main criticisms of the book have to do with the author's actions, as opposed to the literary content. However, I feel I must defend the author for his audacity to suggest tactics to the coach, and for his treatment of the scandal at the end. McGinniss certainly knew he would look like a fool to his readers by writing about his tactical conversations with the coach. His point was not to tell the world he is the foremost expert on soccer, but rather to convey his near mindless obsession with the game and "his" team. Also, his suggestions were not entirely off-base (although inappropriate), since the Italian media constantly criticize coaches for their cautious style of play, and Italian national coaches are always being fired for just such strategy. But for his conversations with the coach, we never would have learned that Italians have four or five different ways of expressing the same vulgar statement. As for the scandal, readers from Italy or other countries outside America must understand the culture of sports betting in the U.S. One of the most popular baseball players ever, Pete Rose, was banned for life for simply betting on baseball, let alone actually fixing a game. While McGinniss may have overreacted and imposed his ethnocentric morals on a foreign country's game, match-fixing is a major problem in world soccer and should be exposed. The soccer-mad fans deserve better considering their devotion to their teams. That's my ethnocentric view.
Rating: 
Summary: An Unmiraculous Read
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: "The Fanatic is a fan in a madhouse"- Eduardo Galeano
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: For what it's worth...
Review: Most of the criticism of this book is aimed at the author's inappropriate application of american sensibilities to Italian calcio. This may be a fair criticism, but to me, this was an interesting part of the book. Sure, McGinniss seems a bit overbearing at times (though hardly an 'Ugly American' as some here have implied). But the story told from this point of view makes it even more interesting. In the end this book is more than just the rags-to-riches story of a minor league Italian soccer team. It's about immersion in another culture, and finding out that even the most knee-jerk liberal american sensibilities won't shield one from being occasionally judgemental about what one finds. In the end, the author is clearly in love with Italy, Italian calcio, and Castel di Sangro---for better and for worse. For what it's worth, I'm an american soccer fan who enjoys learning about other cultures and languages. I think that most people with these sets of interests will enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: great book ruined by lack of objectivity by the author
Review: A truly great story of a small city, their soccer team and how they pulled off the impossible dream of playing in Serie B. The author seemed to stretch his story with all the translations of Italian. While I speak Italian, I found the translations detracted from the reading. The passages should have been in English to begin with. McGinnis steps over the line as an observer when he begins to believe he is a soccer expert and starts to advise the coach on line-ups. And then he ruins the book by playing GOD by using his morals and beliefs to judge a situation all too common in Italy. He turns a year of hard-won friendship into ashes in the mouth. He goes from being a reporter to a pariah - not only in the eyes of the town of Castel di Sangro and the soccer team, but in mine also. Another American trying to dictate behavior all over the world. Will we ever stop?
Rating:
Summary: Book about a miracle reveals story of corruption and sadness
Review: 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.
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Summary: Lo miracolo - an american interferes
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Very good book in spite of the author
Review: Inside there is a great story of uncelebrated heroes, and villians, behind what might be considered the more mundane situation -- that a soccer team from a small village manages promotion to a B league with the season-long goal of surviving. Along the way, there are many great details of the local players, supporters, life within Serie B soccer, and the fabric of society in a small, working-class Italian hillside town. Set on this smaller stage, the story has it all -- life, death, compassion, greed, character, and corruption -- woven together with many amusing and curious subtexts and insights about a "strainero" trying to fit in to a whole other culture and language. The story is a great success at real-life drama. The only unfortunate part is that the story slowly unravels how much the author completely blew a real opportunity to fit in more and delve deeper beneath the surface of his adopted society -- opting more and more to impose his own self-righteous mindset and judgement on matters (he was as much a "bulldozer" as he accused the soccer team's manager of being) rather than taking a step back to learn more about the inner workings of another culture. This isn't ethnocentrism or even an example of American arrogance -- the author simply self-destructed at his mission to respect, observe, and ask in order to learn and report. Even so, the book is a great success in spite of the author's mistakes. He gained access to a remote, close-knit community amidst the throes of of several major events -- also capturing moments of great humor. The author's detailed accounting of his conversations and experiences there makes it a fascinating story in its own right.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Story ruined by annoying author
Review: The actual story that is supposed to be told would have been a great story. However, the arrogance and poor writing style of the author made me cringe every time I turned the page. The fact that the story about the unlikely successes of a team turned into a story about the author's 9 month vacation in Italy was a shame. This must be the first book I've ever read where I literally couldn't stand the author and the only thing that got me through the book was the underlying tale of this incredible soccer team.
Rating:
Summary: Good book. Disappointed on how the ending was handled.
Review: I don't want to spoil it for people who may read, so I'll try to beat around the bush. I would have liked a follow up chapter of "where are they now" and "what happened to the team". If anybody knows, please email luigib@ragingbull.com. McGinnis leaves the town with a sour taste in his mouth, nonetheless, it would have brought closure to find out what happened to these people. Much like if you were ever dumped by someone, life goes on, but you do wonder "what ever happened to such and such" Beside that, good reading, lots of great stories about Italian life, culture, geography, history. Good book for soccer fans, great book for a study in small town life and big city problems. I was disappointed in lack of pictures as well. Not even a team shot. I guess with the ending and the accusations, I understand why, but still disappointed. The writer is very opinionated and inserts himself into the story more often than not. This is not a fly on the wall recount. Recommendation: worth a read, but prepare yourself for some very slanted ideas and some self promotion. It seems like there was even a better story out there, but it just wasn't captured all the way... maybe 80%
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