Rating: 
Summary: Miracle worker misses the point.
Review:
I heard so much good about 'The Miracle of Castel di Sangro,' that I knew I needed to read it. Joe McGinniss certainly has a easy turn of phrase and a lovely fluidity to his prose but from the moment I began, to the second I finished this book I was frustrated, angry and mainly infruriated that a man with such reputable creditails as a writer could seriously beleive he has captured his subject. It began to grate on my nerves when he arrives in town and insists on staying in the Hotel, even when it's explained to him why it's not a good idea out of season and then writes about how poorly he is treated. It goes downwards from there. He proves almost immediatly, thathe couldn't be bothered to research the subject of the piece, the clubs season in B1, which is something I'm assuming is simply an oversite for a writer of his standing. The first sign of this lack of study comes along when he kicks up a fury upon discovery that the stadium has not been completed in time for the season. He even has the audacity to disrespect the owners invitation to lunch on his estate by demanding to know why the work hasn't be completed. This it appears is just starting point. He then sets out to annoy everyone involved in the team in any way- Telling the coach why his formations and tactics are just plain wrong becuase he says so. Yelling at the President becuase he dares to disagree with him. Writing and printing off flyers telling of his disgust at whatever is his bugbear of the moment and simply offending people through sheer bilgerance. His assumption that speaking Italian is something he will pick up is fine but by showing up in the town not speaking a word and then simply assuming that he will be accepted and listened to would be niave if it wasn't so arrogant. In fact Arrogance is the best way to describe McGinniss throughout. He claims to be a fan of football but hasn't even the slightest inkling of the Italian's passions and idiosyncratic views on calcio....and more importantly never stops to try and understand. He never grasps that idea that Italian calcio is grounded in cattenaccio and a defensive mindset and instead simply assumes that the offense-first tactics he knows from basketball are right and the team is wrong. He borders on the idiotic more often than not, simply because he never, ever conceeds, as most people who have had the delight of travelling to Italy, that the Italian's do things very differently. He unfortunatly fits the stereotype of the loud, obnoxious American. His ignorance is only compounded by his unwillingness to ever understand and his pigheadedness to go ahead and do something even after he is told repeatedly that it is not acceptable is infuriating.
My outrage grew to boiling point when he finaly got to his moral ending. How on earth he was so niave to not see the 'fix' coming is beyond me. It is simply more proof that he had not done any background research on his subject. To compound it by simply abusing players, who were clearly not happy but certain that a refusal to follow out the actions would see them not only blackbanned from football but possibly from the society they lived in was the final insult.
Make no mistake I am no condoning the actions of lying down and losing the game for money and certainly I was outraged but taking it out on the players and then making a scene in the street remostrating with the President and wealthy owner of the club left me cold. This book had the potential to be a fantastic and powerful statement on Italian football and the society at large.It could have been as brilliant as Tobias Jones'-The Dark Heart of Italy,' a perfect, critical and fascinating disection of the country. It perhaps should have been but all I read was a book about one mans ego outshining his subject.
Rating: 
Summary: If your looking for a book about soccer....
Review:
You might just want to sit this one out. However if you want to read a book with a great story, wonderful culture and a annoying american, well this book is for you!
Now don't get me wrong, this book is about soccer. It's a true story about a team that had just been promoted to Serie B (second highest level) in Italy. It truly was a miracle, and when the author heard about it, he obviously knew that the next season was going to be a story worth telling.
The whole book however, is much more story driven then that. There is not much of action during the book. The longer the book goes, seemingly does the interest for soccer. It's not all bad, and even though it may not have the large amounts of soccer action others do, it does have a great story... and the story makes up for the lack of action in a big way.
My only issue (as seemingly many others on this board) is the ignorance of the writter (aka main charicter.) He's not so bad, but he just come's off as a know it all, all to often. He also has this thing for upsetting people. My big problem with him however, is the fact that he makes American soccer fans look bad. To find out how, just read the book and keep in mind he has only been watching the sport for very few years...
However, if you love soccer or Italian culture, this book is still for you. You just have to read past the ignorance of our guide sometimes. It's certainly worth its price tag, and is good for any new fan to soccer. I highly recomend the book.
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.
Rating:
Summary: Great Story ruined by annoying author
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%
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful!!!
Review: What a terrific book! Great story (greed, corruption, comradeship, triumph, tragedy, comedy), and wonderful insights into both professional soccer and the Italian mindset. I'm a big soccer fan, but I think anyone would love this book, soccer fan or not. Thanks, Mr. McGinniss, for taking on such a seemingly unpromising subject and producing such a wonderful story!
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