Rating: 
Summary: It's football not soccer
Review: There is a great story here and any writer could have produced a decent book out of it. Somehow Joe fails miserably.Here's the problem; Joe doesn't really understand what's it like to a real football supporter. Perhaps that's being a bit harsh seeing how this book reads not as Joe wanting to tell what happened in Castel di Sangro but to tell his buddies back home how much he knows about football. The book just isn't about Castel di Sangro;it's about Joe. Page after page it is about Joe telling the locals how it should be. But to do that Joe you need to know about football and you do not. Now I realise that some Americans might feel this is an Englishman trying to be superior but it's not. Look at the facts. Joe calls injury time, overtime. He seems to think that the ratings given to players in the local press are objective and uses these to back up his opinions. He tries to get the manager to change his team based on the outcome of a computer game. My god Joe brings across from the USA enough team scarves to decorate all the walls of his apartment. There are plenty of Americans who know a lot about football and who understand it. Joe, mate, you do not. These are not minor complaints. If you are to believe his story you need to know that Joe really knows what he is talking about, and he time and again he proves he does not. I wouldn't object if he told the story straight without trying to be an expert and trying to make himself the centre of the story. Someone with a little more awareness might have realised that the story does not need him and nor do we. I felt Joe had cheated me. I wanted to hear a great football story and all I got was Joe.
Rating: 
Summary: A roller-coaster ride with the Regazzi from Abruzzo
Review: A fantastic read. A must for anyone interested in people, football or insights into foreign culture. A book that combined all my favourite reading topics; Travel, culture clashes, football, human interest and a ripping story of highs and lows too. What amazed me is that it was written by an American, who managed to capture the passion, but also got caught up in, the fanaticism shared by people throughout the world (outside N America). Right up there with "Fever Pitch" and "The Glory Game". I truly felt that I had known the players through Joe. However, Joe McGuiness's late conversion to football and his 'expert' opinions were slightly irritating to those who have kept the faith all their lives. Someone like Nick Hornby (Fever Pitch) has earned the right to criticise tactics and team selection. For Europeans the explanation of the games mechanics were irritating. Do I need a penalty shoot out explained to me from the back of a Joe's bandwaggon? The management deserved his scorn, but I felt deeply disappointed that he never made his peace with the players before leaving. He was insensitive to their careers and lives. It left me with the feeling of an ungrateful guest who was invited to a special family occasion, brought nothing, drank the wine, abused the host and left pausing only to be sick on the lawn. Still, it was a very enjoyable party.
Rating:
Summary: Further reading
Review: A terrific book about football by - who would have thought it possible? - an American. And if you enjoy this, complete the holy trinity of books about God's own sport by reading 'Fever Pitch' by Nick Hornby and 'The Glory Game' by Hunter Davies (like McGinniss, he spent a year with a team - but the team he chose was one of the best in Europe at the time - Tottenham Hotspur), newly republished in the UK by Mainstream.
Rating:
Summary: Soccer Fan Becomes Fan of Italy
Review: Soccer has been my passion since age 4. For this reason I purchased The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro. It is tragic that Mr. McGinniss passed his first 40+ years before tapping into the obsession that consumes a majority of the planet. With every chapter I rejoiced in his salvation, and my envy of Italians grew. This memoir details the confederating force that calcio is for Italy. A unifying force that is rarely present in our crowded sport's culture. Surprisingly the best parts of the book had nothing to do with the game. They had to do with the Italians, and the citzens of Castel Di Sangro. As McGinniss was drawn to Italy out of an appreciation for soccer, I was likewise drawn to his book. Both author and reader emerge with a new appreciation of the Italians who live the game. A satisfying and enriching read. I only hope that I get the book back from my friends so that I can take it with me when I visit Italy. Just what I needed, a second passion.
Rating: 
Summary: Soccer madness and Italian life
Review: I must admit that I am, even after reading this wonderful book, one of the millions of Americans for whom soccer remains the pointless pursuit of a geodesic ball. As a look into the role of soccer and its role in Italian life this book is exceptional and I dont understand why the publisher did not put more oomph into selling it. I bought my copy after seeing Joe McGuinness on Larry King but as far as I can tell he didnt do anyone else's show and the newspaper ads were minimal, to say the least. The book, and Mr. Mcguinness, deserved more. Some of the book's flaws have been commented on in the other reviews, but unlike the other reviewers I didnt find them so annoying. Mr. McGuinness is telling about his obsession and his reaction to Italian life so it stands to reason that he is always at the center of the action, and I rather liked the immediate translation of the Italian original into English; I don't speak Italian and I know that most people in the world dont speak English. As for Mr. Mcguiness' reaction to the incident that ends the book I would say that what I read was probably the psychic shriek of a Boston Red Sox fan knowing he is once again doomed to failure, this time by forces more formidable than George Steinbrenner's deep pockets. I hope this book comes out in paperback soon and that the published does a better job of pushing it than they did with the hardcover.
Rating:
Summary: An American Immersed in Italian culture
Review: Reviewers who dislike McGinniss' egotistical representation in the book have somehow missed the genius behind the story. Just as the readers do, some characters in the book associate with his funny side, some with his compassion, others with his clumsy side. Like the characters in the book most of us are turned off by McGinniss because of his "greater than thou" stance. As someone who knows no Italian, rather than confuse me, the movement from English to Italian has motvated me to learn more of the language and to visit the country, which is exquisitely described by the author. Overall a good story on how the game takes over peoples lives, and a behind the scenes look at a professional soccer environment; a good read for both soccer and non-soccer loving readers.
Rating:
Summary: A mostly wild ride
Review: This is a captivating, colorful trip through small-town second-division Italian soccer, with more than the requisite amount of lunacy you might expect from soccer players, second divisions, small towns and Italians in general. It is insightful into the game -- what makes it the source of such passion, why the Italians play so defensively, what it means to ascend the ranks, etc. It is also replete with a cast of characters that would make for fine fiction if it weren't true. The only character I didn't like is the author, who increasingly asserts himself into the narrative and (by his own admission) acts pretty stupid. He constantly oversteps his privilege as the team's guest for the season by berating the coach about strategy, and he chastises the players for... well, you'll see at the end, but anyway he's incredibly self-righteous for someone who knows nothing about the sport and makes little effort to consider why the players (or the coach) do the things they do. He breezily chalks his behavior up to what Il Calcio does to you, and maybe it's true, but it's still annoying. So, read the book, skim the parts where he focuses on his own increasingly embarassing behavior, and enjoy the rest.
Rating:
Summary: Miracle of Castel Di Sangro
Review: A must for anyone who likes soccer and Italy! You will get completely caught up with the antics of this team...and the author becomes the ultimo soccer fan. Really fun!
Rating:
Summary: memories
Review: this book brings back memories. I was born in a village just south of castel di sangro, villa san michele. i am a huge soccer fan. i still play and i played on villa scontrone field as a 10 year old. i would very much like to contact Mr. McGinniss. Is it possible to do this? Thank you
Rating:
Summary: "hillarious, insightful...the best book I've read in years"
Review: Please. If all you want is another boring jock book about a team that overcomes the odds to win a title, then there are dozens of other titles out there. If,rather, you want a book that will make you laugh till you can't go on reading while still immersing you in the truly obsessive world of "il calcio," then this is it. Having just returned from Venice, and knowing the language about as well as the author, his hilarious attempts at communication really struck home. (Although he's right that Venetians don't support their team to the degree of those in other Italian cities, I think living in one of the most beautiful cities on earth gives them a bit more perspective than the average fan; they view soccer as a part of life and not their sole reason for existence.) But this world of obsessive fanaticism is REAL, as the author, by his actions and those of the fans he describes --such as the fan who stuffs pieces of pink newspaper in his ears so he won't accidentally hear the score of a match he wants to view later on TV. For any soccer nuts reading this review, I would recommend this book also to you, in spite of the comments by the columnist Paul Gardner, who obviously needs to lighten up a bit. Gardner, who used to be a very funny writer, seems to have missed the point totally on this one. The book's not meant to be simply a jock soccer story. Just pour a glass of good Italian wine, sit back, and enjoy! I guarantee you'll laugh, cry, and be glad you bought this book!
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