What We Think About When We Think About Soccer

Simon Critchley beguiles as he illuminates. -David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas Simon Critchley is a figure of quite startling brilliance -Jonathan Lethem, author of The Fortress of Solitude [Critchley] approaches every subject - be it suicide or soccer - with the same intellectual rigor. The writing is not only deep and philosophical, but approachable and conversational. -Los Angeles Times Critchley makes the sport's myths tangible without removing our sense of awe. -Rolling Stone In this irresistible treatise on how soccer came to be the dominant sport around the globe.... Critchley's depth and range of knowledge is remarkable.-Publishers Weekly (Starred review) We have to admit that, like many Americans, what we mostly thought about when we thought about soccer was, 'Why the heck don't they just catch the ball and run?' That was before we read Simon Critchley's phenomenology of 'the beautiful game.' Now we know, among other things, what it's like to be a ball, and it turns out that from the ball's point of view, it really is quite poetic. This is not only a fun book about soccer; it's also a fascinating work of phenomenology and aesthetics by a first-rate philosopher. -Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein, authors of the New York Times bestseller Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar... This slim book will provide many pleasures...anyone who is passionate about a game and is willing to read a smart assessment of what it means to be a fan will find much to admire. -Kirkus Reviews Critchley has written a beautiful book about the beautiful game-about the way that soccer, at its best, can be elevated to an art form that enchants us, unites us, and occasionally appalls us. Like any form of art, soccer has something to tell us about the world, how it is organized and how is occasionally comes apart. The World Cup is coming-fans should start reading. -John Kaag, author of American Philosophy: A Love Story Soccer is the world's most beautiful game, with many aspects of it that are unexplainable. Simon Critchley's book reminded me why millions-myself included-are so obsessed with this sport and how it has captured the imaginations of people all over the world. -Robbie Rogers, author of Coming Out to Play Praise for The Book of Dead Philosophers: A provocative and engrossing invitation to think about the human condition and what philosophy can do to illuminate it. -Financial Times Critchley is among the hippest of (living) British philosophers. -The Book Bench, The New Yorker We have to admit that, like many Americans, what we mostly thought about when we thought about soccer was, 'Why the heck don't they just catch the ball and run?' That was before we read Simon Critchley's phenomenology of 'the beautiful game.' Now we know, among other things, what it's like to be a ball, and it turns out that from the ball's point of view, it really is quite poetic. This is not only a fun book about soccer; it's also a fascinating work of phenomenology and aesthetics by a first-rate philosopher. -- Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein, authors of the New York Times bestseller Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar...