{"product_id":"9780061984952","title":"Africa United : Soccer, Passion, Politics, and the First World Cup in Africa","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eAfrica United\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Steve Bloomfield\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAfrica United\u003c\/em\u003e is the story of modern day Africa told through its soccer. Travelling across thirteen countries, from Cairo to the Cape, Steve Bloomfield, the former Africa Correspondent for \u003cem\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/em\u003e, meets players and fans, politicians and rebel leaders, discovering the role that soccer has played in shaping the continent. This wide-ranging and incisive book investigates Africa’s love of soccer, its increasing global influence, the build-up to the 2010 World Cup itself and the social and political backdrop to the greatest show on earth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e“Bloomfield’s book presents the perfect contextual backdrop for understanding how football intersects with everyday life, politics, and national identities in this part of the world.”\u003cbr\u003e“[T]he author relates what soccer means in nations where poverty and danger go hand-in-hand. The result is a highly charged read at least as much about politics as soccer. Highly recommended.”\u003cbr\u003e“A journalist’s continental odyssey. … it’s a brave journey - Bloomfield should never have taken that old Russian aircraft in Sierra Leone - and carries us to countries most of us will never see. The highlight, a beautiful piece of writing, is Bloomfield’s visit to Mogadishu, the wrecked yet splendid Somali capital.”\u003cbr\u003e“This is a fascinating account of how football lies at the very heart of African consciousness....The insights that Bloomfield has gleaned as The Independent’s Africa correspondent shine through in the perfect balance of passionate prose and informed accounts of key moments both on and off the pitch.”\u003cbr\u003e[\u003ci\u003eAfrica United\u003c\/i\u003e] is an excellent book and offers a fascinating introduction to thirteen national African teams.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9780061984952\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":41061461000398,"sku":"9780061984952","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/9780061984952.jpg?v=1648350830","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9780061984952","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}