Football in Sun and Shadow (Penguin Modern Classics)

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The chapter “The 1962 World Cup” is particularly political as Galeano describes events surrounding the cup, some of which were incredibly interwoven with soccer. The author points to the fact that it was around this time that Algeria began the process of independence, having discussed it in class and upon further research, the Algerian Football Federation was not established until that year and would not become an official part of FIFA until 1963. Before its recognition, playing soccer matches as their own team was a form of defiance, an act of rebellion against their European oppressors. Perhaps the most famous line comes from the introduction (or "Author's Confession"), where Galeano's entire mission (and indeed life) is wrapped up as follows: Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2021-06-18 10:01:18 Boxid IA40138206 Camera USB PTP Class Camera Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier

A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular clarity. Occasionally wonky but overall a good case for how the dismal science can make the world less—well, dismal.

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Throughout the book, Eduardo Galeano emphasizes several times the sharp divide between Europe and the Americas with the rest of the World, especially in terms of World Cup attendance. Often, it seemed that countries from the “south”, or developing, countries often rotate in terms of participation. But only because of pity from FIFA—and not with the perspective that they actually have chance of winning or returning to the next cup. This is likely rooted from imperialistic tendencies, where the invader believe that they will always will be superior to the invaded.It is, at heart, a history book, one that takes as its subject the whole broad sweep of the game, from the "time of the Pharoahs [when] the Egyptians used a ball made of straw or the husks of seeds, wrapped in colourful cloths" to, in the 2003 re-printing, the World Cup in Japan and Korea, when: Galeano has a style of a great left half. He constantly switches the direction of play. His observations are acute. He delivers with an air of insouciance which cannot mask his mastery' Furthermore, a victory by a European nation in this cup represents the tit-for-tat pattern of European and South American countries alternating victories throughout the ’60s and ’70s. West Germany’s victory was bookended by Brazil’s in 1970 and Argentina’s in 1978. This shows that despite the emergence of South American nations as soccer superpowers with their own flair, European nations were equally as capable of innovating and adapting to new styles of the game. The politics of imperialism can be found in all sections of the book. For me, the section entitled “A Few Numbers”. With European countries being the major colonizing force and the main imperialist forces, it makes sense that European teams had twice as many opportunities to win as did teams from the Americas during fifteen World Cups. Additionally, it is important to realize that Great Britain has four chances to win a single World Cup with England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales when no other team has any chances. As this section continues it becomes apparent for the 1994 World Cup that more “token countries” needed to be added to allow for each continent to have a fair representation. Pakistani children sewed the high-tech ball for Adidas that started rolling on opening night in the stadium at Seoul: a rubber chamber, surrounded by a cloth net covered with foam, all inside a skin of white polymer decorated with the symbol of fire. A ball to lure fortunes from grass.

Writing isn’t brain surgery, but it’s rare when someone adept at the latter is also so accomplished at the former. Searching for meaning and purpose in his life, Kalanithi pursued a doctorate in literature and had felt certain that he wouldn’t enter the field of medicine, in which his father and other members of his family excelled. “But I couldn’t let go of the question,” he writes, after realizing that his goals “didn’t quite fit in an English department.” “Where did biology, morality, literature and philosophy intersect?” So he decided to set aside his doctoral dissertation and belatedly prepare for medical school, which “would allow me a chance to find answers that are not in books, to find a different sort of sublime, to forge relationships with the suffering, and to keep following the question of what makes human life meaningful, even in the face of death and decay.” The author’s empathy undoubtedly made him an exceptional doctor, and the precision of his prose—as well as the moral purpose underscoring it—suggests that he could have written a good book on any subject he chose. Part of what makes this book so essential is the fact that it was written under a death sentence following the diagnosis that upended his life, just as he was preparing to end his residency and attract offers at the top of his profession. Kalanithi learned he might have 10 years to live or perhaps five. Should he return to neurosurgery (he could and did), or should he write (he also did)? Should he and his wife have a baby? They did, eight months before he died, which was less than two years after the original diagnosis. “The fact of death is unsettling,” he understates. “Yet there is no other way to live.”As I read Galeano’s work, I noticed the intermittent focus on the global south and how the power dynamics between the South American countries and their former colonizers played out on the pitch. In the discussion of each World Cup, Galeano notes how many participants came from each continent, frequently framing those from the Global South as invaders and conquerors of European soccer. In many of these South American countries, soccer was a symbol of power. As outlined in “Soccer and the Generals,” soccer was a universal expression of power, a way for dictator’s to firm their grasp on the nation. Extrapolating this metaphor, and we can understand that, when countries from the Global South beat the Europeans, they were retaking power, leveling the playing field after generations of exploitation and colonization. It's not just the wonderfully interwoven snippets of world history that keep the reader glued to this book, or even the graceful, poignant, and musical prose that mesmerizes and transports you into the fascinating world of Galeano's view of football, it's more the sheer beauty of the facts, the myths, and the rich, short summaries of legends and moments in world football that make this book a must for any lover of sport, and literature.

Quality of life means more than just consumption”: Two MIT economists urge that a smarter, more politically aware economics be brought to bear on social issues. Sport's answer to 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'. A journey through a universe populated by the fantastic and the eccentric, reality turned magical.' Throughout his book, Galeano makes reference to the influences of imperialism throuhgout the history of soccer. No history of soccer would be complete without this account and consideration. Despite its deep roots, the impacts of imperialism today are largely forgotten. Imperialism did not stop impacting societies when European nations withdrew from certain geographic areas, the influence still seeps throughout the Southern World. Galeano does not explicitly make this claim, however he alludes to it when considering what he calls an “Export Industry.”The brief stories presented here make this book a perfect read at any time: queues, buses, bed, and naturally, the loo! A neurosurgeon with a passion for literature tragically finds his perfect subject after his diagnosis of terminal lung cancer. There are many good books about football; there are few that have claims to greatness. Published 20 years ago, Soccer in Sun and Shadow — whose author, the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano, died Monday at the age of 74 — stands among those few, and even those who might quibble with such status would have to agree that there really isn't anything to argue about. Even if you don't enjoy it, there's nothing else like it. Galeano’s chapter on “The Second Discovery of America” relates the Uruguayan championship in the Olympics to the Europeans ‘discovery’ of the west. Uruguay became an a source of untapped riches where Europeans could go to “mine” both talent and tactics from the emerging soccer nation. Just like with their discovery of the west it sparked a fascination with something new and dramatically changed the balance of the world as they knew it. When Europeans discovered the America’s it forced them to redraw their maps of the world; similarly, when Uruguay found international success it forced the to redraw their tactical maps of how to best play football. In the excerpt titled “From Mutilation to Splendor,” Galeano offers readers a glimpse of the politics of imperialism by describing soccer in the wake of the racial inequality stemming from imperialist activities. Galeano uses a metaphor to describe the way in which soccer has the potential to alter the life course for those that are born into misfortune. He states that “the ball is the only fairy godmother [the player] can believe in. Maybe she will feed him, maybe she will make him a hero, maybe even a god” (Galeano). Galeano uses this metaphor to understand the sport of soccer as a great equalizer — finding equality on the pitch during times of rampant inequality; that those who have been left disadvantaged by imperialism may gain the upper hand through soccer. There is a notion that soccer is, to an extent, beyond the influence of racial inequality, or as Galeano calls it, “a racial democracy” (Galeano).