If You Love Women's Football, Read These Books

It's finally come home!

If you’re in the UK, it probably hasn’t escaped your notice that our Lionesses — the English Women’s Football/Soccer team — won Euro 2022 yesterday, and against our arch rivals Germany, no less. It turns out there is no shortage of books about women’s football and women’s sport more generally — I’m spotlighting five here, but do follow the links to Bookshop UK and Bookshop US for a lot more (including a few more US-centric books).

Pro tip that I’ll probably share repeatedly: if you’re in the US and see a book you’re interested in but can’t find on American shelves, head to Blackwell’s for an inexpensive (and ethical) way to get your Brit lit fix!

Football, She Wrote, by Various Authors

Twenty women from diverse backgrounds come together in this anthology of essays to write about the sport they love.

Bend It Like Beckham, by Narinder Dhami

If you’re ready for a shot of nostalgia, you might want to pick up this novelised version of the 2002 cult classic. Here’s what Rotten Tomatoes said about the film: "Inspiring, compassionate, and with a sly undercurrent of social commentary, Bend It Like Beckham is a lively feel-good movie that genuinely charms."

Trailblazer, by Elizabeth Dale, illustrated by Carolina Coroa

This one is a great book to teach the history of women’s football in Great Britain to primary school age kids — including a timeline of football, great pictures, and lots of facts about football pioneer Lily Parr.

A Woman’s Game, by Suzanne Wrack

US soccer star Megan Rapinoe is a big fan of this book: “A truly important book; shines a brilliant light on the game we all love and its broader impact.” With perfect timeliness, A Woman’s Game came out in June in the UK. In the US, it’s out on August 23, and you can pre-order it here on Bookshop.

Jaz Santos vs The World, by Priscilla Mante

If you’re raising a young football fan, or any child who’s been inspired by the Lionesses recently, you’ll want to put this book about “families, unlikely friendships, and girl power” into their hands. Grand Dame of British kid lit Jacqueline Wilson calls it “exciting, original, and heart-warming”, and it’s said to be perfect reading for fans of her books.

Want more?

More football books can be found here (US) and here (UK).

Feedback is welcome on the format of this newsletter, and please feel free to comment with the thing you love, so I can recommend relevant books for you!

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