Books

Ideal post-30 June gift

Author: Alex Bellos - a Brazil-based football-mad journalist.
Title: Futebol
Subtitle: The Brazilian Way of Life
Publisher: Bloomsbury (2002)
Price: £9.99

In a nutshell: During the World Cup I felt a very strong desire to read. Not the usual newspapers and magazines, but a bit of quality. My first purchase was inspired - a book about Brazilian football and the part it plays in Brazilian culture. By the 30 June, with Brazil in the final and impressing everyone with their dazzling style, I was even more pleased with my purchase. The book is not a history of Brazilian football, nor a chronicle of matches or World Cup stories. Rather it's an intelligent and incisive exploration of Brazil, the country, and the hugely significant role played by 'futebol' in Brazilian society. In 15 very readable chapters Bellos considers every conceivable angle on the sport and the country.

Strengths: The book is well written, splendidly illustrated and wonderfully topical. It doesn't get side-tracked by matches or scores, but digs deeply into the personalities and curios. It focuses on issues rather than events eg. the burgeoning colony of Brazilian footballers plying their trade in the Faroe Islands, the "fateful" World Cup final of 1950 (and its massive and morbid legacy for Brazil), Garrincha (only Pele would beat him in a 'Best Brazilian Footballer of All-Time' poll) and the bizarre phenomenon of 'autoball' - a strange, and very Brazilian blend, of motor racing and soccer. Yes, a very eclectic mix. 

Weaknesses: Nothing obvious.

General verdict: So good I'm going to buy my brother a copy for his birthday.

Peter Davies