cover image Women's Soccer: The Passionate Game

Women's Soccer: The Passionate Game

Barbara Stewart. Greystone Books, $14.95 (128pp) ISBN 978-1-55365-067-6

This joyful, celebratory volume, which was first released in hardcover in 2003, describes the explosion in women's soccer over the past decade-plus, highlighting major moments from the first U.S. Women's World Cup victory in 1991 to the formation of pro leagues around the world. It also provides an explanation of many of the game's finer points--such as what Futsal is (FIFA's official version of arena soccer) and what the rules of a penalty kick are (a one-on-one with the goalkeeper that occurs""when a defender commits a serious foul ... in her own penalty area""). Profiles of groundbreaking players like Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, Briana Scurry, Julie Foudy and April Heinrichs pay homage to soccer role models, and add to the book's inspirational tone, as do the volume's abundant action shots.