Why is God is Round: Tackling the Giants, Villains, Triumphs, and Scandals of the World’s Favorite Game by Juan Villoro the most anticipated football title of 2016?
There are a number of good reasons.
First, the book features a wide range of essays from Juan Villoro, Mexico’s most popular author. He also happens to be the region’s top football expert as well as an award-winning playwright, journalist, and screenwriter. He is known around the world as a top literary mind and even serves as a visiting lecturer at both Yale and Princeton. He’s the perfect person for this title.
Second, this book is a very deep and personal discussion of the sport of football. The topics offer a glimpse into the brilliance and faults of the sport that billions love. You’ll hear about the game’s heroes and villains, saviors and sinners, and those that build the game and those that have tried to destoy it.
Third, God is Round is real literature, not just another book about football. Villoro’s words are like poetry, rich and full of meaning. He is an artist with words and this is certainly fitting for a sport so often referred to as a the beautiful game. God is Round is certainly on par with David Goldblatt’s The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer and Eduard Galeano’s Soccer in Sun and Shadow, arguably the finest football titles ever written.
If you can only purchase one book this year, it has to be God is Round. Football fans and those that enjoy great literature will be equally enthralled with this one.