Finding the Game

Three Years, Twenty-five Countries, and the Search for Pickup Soccer

Nonfiction, Sports, Football (Soccer), Biography & Memoir, Travel, Adventure & Literary Travel
Cover of the book Finding the Game by Gwendolyn Oxenham, St. Martin's Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gwendolyn Oxenham ISBN: 9781250010889
Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication: June 19, 2012
Imprint: St. Martin's Press Language: English
Author: Gwendolyn Oxenham
ISBN: 9781250010889
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication: June 19, 2012
Imprint: St. Martin's Press
Language: English

Across two dozen countries—from back alleys to remote beaches to the roofs of skyscrapers—an eye-opening journey into the heart of soccer

Every country has a different term for it: In the United States it's "pickup." In Trinidad it's "taking a sweat." In Brazil it's "pelada" (literally "naked"). It's the other side of soccer, those spontaneous matches played away from the bright lights and manicured fields—the game for anyone, anywhere.

At sixteen, Gwendolyn Oxenham was the youngest Division I athlete in NCAA history, a starter and leading goal-scorer for Duke. At twenty, she graduated, the women's professional soccer league folded, and her career was over. In Finding the Game, Oxenham, along with her boyfriend and two friends, chases the part of the game that outlasts a career. They bribe their way into a Bolivian prison, bet shillings on a game with moonshine brewers in Kenya, play with women in hijab on a court in Tehran—and discover what the world looks like when you wander down side streets, holding on to a ball.
An entertaining, heartfelt look at the soul of a sport and a thrilling travel narrative, this book is proof that on the field and in life, some things need no translation.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Across two dozen countries—from back alleys to remote beaches to the roofs of skyscrapers—an eye-opening journey into the heart of soccer

Every country has a different term for it: In the United States it's "pickup." In Trinidad it's "taking a sweat." In Brazil it's "pelada" (literally "naked"). It's the other side of soccer, those spontaneous matches played away from the bright lights and manicured fields—the game for anyone, anywhere.

At sixteen, Gwendolyn Oxenham was the youngest Division I athlete in NCAA history, a starter and leading goal-scorer for Duke. At twenty, she graduated, the women's professional soccer league folded, and her career was over. In Finding the Game, Oxenham, along with her boyfriend and two friends, chases the part of the game that outlasts a career. They bribe their way into a Bolivian prison, bet shillings on a game with moonshine brewers in Kenya, play with women in hijab on a court in Tehran—and discover what the world looks like when you wander down side streets, holding on to a ball.
An entertaining, heartfelt look at the soul of a sport and a thrilling travel narrative, this book is proof that on the field and in life, some things need no translation.

More books from St. Martin's Press

Cover of the book The Harding Affair by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book Present Like a Pro by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book Indian Territory by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book Midnight's Temptation by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book The Perfect Temptation by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book Last Rights by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book Stars and Strikes by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book The Dark-Hunters, Vol. 3 by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book The House in Amalfi by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book The Smart Girl's Guide to Tarot by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book Skin Rules by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book An Eve Duncan Collection From Iris Johansen by Gwendolyn Oxenham
Cover of the book The Slaughter Man by Gwendolyn Oxenham
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy