Books About Women’s Soccer to Read During the FIFA Women’s World Cup

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Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

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Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

Susie (she/her) is simply a queer writer primitively from Little Rock, present surviving successful Washington, DC. She is the writer of QUEERLY BELOVED and the forthcoming LOOKING FOR A SIGN from Dial Press/Random House. You tin find her connected Instagram @susiedoom.

View All posts by Susie Dumond

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is yet here! The champion women’s shot players from astir the globe, representing 32 antithetic countries, are presently kicking disconnected the biggest planetary sporting lawsuit of the twelvemonth successful Australia and New Zealand. Don’t expect to spot maine for the adjacent month; I’ll beryllium staying up each nighttime each nighttime to ticker games successful existent Down Under time. If you’re arsenic excited arsenic I americium astir the Women’s World Cup, cheque retired these books astir women’s shot to support you entertained during halftime. We’ve got memoirs by players, nonfiction histories of women’s sports, soccer-set novels, positive a mates of books coming retired aft the World Cup to preorder now.

This twelvemonth marks the ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup; the tourney began successful 1991 and takes spot each 4 years. It’s go an tremendous planetary signifier for celebrating women’s shot and warring for adjacent rights successful sports. During the 2019 World Cup, the U.S. Women’s National Team enactment a spotlight connected sex favoritism astatine each level of soccer. That year, the full prize wealth disposable to beryllium divided among each competing teams was $30 million, compared to $400 cardinal successful prize wealth for the 2018 Men’s World Cup. This year, successful effect to calls for adjacent pay, the Women’s World Cup prize wealth has accrued to $110 million, one-quarter of the $440 cardinal offered to Men’s World Cup teams successful 2022. It’s an improvement, but there’s intelligibly inactive a batch of enactment to beryllium done. Many of the books beneath tin springiness you a amended look astatine the combat for adjacent wage successful women’s soccer.

Books by Women’s Soccer Players

cover of One Life by Megan Rapinoe

One Life by Megan Rapinoe

If you privation to spot the satellite of shot done an elite player’s eyes, wherefore not work a memoir by idiosyncratic presently competing successful her 4th Women’s World Cup? Megan Rapinoe is legendary some connected and disconnected the tract for her goal-scoring prowess, artful country kicks, activism for adjacent wage and queer rights, and consciousness of style. In One Life, Rapinoe shares her travel from kicking her archetypal shot shot astatine the property of 4 to competing astatine the planetary level successful aggregate World Cups and Olympics. You’ll besides larn astir Rapinoe’s roadworthy to coming retired and advocating for matrimony equality, falling successful emotion with hoops prima Sue Bird, injuries that person taken her disconnected the pitch, and the determination that brought her back. It’s a moving publication by a subordinate whose communicative is inactive being written.

cover of My Greatest Save

My Greatest Save: The Brave, Barrier-Breaking Journey of a World Champion Goalkeeper by Briana Scurry

Briana Scurry is 1 of the astir iconic U.S. Women’s National Team goalkeepers of each time, with 2 Olympic golden medals and 1 World Cup triumph to boast. Her prowess led the U.S. to triumph astatine the unforgettable 1999 World Cup, wherever she saved a game-winning punishment footwear during an overtime shootout with China. But that’s not all. She besides changed the aboriginal of the sport, some by being the archetypal subordinate to travel retired arsenic cheery and by publically sharing her struggles successful the aftermath of a concussion that took her disconnected the transportation permanently. Today’s concussion and wounded protocols are mostly acknowledgment to Scurry’s advocacy, and she continues to marque her people arsenic an adjunct manager with the Washington Spirit. This memoir follows Scurry’s travel to the top; her mental, emotional, physical, and fiscal struggles aft her injury; and her way to healing. It’s a almighty communicative with a batch to accidental astir the past and aboriginal of the game.

cover of Forward by Abby Wambach

Forward: A Memoir by Abby Wambach

Abby Wambach has a seemingly endless database of recognitions and records, including but not constricted to: 2 Olympic golden medals, 1 FIFA Women’s World Cup win, being named 1 of TIME’s astir influential radical successful the world, and holding the grounds for 2nd astir planetary goals scored crossed women’s and men’s soccer. But she’s truthful overmuch much than conscionable a catalog of her successes. In this memoir, Wambach shows the satellite a much multifaceted and honorable mentation of herself arsenic idiosyncratic who has struggled adjacent portion astatine the apical of her game, and arsenic idiosyncratic who has been shaped by and harmed by her fame. You’ll spot Wambach’s highest highs and lowest lows successful Forward, and you’ll larn that shot is lone 1 constituent of her story. If you privation to larn astir the existent lives and challenges of the world’s astir elite shot players, you’ll find that and much successful this book.

cover of They Don't Teach This

They Don’t Teach This: Lessons From the Game of Life by Eniola Aluko

Eniola Aluko had an awesome vocation successful football, earning implicit 100 caps connected the England Women’s Football team. But that was lone the beginning. Since leaving the pitch, Aluko has gone connected to gain a instrumentality degree, remark connected shot connected World Cup broadcasts, service arsenic sporting manager for aggregate women’s shot clubs (hot tip: drawback her connected the HBO docu-series Angel City), and adjacent go an ambassador to the UN. This inspirational memoir shows Aluko’s travel to specified unthinkable achievements. She besides shares immoderate of the contented she’s gained on the way, peculiarly relating to facing prejudice, speaking retired against abuse, and dealing with vocation setbacks. Aluko’s communicative is simply a fascinating one, and the lessons she shares with readers person applicability acold beyond the field.

cover of How (Not) to Be Strong

How (Not) to Be Strong by Alex Scott

Alex Scott had an awesome vocation arsenic a footballer, peculiarly for Arsenal and connected the England Women’s Team. She’s present a respected shot commentator, and depending connected wherever you’re watching the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, you mightiness perceive Scott’s sum of the games. In this profoundly idiosyncratic and susceptible memoir, Scott asserts that sometimes the strongest happening you tin bash is fto down your defender and speech openly astir your challenges. From her hard puerility to the sexism she faces arsenic a nationalist fig successful sports, she shares the struggles and successes that person gotten her wherever she is today. If you’re not already a instrumentality of Alex Scott, you volition beryllium by the clip you decorativeness this inspiring and moving book.

Books About Women’s Soccer & Sports

cover of A Woman's Game

A Woman’s Game: The Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of Women’s Soccer by Suzanne Wrack

The popularity of women’s shot has been increasing astatine a stunning rate, and this year’s Women’s World Cup could gain record-breaking viewership. But don’t fto that fool you into reasoning women’s shot is new. In this book, British sports writer Suzanne Wrack shares 150 years of women’s shot history, from its roar successful the 1920s to aboriginal being banned arsenic “unsuitable for females” to its much caller success. Wrack tracks however women’s shot worked with and against societal trends, arsenic good arsenic however involvement successful men’s shot has some helped and harmed the women’s game. This publication tin assistance you larn much astir the past of the athletics arsenic we crook our attraction to what it has successful store for the future.

cover of Money, Power, Respect

Money, Power, Respect: How Women successful Sports Are Shaping the Future of Feminism by Macaela MacKenzie

During the past Women’s World Cup successful 2019, the U.S. Women’s National Team made headlines — and not conscionable by winning. They brought their demands for adjacent wage and policies to the pitch, calling connected FIFA and different institutions to worth women’s sports astatine the aforesaid level arsenic men’s sports. They adjacent got full crowds chanting “equal pay” during matches. If you privation to larn astir the strides they made toward sex equality successful sports and however they’re inactive warring today, cheque retired writer Macaela MacKenzie’s publication Money, Power, Respect. MacKenzie highlights the immense misogynistic scenery of nonrecreational sports and takes a look astatine what women athletes are doing to alteration it. She interviews shot legends similar Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, arsenic good arsenic stars from different sports similar Allyson Felix and Billie Jean King. It’s a hard look astatine the problems presently facing women athletes and a hopeful testament to the enactment being done to pave the mode for aboriginal stars.

cover of Learning America

Learning America: One Woman’s Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children by Luma Mufleh

Soccer is simply a challenging and entertaining sport, but learning to play tin besides thatch you a batch astir beingness disconnected the pitch. After leaving her location state of Jordan and looking for a spot to belong, Luma Mufleh learned that shot is simply a large mode to find community. She happened upon a radical of exile kids playing shot successful Georgia 1 day, asked if she could join, and the remainder of her beingness was changed. Mufleh started a shot squad for exile kids that turned into a family, a non-profit, a school, and truthful overmuch more. In this memoir, she shares however shot became the bosom of her enactment with young refugees, not to make their diversion prowess, but to assistance signifier lifelong connections and physique character. It’s a moving communicative afloat of anticipation for a amended future, tied unneurotic by a emotion of soccer.

cover of You Don't Have a Shot

You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie

This YA romance is the genuinely queer mentation of Bend It Like Beckham we’ve each been waiting for. Vale has worked incredibly hard to acceptable herself up for a vocation successful soccer, but that could each spell distant acknowledgment to a combat she had with Leticia, her biggest rival, during a playoff crippled astatine the extremity of her inferior year. A summertime astatine her puerility shot campy seems similar conscionable the mode to get herself backmost connected way — until she finds retired she’s expected to co-captain her squad with Leticia. They’ll person to enactment their rivalry down them if they privation to impressment the assemblage scouts coming to ticker them play. But arsenic they find a mode to enactment unneurotic connected the field, they observe there’s thing betwixt them extracurricular of the crippled arsenic well. It’s a pitch-perfect (pun intended) enemies-to-lovers romance that’s definite to sound you disconnected your feet.

Upcoming Books About Women’s Soccer and Sports

cover of Fair Play by Katie Barnes

Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates by Katie Barnes (Sept. 19, St. Martin’s Press)

Just arsenic nonrecreational women athletes are starting to get a changeable astatine the enactment and wage they deserve, their satellite is being rocked by governmental (AKA transphobic) debates astir the inclusion of transgender athletes. Katie Barnes is simply a writer who has been reporting connected sex successful sports and trans athletes for years. Their publication Fair Play is an excellent, nuanced exploration of sex and trans identities wrong the satellite of sports, from the Olympics to younker leagues and everything successful between. Barnes puts today’s blistery topics into a humanities discourse and considers the aboriginal of sex successful sports. They bash a fantastic occupation of shining a airy connected however nuanced these issues are, contempt the information that some sides effort to oversimplify them, and providing thought-provoking suggestions for what a gender-inclusive satellite of sports mightiness look like. While shot isn’t the superior absorption of the book, it does travel into play throughout, including a look astatine the NWSL’s groundbreaking policies for trans and nonbinary players.

cover of Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner (Sept. 19, St. Martin’s Griffin)

The lone happening that tin marque women’s shot better, successful my sentiment astatine least, is simply a small queer romance. This upcoming romance by Meryl Wilsner is everything I’ve ever wanted successful a emotion story. Grace is 1 of the astir celebrated shot players successful the U.S. with a agelong grounds connected the Women’s National Team. Phoebe conscionable got called up to the nationalist squad for the archetypal time. They’ve intelligibly got chemistry, but tin they support their idiosyncratic entanglements disconnected the pitch? Or adjacent better, is their chemistry conscionable what they request to win? It’s got a large mounting successful the satellite of soccer, tons of amusive references for shot fans, fantabulous neurodiversity representation, and of course, steamy romance. And connected apical of it all, the rubric is implicit perfection. Do not miss this book!


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