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isabookabel 's review for:
Roy Of The Rovers: Kick-Off
by Ben Willsher, Rob Williams
I bought this as a classroom book thinking it would be great fir students with a love of football who may struggle reading large amount of text and benefit from it being a comic. Though it came across as well intentioned, this totally missed the mark for me - I feel the books messages belong solidly in the past.
Even though its engaging at times, I don't feel comfortable recommending this book.
It cameos emotion and seems to entrench stereotypes and ideas about masculinity that are in my view unhealthy for young boys. The coach constantly shouts at the whole team calling them 'gits'. The message is that he only treats team members poorly because he cares and that's his way of showing it. The captain is a bully throughout, seemingly because he is insecure and threatened by Roy. Although Roy laughs this off, it doesn't illustrate how this could make him feel or how to deal with those emotions or situation - instead suggests that real men just laugh those things off rather than express vulnerability. The 3 women all seem to be tropes - sexy long suffering but supportive wife, sexy edgy teen sister, sexy physio who knows about football. None have any real bearing on the plot or contribute more than this.
The representation of disability is also not something I feel comfortable with - i feel like it was trying to make the message 'be kind to those with disabilities', however completely disempowered disabled people in the process and created a weird saviour vibe with Roy. The father is wheelchair bound and doesn't speak - but it felt like he was just a plot device to make Roy look better supporting his mum and family and living his father's dreams than creating a developed character. It is not a positive representation of disability, rather reduces the character to a plot device where they are portrayed as incapable, a victim and the cause of much heartache for the family.
I'm not going to add anymore, even though, I'm sure, I've barely scratched the surface. Fair to say there's a lot I didn't like about this book and I'm really disappointed because the potential was so great. I think a lot of young people could really enjoy it but would absorb the outdated narratives rather than critiquing it.
This book could have been so much better.
I recommend "All to Play for" by Eve Ainsworth instead.
Even though its engaging at times, I don't feel comfortable recommending this book.
It cameos emotion and seems to entrench stereotypes and ideas about masculinity that are in my view unhealthy for young boys. The coach constantly shouts at the whole team calling them 'gits'. The message is that he only treats team members poorly because he cares and that's his way of showing it. The captain is a bully throughout, seemingly because he is insecure and threatened by Roy. Although Roy laughs this off, it doesn't illustrate how this could make him feel or how to deal with those emotions or situation - instead suggests that real men just laugh those things off rather than express vulnerability. The 3 women all seem to be tropes - sexy long suffering but supportive wife, sexy edgy teen sister, sexy physio who knows about football. None have any real bearing on the plot or contribute more than this.
The representation of disability is also not something I feel comfortable with - i feel like it was trying to make the message 'be kind to those with disabilities', however completely disempowered disabled people in the process and created a weird saviour vibe with Roy. The father is wheelchair bound and doesn't speak - but it felt like he was just a plot device to make Roy look better supporting his mum and family and living his father's dreams than creating a developed character. It is not a positive representation of disability, rather reduces the character to a plot device where they are portrayed as incapable, a victim and the cause of much heartache for the family.
I'm not going to add anymore, even though, I'm sure, I've barely scratched the surface. Fair to say there's a lot I didn't like about this book and I'm really disappointed because the potential was so great. I think a lot of young people could really enjoy it but would absorb the outdated narratives rather than critiquing it.
This book could have been so much better.
I recommend "All to Play for" by Eve Ainsworth instead.