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sarakomo 's review for:
Under the Lights and in the Dark: Untold Stories of Women's Soccer
by Gwendolyn Oxenham
2021: This book wasn't very good, but I did really enjoy reading it.
I have to gripe with the women who were chosen to be profiled for this book. I wouldn't consider either Allie Long's journey to the Olympics or Marta's inability to get her country to care about her an "untold story of women's soccer" (as the subtitle of the book suggests). Even Gaëlle Enganamouit's signature lion's mane hairdo was immediately recognizable to me when I looked up a picture of it. And as the author readily admits in the introduction, her connections for the stories included here all come back to Portland, which is the literal MECCA of women's soccer.
The rest of the stories were not so unknown either. Yes, it is very difficult for professional female soccer players to make it back after giving birth. Yes, there is not enough money being put into the sport. Yes, there is a huge discrepancy between the resources and the media attention given to the men's and women's teams. We know all of this! The issue is that Oxenham writes much more like a journalist than an author. No analysis was drawn here; observations were simply made.
That all being said, I'm having a bit of a summer of soccer right now. The USWNT just beat the Netherlands in penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics, and Ted Lasso Season Two just came out, let's go!!
I have to gripe with the women who were chosen to be profiled for this book. I wouldn't consider either Allie Long's journey to the Olympics or Marta's inability to get her country to care about her an "untold story of women's soccer" (as the subtitle of the book suggests). Even Gaëlle Enganamouit's signature lion's mane hairdo was immediately recognizable to me when I looked up a picture of it. And as the author readily admits in the introduction, her connections for the stories included here all come back to Portland, which is the literal MECCA of women's soccer.
The rest of the stories were not so unknown either. Yes, it is very difficult for professional female soccer players to make it back after giving birth. Yes, there is not enough money being put into the sport. Yes, there is a huge discrepancy between the resources and the media attention given to the men's and women's teams. We know all of this! The issue is that Oxenham writes much more like a journalist than an author. No analysis was drawn here; observations were simply made.
That all being said, I'm having a bit of a summer of soccer right now. The USWNT just beat the Netherlands in penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics, and Ted Lasso Season Two just came out, let's go!!