On the field, the girls can’t lose. Off the field, they can’t win. Not in this town anyway, where a small oligarchy of men call all the shots. But when a soccer dad steps up to help, he nearly derails the girls, the community and most of all himself.
Hilarious and heartbreaking, Ballyhooman tackles every youth soccer cliché in the book –overzealous parents, cleat fetish, sexist refs, self-righteous volunteers, bad canteen coffee and teenage entitlement. But this novel set in a quiet community saves its most biting satire for a group of men who treat girls soccer as a sideshow. Jerry, the willfully blind club president. Sal, a local guru with a despot’s talent for making girls cry. Godzilla, a fantastically inept youth coach. And Statler and Waldorf, two grumpy volunteers struggling to keep up with the changing times.
As the season winds down to its climactic final, a father must ask himself the question: Is he doing all this for the kids or for himself?
Ballyhooman is a piercing portrait of parenting, age-old prejudices and standing up for what is right. A must read for every parent who has ever stood along the sidelines and cheered their children on. This book is nothing less than a referendum on fair play in youth sports today.
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Writer, satirist, cultural critic, soccer dad — John Weich’s fast and furious tale of a soccer club in a picturesque community is as funny as it is infuriating. Hidden behind the upbeat tone and gut-busting dialogue is a truth that makes you want to cry. Through his biting satire Weich is shouting out what the soccer world needs to hear right now.
www.ballyhooman.com
