Doyle, TV critic for Canada’s Globe and Mail, has a beat many would envy, writing about “whatever I see on TV.” But, perhaps paradoxically, he loves getting lost in the crowd. A chance assignment to cover the World Cup gave the lifelong soccer fan a passion for attending big, international tournaments in person. In recounting three World Cups (2002, 2006, and 2010) and two Euros (2004 and 2008), he focuses less on the field and more on what happens beyond the camera’s eye, from raging parties in the streets to quiet encounters between fans. He has a knack for choosing telling details, and in chronicling the crowds, context, and spectacle of these mammoth competitions, he makes a strong case for them as “joy-bringers, unique festivals of congeniality.” The narrative suffers from a minor case of the I-could-have-told-you-so syndrome; if we are to believe Doyle, he generally knew more about what would happen, and what it meant, than other observers. And, for all his love of revelry, he tends to pass judgment on whether others are enjoying themselves in the right way. Those quibbles aside, Doyle’s enthusiasm is infectious. And his book, packed with memorable scenes, should encourage even the most casual fan to take the fun of it all more seriously. –Keir Graff (from Amazon)
