Kara's review
Among the Thugs
by Bill Buford
Kara's review
Among the Thugs by Bill Buford
Kara's review
rating:
recommended for: you.
i wrote a review of this book for the lit mag Lonely Seagull. it went something like...
"Among the Thugs is the true story of an American journalist, Buford, who slowly makes his way into the surprisingly organized world of football hooligans in order to find out why English football supporters, Manchester United fans in particular, are among the most violent sports fans in the world. His question is simple: what makes these men and boys act the way they do? Buford makes the assumption, rationally, that there must be a reason—socio-economic most likely—and sets off ambitiously to ferret this ‘reason’ out.
Gallons of lager, pints of blood, a few plane tickets, and three years later, the book culminates in the only way that such an endeavor could. Buford manages this simply depressing subject matter deftly, invoking the humorous as often as the dour. Among the Thugs attempts to make sense of senseless violence, and the futile journey of Buford into this underbelly reve...more
"Among the Thugs is the true story of an American journalist, Buford, who slowly makes his way into the surprisingly organized world of football hooligans in order to find out why English football supporters, Manchester United fans in particular, are among the most violent sports fans in the world. His question is simple: what makes these men and boys act the way they do? Buford makes the assumption, rationally, that there must be a reason—socio-economic most likely—and sets off ambitiously to ferret this ‘reason’ out.
Gallons of lager, pints of blood, a few plane tickets, and three years later, the book culminates in the only way that such an endeavor could. Buford manages this simply depressing subject matter deftly, invoking the humorous as often as the dour. Among the Thugs attempts to make sense of senseless violence, and the futile journey of Buford into this underbelly reve...more
