Ajax, the Dutch, the War: The Strange Tale of Soccer During Europe's Darkest Hour

I must agree, using Ajax is a way to examine the role of the Netherlands in World War II and for the most part it is not flattering. The author has an agenda but he is aiming at certain truths which may be selective history. It is even misleading that it is not actually titled "Ajax, the Dutch, the War and the Jews" because that is what this is about and not neccessarily in that order. Among the evil and gross wrong of war, there are some heroic episodes involving the Dutch against the Nazi war machine. A lot of detail gives us much of the ambience of those days. Still, the Dutch as a people and as to whether they were victimized by the Nazi war machine is very much a minor issue with the author along with any other ethnic group feeling that wrath. However, the author does play on the fact, that teams like Ajax like Tottenham in England are perceived to have ties with the Jewish people. Chapter 11 "Soldier Heroes: British and German football in the war" is exciting per World War II buffs, especially the travails of some of the German National players such as Alex Sing. You will read of how German soccer teams in Paris even were attacked by Partisans while practicing. Ajax is truly a most legendary name in international club soccer with their development of 'total football', a team built on style and finesse and not monetary ones via most of the biggest clubs in Europe. Ajax, the club itself was largely heroic during World War II versus say, the Netherlands as a whole in Kuper's research.Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football is highly recommended reading as well. Still, it's a book on Dutch soccer and that is good., Yossi Benyaouin does fabulous for Liverpool, a product of Ajax but truly may not merit a whole section on him. How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization is really a go-to book on international football though it is the Kuper books that seem to be so highly praised. I read "How soccer..." a few years ago, rated it well and I still remember so much of it. The chapter Foer wrote concerning the Travelling Jewish team from Europe going to New York and other places to play matches and being a premier team in the world at the time is an absolutely brilliant, exciting & inspiring story which I've yet to read anything as good from Kuper himself.

From the title, I thought this would be a simplistic story of a European football team, and would be mildly interesting. I found it to be one of the best histories I have ever come across. Not only are the stories spellbinding, but I have never come across any other book which has covered the material, and I have read hundreds of books on WW II. To top it off, I had even previously heard (and believed) all of the stories which the author shows to be myths. I want more !!!!

Simon Kuper maintains his easy-flowing style and investigative journalism concerning his topic. I was already suspicious about the 'Dutch tolerance', and this book can be read to shatter all there is... However, this is not really a book on football or Ajax. Yes, Mr. Kuper is the best to connect football and politics but this time there is more politics than soccer. And it seems that the whole book is organized to shatter a myth in which Ajax is a small part... Anyway, I did not feel any regret to read the book, i am just warning you about what to expect...

I bought this book while I was in Amsterdam and began and finished the book on the flight home. The book was enlightening, dispelling many myths and opening my eyes to cultural issues in Holland that are hidden to non Dutch speakers.