Read more
Dreams and Songs to Sing is a unique people's history of the triumphs and tragedies of one of the biggest teams in sport. From Shankly to Klopp, Alan McDougall takes us on a global tour of Liverpool FC's history, viewed through the eyes of the people who've been there all along: the supporters. He weaves together interviews with fans from around the world, poignant farewells to Shankly, birthday cards to Michael Owen, letters from grieving Italians after Heysel, and eyewitness accounts of Hillsborough to tell the inseparable story of the club and the city. This is a history which crosses borders of class, gender, race, and nation, ranging well beyond the pitch but never forgetting the crowds and matches at the heart of it all. Rarely does sports writing have this much intelligence and soul, powerfully combining the personal with the universal, and the everyday with the epic.
About the author
Alan McDougall is a leading sports historian and a lifelong Liverpool fan. He is author of The People's Game: Football, State and Society in East Germany (2016) and Contested Fields: A Global History of Modern Football (2020).
Report
'Dreams and Songs to Sing is a magisterial study of the history and identity of Liverpool Football club, using the voices of fans and others. Readable, shocking, at times exciting and modern, this book sheds new light on this great club, and on the political, social and cultural importance and changes which Liverpool FC has both reflected and produced, as well as its relationship with its fans. An outstanding contribution to the growing field of football history.' John Foot, author of Calcio: A History of Italian Football
