The world of women's sports changed forever on July 10, 1999. That was the day the United States soccer team defeated China in a taut penalty-kick shoot-out in the Women's World Cup, triggering the kind of old-fashioned patriotism that sold out the Rose Bowl and brought President Clinton to his feet along with more than 40 million other Americans watching the match on television. In vivid and graceful prose, award-winning New York Times sportswriter Jere Longman brings us The Girls of Summer, an intimate account of the epic final and an inside look at the cultural phenomenon that is U.S. women's soccer. With especially revealing profiles of such superstars as Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, and Briana Scurry, Longman illuminates the larger issues surrounding their success--their newfound status as role models, the media's sexualization of the team members, plays' grappling with matters of race, alleged sexual harassment, and equal pay for equal play, as well as the battle to establish an enduring legacy of female participation in the sport. Not since the storied "Miracle on Ice" in 1980, when the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team upset the mighty Soviet Union in the Winter Olympics, has a group of athletes fired America's imagination as did these remarkable champions. The Girls of Summer takes its place as a sporting classic, a definitive work on a team for the ages. On July 10, 1999, the world of women's sports changed forever as the U.S. defeated China in the Women's World Cup soccer final in front of 90,000 spectators at the Rose Bowl--and millions more watching on television around the world. In The Girls of Summer , Jere Longman tells the story of the women's team, their rise to world dominance, and their struggle with the United States Soccer Federation (U.S.S.F.) for the support, respect, and salary they deserve. Drawing on extensive personal interviews recorded before, during, and after the World Cup, Longman offers up portraits of all the players on the team--Akers, Hamm, Chastain, Milbrett, Overbeck, and the rest. Longman also addresses some of the issues surrounding the team and the Women's World Cup--how U.S.S.F. and the national media seriously underestimated the level of interest the tournament would generate; the questions of race and sexuality; and the positive role models these women provided to a nation of young girls--showing them that they, too, could achieve their dreams. Some of Longman's statements ring false--millions of Europeans would be appalled to hear soccer described as a "Third World sport"--but overall, Girls of Summer is a fine tribute to the world champions. --M. Stein YA-Longman begins his book on a very hot day in the Rose Bowl at the Women's World Cup finals on July 10, 1999. Although the outcome of the competition, a U.S. win on a penalty kick by Brandi Chastain, made soccer history, he maintains suspense by abandoning a straight report and interspersing related themes. He offers an appraisal of the effect of Title IX, which granted equality for women; an analysis of the rise of women's teams worldwide; insights into the politics of soccer officialdom regarding player and coach financing; and allotment of money for equipment and travel needs. Of greatest interest to young people, however, are Longman's interviews with individual players. Whole chapters are devoted to the careers, philosophies, and doings of Michelle Akers, Mia Hamm, Tiffeny Milbrett, Kristine Lilly, and Briana Scurry. In addition, there is a post-game insight into what fame and endorsement riches have done for and to these "Girls of Summer."-Frances Reiher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. Framed around the final game of the 1999 Women's World Cup in the Rose Bowl (in which the United States beat China on penalty kicks after two scoreless hours), this book by New York Times sportswriter Longman ventures off the field to discuss such topics as the rise of women's sports, women's soccer in Muslim countries, and the athletes' sex appeal. Stars such as Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, and goalkeeper Brianna Scurry get a chapter apiece, but, laudably, less-heralded players, such as Christine Lilly, Carla Overbeck, and Sun Wen for China, also get center stage. More a celebration than the saga of "how the team changed the world," the book captures the excitement of soccer and the extreme competitive nature of these women players. Game descriptions are so vivid that readers will feel they are watching the game on video. An excellent purchase for all public libraries. (Photos not seen.)DKathy Ruffle, formerly with Coll. of New Caledonia Lib., Prince George, BC Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. The world of women's sports changed forever on July 10, 1999. That was the day the United States soccer team defeated China in a taut penalty-kick shoot-out in the Women's World Cup, triggering the kind of old-fashioned patriotism that sold out th