A Greater Goal: The Epic Battle for Equal Pay in Women’s Soccer—and Beyond
by Elizabeth Rusch
High School    Greenwillow    336 pp.
7/24    9780063220904    $19.99
e-book ed.  9780063220928    $9.99

In tracing the battle for equal pay and equal treatment waged by the United States Women’s National Team against the U.S. Soccer Federation, Rusch (The 21: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the U.S. Government Over Climate Change, rev. 11/23) pulls off quite a feat: she keeps readers riveted by edge-of-their-seats descriptions of individual World Cup and Olympic games while educating them about gender bias, Title IX, the effects of concussion, contract negotiations, grass versus turf fields, class action lawsuits, and more. The book proceeds chronologically, from the Women’s National Team’s 1985 creation (with players like Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm, who were told that it was enough just to play for their country); through 1999 when the team won the World Cup (notorious for Brandi Chastain’s post-win sports-bra celebration) but the women made about $15,000 apiece; to the early 2000s with the entry of players like Abby Wambaugh, Megan Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan, fierce fighters both on and off the pitch; and ultimately to 2022 when, after protracted and brave efforts, pay parity between the men’s and women’s national teams was finally achieved. For such a thorough and comprehensive account, the telling is remarkably lively, peppered throughout with (uncensored) quotes and memorable descriptions (Rapinoe is the “firecracker forward with pink-dyed hair”) and filled with drama, sheroes, and villains; even granular descriptions of legal proceedings are compelling. Impressive front- and back matter include a list of major characters, a diagram of a soccer field outlining basic positions, an extensive bibliography, and twenty-six pages of source notes. Index unseen.

From the ">November/December 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.