Among the Thugs

They have names like Barmy Bernie, Daft Donald, and Steamin' Sammy. They like lager (in huge quantities), the Queen, football clubs (especially Manchester United), and themselves. Their dislike encompasses the rest of the known universe, and England's soccer thugs express it in ways that range from mere vandalism to riots that terrorize entire cities. Now Bill Buford, editor of the prestigious journal Granta, enters this alternate society and records both its savageries and its sinister allure with the social imagination of a George Orwell and the raw personal engagement of a Hunter Thompson.

"An important, perhaps prophetic, book...both exciting and sad at the core...[Buford is] a superbly talented reporter."—The New York Times Book Review

"Like Michael Herr or Ryszard Kapuscinski, Buford has witnessed events which can only be compared in intensity to those of a war...an unflinching look into the festering soul of England."—David Byrne

"Animated, witty, and so pungent you can taste the stale lager."—Washington Post Book World