Among the Thugs

Synopsis

What begins as a curiosity about English football crowds becomes an extraordinary immersion into one of the most violent subcultures of late twentieth-century Britain. Over the course of nearly a decade, journalist Bill Buford follows football hooligans onto packed trains, into pubs, through stadiums, and into the riots that erupt before and after matches. As he gains their trust, he witnesses not only acts of shocking brutality but also the intoxicating pull of group identity and crowd psychology that draws ordinary people into extraordinary violence.

Part memoir, part investigative journalism, and part social history, Among the Thugs is a gripping examination of masculinity, nationalism, tribalism, and the seductive power of belonging. Written with the immersive intensity of literary reportage, Buford's account goes beyond football to ask unsettling questions about why crowds behave the way they do. More than three decades after its publication, it remains one of the definitive books on mob psychology and one of the great works of narrative nonfiction.

About the Author

Bill Buford is an American writer, journalist, and editor. He was the founding editor of Granta magazine before becoming fiction editor at The New Yorker. Renowned for his immersive style of reporting, he is the author of Among the Thugs, Heat, and Dirt, books that combine firsthand experience with literary observation.

Publisher

Vintage

Publication Date

June 1, 1993

Format

Paperback

Pages

320

Subjects

Narrative Nonfiction · Journalism · Sports · Sociology · Psychology · British History

ISBN

9780679745358