BOOK REVIEW!!!

Goal!: The Dream Begins by Robert Rigby hypnotized me by his fascinating story of Santiago. This novel discusses how Santiago went from being another kid on the streets with a dream to play professional soccer to actually getting a shot to play with the professionals. This novel teaches the lesson that dreams can come true if your willing to work hard enough to make them reality. Robert Rigby style is strait forward and he doesn't go on and on about one specific topic.

Santiago lives in L.A. He works hard because his family does not have very much money. Santiago also loves soccer with a passion. He is one of the best in the city and finally gets noticed when a man from England is watching one of his games and gives him a trial to play for a soccer club in England called New Castle United.Just like anyone in the real world, Santiago has to work to get money. He works more than ever so he can pay for a flight to England.

The setting starts off in Mexico when Santiago and his family are escaping to America when he was a little kid. Then the novel skips to when he is a teenager in L.A. The story stays there until he flies to England and that is where most of the novel takes place.

After he arrives in England, he has to work harder than ever to make the team. When he does finally make the team, some problems start to occur with his family back home and for him while he is there. Then when he finally gets to play, he makes something amazing happen that finally makes his dad proud of him for once, and soon after a bad thing happens to someone close to him. Sadly I can not give away what happens.

This novel is suspenseful and a good read for anyone who likes soccer. It is an easy read and quickly draws you in. There is also a second book, but I have not read it yet. I recommend this book to anyone wanting a good read about soccer.

Materialistic

Too many people are materialistic now. Being materialistic means that you are more concerned with material things other than your own values. People now think that they have to fit in to what everyone else is doing and think that they have to have everything that everyone else has. The media consumes us now through the TV, magazines, and advertisements in hope to make us want things that we do not need.

This issue used to not be a problem. Everyone used to work for everything and just got what they actually needed in life, but now that has changed. People spend money on worthless possessions just to look better, show off, and for no reason but just to have them sometimes. Too many now have changed their values.

People focus more on their wants more than their needs. This gets many people into financial holes that they can not get themselves out of. More people need to think twice about what they think about buying or wanting and remember that their needs need to come before their wants. Materialistic people often start judging others based on what they have. This causes many to be like them. Most of our society has turned into being materialistic lately.