Home and Away

Home and Away

Home and Away

“Home and Away, [is] an instantly and tangibly compelling story of these [Homeless World Cup] players and their moment in the spotlight, underscored by the transformative powers of team sports.”

Home and Away

“[Home and Away] tells the inspiring story of the members of Team Canada and their competitors' journey to the Australian tournament, their trials and tribulations, as well as successes and plans for the future—both on and off the field.”

Home and Away

“Bidini understands that sport, like film or music, can be a powerful storytelling tool...he’s adept at finding those quirky narratives in athletics...that exploration continues with his latest book, Home and Away, which finds Bidini...rubbing shoulders with some of street soccer’s international elites at the Homeless World Cup of Soccer.”

Home and Away

“Art should change the world, change our perceptions of the world, of others, of ourselves. Author Dave Bidini's lastest book, the slim volumed, Home And Away...does. Bidini's book is a catalyst for change.”

Home and Away

“Dave Bidini’s latest quirky sport story is a mix of familiar and foreign, as he follows the Canadian homeless soccer team to Melbourne, Australia, for the 2008 Homeless World Cup Tournament. Bidini does a fine job portraying the Canadian Team…[and] affectionately recounts some of their signature plays on the pitch. But [he] also hints at the fact that homelessness is too complex a problem to be solved by a soccer ball.”

Home and Away

“[Home and Away] captures Bidini’s many strengths as a writer – compassion mixed with close observation, humour and a gift for a poetic turn of phrase. His book demonstrates the capacity of sports to act as a therapeutic agent and a catalyst for social change...This book has a heart as big as the game itself.”

Home and Away

"It’s the personal side of the story that brings Home and Away to life. The players in the Homeless World Cup, we come to understand, aren’t that far removed from the rest of society...Not everyone in Home and Away successfully overcomes their demons, but Bidini’s rich and enlightening portraits of the players, coaches, and alumni demonstrate the ways in which community can help make a meaningful and lasting difference in people’s lives."

Home and Away

“The book, and I say this as one allergic to sports, is thrilling—an account of what happens when those living in the margins of our society are given an opportunity to shine.”