The Keeper: The Unguarded Story of Tim Howard

by Tim Howard, Ali Benjamin

The uplifting memoir of U.S. national soccer team goalkeeper Tim Howard, adapted for young readers. In this heartwarming and candid account, Tim Howard opens up about how a hyperactive kid from New Jersey with Tourette Syndrome defied the odds to become one of the world's premier goalkeepers. Tim shares his remarkable journey in an accessible way that will speak to soccer fans, kids struggling with issues that make them feel "different," and any young person looking for a compelling autobiography to read for a report or just for fun. After a successful seventeen-year professional soccer career, Tim became an overnight star during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. His heroic performance in the game for the United States against Belgium, in which he saved an astonishing fifteen shots—the most for any goalkeeper in a World Cup game—made him a household name as well as a trending internet meme. In the course of 120 minutes, Tim went from a player known mainly by soccer fans to an American icon, loved by millions for his dependability, daring, and humility. The book includes a glossary and a section of full-color pictures.

224 pages, ebook

First published September 1, 2014

Reviews

[Calvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books. It showed so much emotion and it was just an amazing book. I picked this book because I love soccer, I'm a goalie just like Tim Howard, I got this book for Christmas, and I had to read a biography for school. I love the way the author write this book. He puts a lot of emotion and detail in to it. Tim Howard talks about how he started soccer, about his kids, about his personal life, and his soccer life. I would definitely recommend this to anyone. It's not just about soccer, it's about his life and how difficult it was for him to play soccer but also stay connected with his family. He talks about how rough his childhood was and how that soccer just put it aside. The main conflict of the story was his Tourette Syndrome. Tourette Syndrome is when you don't have any control over tics, vocalization and often the compulsive utterance of obscenities. Tim Howard couldn't focus in school or anything else, but soccer helped him focus. I don't want to tell you anything more about the book, all you need to know is that you need to read it. Like I said before it's a great book, has a lot of emotion and a lot of detail. It's just a great story. I encourage everyone to read this book.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good readable book, that really gets you into Tim Howard's head. I especially loved his descriptions of how his Tourette's and OCD affect (and don't affect) his soccer playing on the field, which was fascinating.