Book guide: Go for the goal Marta
About soccer star Marta Vieira da Silva
There is nothing that can stop Marta with the ball! Not the players on the field. Not the flip flops. Not the brother. She is the fastest on the court where she dribbles and feints, and her dream is to one day be in the national team.
An exciting chapter book about growing up in poverty and fighting hard to challenge prejudice and achieve your dreams!
About dreams, football and training
Marta surprises everyone by dribbling past João. Have you ever done something surprising? How did it feel?
Marta dreams of becoming a professional soccer player and thinks that in that case she would buy all the food in the world for her mother and a big house. What do you dream of doing? What would you do if your dreams came true?
Neither Marta nor Solange go to school. What do you think it would be like not to go to school? Why do you think some have the opportunity to go to school and others don't?
When Marta plays her first match with the school team, she is called "the ant" by an opponent and is tackled so that she flies. But Marta rather sees advantages in being short and decides to use it to her advantage. Have you ever used things that others thought were negative to your advantage? How did you do then and how did it feel?
About family and finances
Marta and her relatives often gather at grandma's house and have dinner while the parents are at work. Is there someone you usually stay with when your parents are away? What do you usually do then?
Marta gets mad at José because he doesn't want her to play soccer just because she's a girl. Have you experienced that someone has treated you stereotypically based on expectations about how boys and girls should be? What happened then?
When Marta is accepted to the school team, she worries that she won't be allowed to join because she doesn't have any real soccer shoes. But Matheo helps her and talks to Senhor Andrade. How do you think a best friend helps a friend in trouble?
After the team wins the tournament, Marta is offered to go to Rio de Janeiro and play soccer. She is overjoyed, but at the same time she worries about money and traveling away from her family. How do you think you would have felt if you were Marta?
About professions
Which professions we choose depends on many things, but an important ingredient is about role models. If you only see women in care professions, it's harder for someone who identifies as a boy to think that's a possible future. In the same way, it is easy to think that a football player is the same as a man if you only see men who are. There are also norms other than gender norms that influence career choices. Socioeconomics and financial resources also play a role in what future dreams you create for yourself. In this book, both gender norms and socio-economic norms are challenged by Marta investing in becoming a professional soccer player.
About girls and football
Despite soccer being one of the biggest sports for girls, there are still few books that reflect them. Like other things in society, like attention
in the media, awards and galas etc., this gives a signal to girls about how we value their interest. There is also a tendency to let books where girls play soccer focus on other things, like love and relationship drama. In the book about Marta, football is central, although of course exciting moments and interesting relationships are woven into it. The books are also based on a real person, which indicates that it is possible to bet on football as a career - regardless of gender identity.
