Munichs — David Peace

A novel of tragedy and hope inspired by one of the greatest disasters in sporting history -- as only the acclaimed author of The Damned Utd could tell it.

In 1958, Manchester United was flying high: the best-known soccer team in the world, the reigning English champions, led by a bright young group of star players nicknamed the “Busby Babes” after their charismatic manager Matt Busby. But that February, a plane carrying the team back from a European Cup match crashed on takeoff in Munich, killing 23 people -- including eight Manchester United players and three team officials. The accident destroyed the team, traumatized fans all over the world, and devastated the tight-knit community in Manchester. In the trademark style critics have hailed as “hallucinatory” (New York Times) and “incantatory” (Los Angeles Times), renowned novelist David Peace reimagines the crash and its aftermath, dramatizing the deep scars left on British society, and the struggles of a nation and a city to recover and rise again.