Home › Hardcover Books › Wanderer's Journey: A Refugee's Search For a Home in the Beautiful Game

Wanderer's Journey: A Refugee's Search For a Home in the Beautiful Game

by Vedran Dedic

A refugee memoir mapped through football’s clubs, stadiums, and World Cups

Regular price $20.80 USD
Regular price $34.67 USD Sale price $20.80 USD
Save 40%

Hardcover New

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    2024 American Writing Awards finalist — Sports

    Named a finalist in the sports category in 2024.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A refugee memoir mapped through football’s clubs, stadiums, and World Cups

Vedran Dedic connects a childhood shaped by displacement from Bosnia with a long search for belonging through football. His personal story is interwoven with clubs, players, stadium visits, and World Cups spanning 1998 to Argentina’s 2022 victory in Qatar. Borussia Dortmund and Boca Juniors are among the teams that become reference points in a journey across countries and cultures, while figures including Ronaldo, Messi, Maradona, Riquelme, Ibrahimović, and Zidane place that journey within the wider history of the sport. The book frames football as a shared language and a possible source of community amid migration, cultural adjustment, and questions of identity.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Soccer fans interested in club culture, iconic players, and World Cup history
  • Readers of personal narratives about migration, displacement, and belonging
  • Fans interested in Borussia Dortmund, Boca Juniors, and landmark football stadiums

Themes

Refugee experienceBelonging and identityFootball cultureMigration and cultural adaptationCommunity

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Born in Bosnia, a boy was uprooted by civil war and thrust into a life displaced. Arriving in a new country, not once, but twice, he faces challenges of language barriers, cultural differences, and starting over. Always an outsider, always looking for a community, a resting place, a home. The young refugee finds solace in the beautiful game. Determined to pursue his quest for identity, he searches across continents for a football club that he sees himself in and will help him realize his dream of finding a community of like-minded people. The story explores themes of hope, perseverance, and the power of football to unite people from different backgrounds.

 

The author uses his own life's story and entwines it with football events. A perfect book for any soccer/football fan as it talks about a wide range of teams from different countries like Borussia Dortmund in Germany and Boca Juniors in Argentina in addition to some of the most memorable players in the history of the sport including the Brazilian Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Juan Roman Riquelme, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Zinedine Zidane. The author recounts his experiences at some of football's greatest cathedrals including La Bombonera in Buenos Aires and the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund. In addition it covers all of the World Cups from 1998, the author's first, and culminates with Argentina's victory at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. It is a book by a fan for fans of the beautiful game.

 

This is the author's debut book. It has been named as a finalist in the sports category of the American Writing Awards in 2024.

Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews