Dreams and Songs to Sing is a unique people's history of the triumphs and tragedies of one of the biggest teams in sport. From Shankly to Klopp, Alan McDougall takes us on a global tour of Liverpool FC's history, viewed through the eyes of the people who've been there all along: the supporters. He weaves together interviews with fans from around the world, poignant farewells to Shankly, birthday cards to Michael Owen, letters from grieving Italians after Heysel, and eyewitness accounts of Hillsborough to tell the inseparable story of the club and the city. This is a history which crosses borders of class, gender, race, and nation, ranging well beyond the pitch but never forgetting the crowds and matches at the heart of it all. Rarely does sports writing have this much intelligence and soul, powerfully combining the personal with the universal, and the everyday with the epic.

‘Dreams and Songs to Sing is a magisterial study of the history and identity of Liverpool Football club, using the voices of fans and others. Readable, shocking, at times exciting and modern, this book sheds new light on this great club, and on the political, social and cultural importance and changes which Liverpool FC has both reflected and produced, as well as its relationship with its fans. An outstanding contribution to the growing field of football history.’

John Foot - author of Calcio: A History of Italian Football

‘Never before has a book cast the net so wide to try and capture what truly makes this football club so special. One minute you are in Turin, the next in Toronto, but always with Liverpool in your heart. I came away from reading it with an even greater sense of pride and wonder at my club.’

John Gibbons - The Anfield Wrap

‘Alan McDougall’s Dreams and Songs to Sing is a fabulous collage of Liverpool, the city, the club and its fans. Its use of fan mail, club records and wider cultural histories make it a rich and nuanced text. It is local and global, historic and contemporary, clear eyed yet rooted in personal history and nostalgia, it is an engaging and absorbing read.’

David Goldblatt - author of The Ball is Round

‘This latest book on Liverpool FC is superbly researched and quotes the comments of die-hard Reds. It takes you from the Shankly years to the Klopp generation - and not just the good parts.’

John Pearman - Red All Over The Land

‘This is a fascinating and innovative study of an oddly-neglected area of cultural history: the emotional practice of watching, following and experiencing football as a fan. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand why football matters so much to the people and communities near and far that continue to sustain it.’

Matthew Taylor - author of The Association Game: A History of British Football

‘a thoroughly entertaining, meticulously researched and absorbing read’

David Tindall Source: When Saturday Comes

‘McDougall delivers with all the aplomb of the great John Barnes elegantly assisting or scoring another wonderful goal’

Darragh McManus Source: Irish Independent

‘McDougall, a Liverpool supporter exiled to Canada and a sports historian, has written a personal and professional account of the club and its fans over the decades. He writes with joy and love but is also critical of Liverpool on matters such as the club's past tolerance of racism.'

Simon Kuper Source: Sports Books of the Year, Financial Times