And the Sun Shines Now explores the social and political influences that changed the game – and therefore the experience of its fans – following the tragic events at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in April 1989.
Written from the perspective of supporters, the book examines the emotional connection people have with the sport and how that has been impacted by the development of all areas of football during the past three decades.
The work of author Adrian Tempany, a survivor of the disaster, was recognised with the New Writer of the Year accolade at the 15th Cross Sports Book Awards in May.
And the Sun Shines Now was also named on the six-strong shortlist for the Orwell Prize for Books, with the winner set to be announced at a ceremony at University College London on Thursday evening.
“It shows that a book about football can be political. It’s a book about politics, it’s a book about our society, our media, it’s a book about people and community,” said Tempany.
“A lot of books are written by experts and they take a top down approach: these are the changes that have happened in the game, these are the decisions and the decision-makers, and this is what was changed.
“What I wanted to do was write a book from the bottom up, so from the perspective of a fan, talking to other fans, to see what we think has changed in football for the best and not for the better as well.
“I’d like to think that it’s written with a humanity that most people can relate to.
“It’s not a dry book. It’s not a technical book. It puts forward a lot of supporters’ voices and tries to say ‘This is what football means to us, this is why it’s important.’”