John Grisham spent so many years cranking out his lawyer thrillers that when he took a turn in a different direction, I have to concede my skepticism. Skipping Christmas was the first novel to convince me otherwise. I also greatly enjoyed A Painted House and Bleachers. And I’m ashamed to admit that his last novel, also his first nonfiction attempt, The Innocent Man, is still sitting in its hardcover glory on my “Books to Read” shelf. Playing for Pizza never even made it onto that shelf. A good Grisham story can be hard to resist, and this one follows in a long tradition.
Playing for Pizza is about a third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, named Rick Dockery. He royally screws up in a playoff game, throwing the pass directly to the opposing Denver Broncos, earning himself his third concussion, a long stay in the hospital, and the reputation of being the “Greatest Goat” in football history. Desperate to help his client continue playing football, but obviously shunned from all NFL teams on the North American continent, Rick’s agent finally lands him a gig playing football for a team in Italy.
Yes, I mean Europe.
Believe it or not, they are starting to accept “American football” over there.
Rick decides that he needs a change of pace, as he is the laughing stock of American football. So with the promise of some money and some hot Italian cheerleaders, Rick moves halfway across the world to Parma, Italy, home of Parma ham and Parmesan cheese.
It’s a story about a man who has hit rock bottom and is desperately trying to crawl his way back up with a little bit of dignity. As he gets to know the Italian version of the game and the Italian culture, he also gets a chance to become reacquainted with himself. And he finds himself relaxing into a life that he never knew he wanted.
OK, so it almost sounds like a “formula” plot. But the setting in Italy makes it more unique. During Rick’s first few weeks in Italy, the food almost becomes one of the characters. The descriptions and explanations of the food and the wine are enough to make you salivate, even after having gorged yourself on dinner. The meals that Grisham describes are the same that he himself partook in while visiting the Parma region.
There is also a smattering of some Italian history and brief descriptions of the layouts and architecture of the cities, to help you envision somewhat where Rick is.
And then there is the football. Now, I am really not a big football fan. I find myself getting too worked up to want to add to the stress in my life. I can follow a game and cheer and boo accordingly. Sometimes I may need a little bit of a translation of something that had just happened. But I tend to get the gist of the game. The nice thing about this novel is that while football is an obvious main character, it is not an overpowering character. The descriptions of the football games incorporate just enough detail to provide a sense of the game, without getting too wrapped up in all of the technical details. So even a football dabbler, such as myself, can visualize enough of the game to get by, while appreciating the disasters and triumphs as they happen.
If you’re in the mood for some fun light reading, I do recommend this book. Is it worth paying the $21.95 hardcover sticker? Possibly. It’s worth looking into at the library. Or you can wait a year for it to be released in paperback. But I wouldn’t expect to find this one on the shelves of your local used bookstores.
So, grab a glass of fine Italian wine to sip while you curl up with this book. Maybe you could read it while your husband is watching Sunday NFL or Monday Night Football.
