John
Grisham is one of the world's most popular writers. Since 1989,
when his first novel, A TIME TO KILL, was published, Grisham has
written a bestselling book each year. 2006 saw the release of his
first work of nonfiction, THE INNOCENT MAN, and he continued his
streak of bestsellers.

Two years ago, while traveling through Italy, I observed large
displays of IL BROKER, the Italian language version of the broker.
That novel's popularity in Italy was the result of its setting in
Bologna and Grisham's thorough narration and depiction of Italian
life and culture. By his own admission Grisham loves all things
Italian, and he has returned to that venue for his latest work of
fiction, PLAYING FOR PIZZA.

However, fans should not expect the typical Grisham legal courtroom
thriller when they open its pages. In recent years, the author has
sought to expand his works beyond the crime and law genre for which
he first gained fame. In 2003, readers learned of his infatuation
with football when he presented them with BLEACHERS, which paid
tribute to high school football. In PLAYING FOR PIZZA, it is the
world of "professional" football that draws his attention. But this
is professional football played not in huge stadiums on national
television; rather, it is Football Americano played in a
country that is the hotbed of soccer, the game known as "football"
everywhere but in North America.

Before Grisham can introduce readers to Football
Americano, they must first meet Rick Dockery, a journeyman
professional quarterback playing for the Cleveland Browns. As a
third-string quarterback, Dockery's major contribution to his team
is holding a clipboard and signaling plays from the sidelines. But
in the conference championship game, the two players ahead of
Dockery on the depth chart are injured, and he enters the game with
the Browns 11 minutes away from victory and a trip to the Super
Bowl. The Browns lead the game 17-0, and all Rick needs to do is to
run plays that avoid disaster. But disaster finds him, and three
pass interceptions and a concussion later, the Browns have been
defeated by the Denver Broncos.

Rick awakens the next day in a hospital with little memory of the
game. He soon learns that he has joined a short list that all
athletes seek to avoid --- he will forever be mentioned by sports
announcers on national television as a miserable failure. To add
insult to Rick's injury and ignominy, his agent advises him that
the Browns have released him.

For a man who has played for eight professional teams in six years,
being dropped is not an unusual experience. But Rick's flop in
front of America makes most NFL teams wary of offering him a
contract. His faithful agent finds a team that desperately needs
his services: the Parma Panthers, who play in a league of Italian
footballers where each squad may have three Americans on the
roster. The level of play does not even rise to that of Division I
college football. But it is football nonetheless.

The rest of the novel is part football, part travelogue and part
change of life for a spoiled professional athlete who comes to
learn that there is more to life than touchdown passes. Grisham
loves Italy, and his depiction of the country, the culture and the
denizens of that nation are endearing and enjoyable. Having
recently traveled to Italy and partaken of some of the same
cultural experiences as Rick (I also enjoyed the opera without
understanding one word), PLAYING FOR PIZZA rekindles wonderful
memories of a country and a people easy to love.

Grisham aficionados understand that his novels are not weighty
tomes imparting heavy messages. They are enjoyable reading and, in
the case of PLAYING FOR PIZZA, lighthearted portrayals of
characters learning simple lessons about life and sports. Nowadays
it seems that football, wherever it is played, has become a
national passion. For both Rick Dockery and John Grisham, it is a
vehicle for a feel-good story that reminds us that life itself may
be the most important game we play.