Playing for Pizza

My wife and I were in Italy between 10 and 12 weeks in 2011. She arrived there earlier due to work assignment and I came 2 weeks later with our cat and a few items from home. Needless to say the entire book JG described, clearly captured the same culture we experienced in Italy. We were in Northern Italy in a town or small city called Ferrara. We experienced several issues which normally are kept out of US media. Such as protest demonstration issues from the main unions which blocked transportation for one day (which of course didn't affect us because weren't travelling at the time of the protest) to include the racial discrimination from immigrants from Sub-Sahara Africa seeking to stay and live in the Ferrara Region. I understood very well the survival techniques of the Africans but also the annoyances of the local residence "bugging harassment" of being annoyed to purchase things one doesn't want or need from them. Getting back to the book is: Italy is laid back and the 2 hour average lunches in 2011 were normal. The weather and atmosphere resembled Florida and California. However, what nerved me a bit was seeing a freaking McDonalds because I really get tired of seeing these burger joints in Europe. Sure they bring capital to the locals but I want to taste and experience a foreign country's cuisines, culture and what it has to offer me that I haven't and wont ever experience in the US. Like going into a restaurant with no menu cards and having to order something you're not aware of is quite challenging and rewarding especially not being able to speak the language. Driving out of our way to get a terribly expensive Original Balsamic Vinegar in Modena. Tasting a very old Prosciutto di Parma and how it's usage on Cantelopes makes one very weak to reisist or the god of cheeses, the Parmigiano Reggiano and the different sytles and techniques of eating it plain of dipped in Balsamic vinegar and etc.... My god, what a life I had living there. We visited Museums and the local tourist joints but really captured Italy and even more for us was having a local person to help integrate us within the local area and country. There was really one odd thing that we encountered which made us aware of hygienic issues while shopping for fruits and vegetable. The shopping of fresh fruits and vegetables MUST have plastic disposable gloves available so we can put on and it's the most hygienic thing we ever encountered there because the Italians are very picky and particular about getting any types of illness that they can easily avoided. Our contact person there just so happen to be from the Sicilian area but living in outskirts area of Ferrara. The family accepted us as their own and attending their open BBQ with friends was a delight and then later a home cooked meal just for the two of us and the family was incredible. Learning how to make a real pasta sauce and how much flavor we are missing by the typical standard of drowning out out pasta dishes with so much sauce. They even gave us a special invitation to attend a special Iraninan restaurant with dancers and etc.. Now, during our entire stay we cooked 80% at home and went out to eat in restaurants 9 times which were in different locations and only 3 x we ate local pizzas. The 6 restaurant all had their specialities, 2 restaurants we ate twice to get the different taste and cuisines they were offering and the the last one was strictly a raw seafood special which was served with shrimps, oysters and salmon. I couldn't see coming to the country without trying the local pizzas, the rest we were experimenting and tasting different cooking methods and taste from the area. This way when ever it's time to come back, we can always have a little Italiano at our creation. What we uncovered from the book was more than what was written, it was a life time and life changing experience. For anyone who would like the taste of Italy - from the view of an American Football Player - this book is highly informative, beautifully written with a loving heart for Italy.

In another witty and fun departure from his legal thrillers, Grisham has penned a delightful yarn about disgraced NFL quarterback Rick Dockery. After throwing fabulous passes to the opposing team in his final game with Cleveland, Rick's agent Arnie has the unenviable job of informing his client that there is no way he will again play in the National Football League. Hated by Cleveland fans for his shockingly bad performance in a game that was as much as won (until Rick came off of the bench) it doesn't take long for Rick to realize that he practically needs police protection anywhere in the city. Then Arnie receives a call from a coach inquiring about Dockery; the catch is that the team is in Italy. When a sullen Rick finally agrees to give the Italians a try, the experience is one of bravery,brotherhood, and a genuine love for the game. It would appear the Rick may have finally found a home with the Parma Panthers..... A story rich in descriptions of Italian culture...which of course includes good food. A great story made all the more so for those readers who have a love for and understand American football. A fun, light read. DYB

Great book!

I have read every Grisham novel and have a great appreciation for them, each in its individual way. That goes for this one as well. Below (Grisham-) average, but higher than most (other authors) anyway. For someone not american the football lingo put a threshold on the possibility to understand the specifics of the game and consequently a great part of the novel. Grisham hasn't wasted any time explaining the basics. There are a lot of passages describing the progress of the play in quite a detailed fashion. It's however fascinating how Grisham is able to sustain my interest for the story, considered my limited knowledge of american football. I can only recommend the experience of reading this book. It's fun, it's easy to identify and there is a certain progress in the story that makes one keep reading and reading.

I have missed John Grisham - Bleachers wasn't my favorite, but the title, Playing for Pizza made me take a closer look. It is the story of a third string quarterback, Rick Dockery, who has pretty much played himself out of American and Canadian football - part is wrong timing, part is he is not much of a scrambler, but he lost a really big game and ended up in the hospital with injuries - There is practically a lynch squad outside the hospital. Rick's agent is running out of options where to place Rick- there is a very intruiging offer - a position for a quarterback - a starting quarterback with the Panthers - no, not Carolina, Parma - Parma Italy! They have football teams there and while most of the members of the team play for the passion and fun of it, they are willing to pay to have an American play with them - The dollar figure offered is not great, but after some difficulties in the states, Rick goes to Italy - He is welcomed, but soon, in spite of perks of being paid, a car, an apartment gratis, he has to train with the rest of the team - forget about quarterbacks not training with the team - he had to get into shape - and prove himself. He comes to love the Panthers, his team mates, his new country - And the football action is fantastic. Yes, it is a story of redemption, but it is so much more - and beautifully and lightly written by Grisham - He states his next book will have 'lots of lawyers' - I wish one of them represented the Panthers and had to visit them in Parma - This is maybe my 2nd favorite Grisham - the first being A Time to Kill - there is no comparison between the two, but they are wonderful in their own rights.

This was clearly a departure for Grisham, much like Bleachers and Skipping Christmas, insofar as they departed from his usual lawyer-related books. Actually, he seems to enjoy the departure as these light-hearted books tend to be well written and enjoyable. In this case, Playing for Pizza is a light hearted romp through Italy using football as an excuse to settle on a topic. The story line is predictable as is the ending, so we’re left with a not-too-deep story of an ex-NFL quarterback and his PLAN B which is to play somewhere - anywhere. Somewhere in this case is Italy, mostly near Milan in the small town of Parma (where they make Parmesan cheese!). Rick Dockery is the ex-quarterback who reluctantly arrives in Parma and begins a transition from “ugly American” to a convert to life in a small Italian town. Along the way he meets Livvy, another ex-pat who wants to know everything there is to know about Italy. Rick (or Reek as the Italians pronounce it) walks a fine line between his first love (football) and his desire to please Livvy in her pursuits of Italian churches and castles. The interactions with the locals including his teammates is the basis for the story. And Grisham navigates the storyline in a comfortable manner. Reading this book is a relaxing departure from most of today’s books where excitement is needed in every chapter in order to create a sellable book. If you like football, if you like Italy (and, even better, if you’ve ever traveled there), and if you enjoy a laid back love story, you’ll probably enjoy Playing for Pizza. I marked the book down one star because, after all, it’s not Gone with the Wind.

This was the first book that I had read by this author. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, not only from the standpoint of it has some sports influence that are really quite realistic, but it also covers other cultures. I had been given the book by a co-worker, and had lost the book on an airplane. Just prior to getting the Kindle, I bought the book in paperback form. I then purchased the Kindle and later purchased the Kindle version. I found it easier for me to read it in that manner, then trying to read the paperback version. The good thing about getting the paperback is that I got it from Amazon for a very reasonable price in a used format. That way, I was able to return the book to the original owner. I haven't been a big reader of fiction in the past, although I do enjoy to read. I just never seem to have time. This book got me back into reading, along with the Kindle. John Grisham writes in a manner that is hard to put down, and easy to digest. Those of you that know his other books already realize this. But this book kept me waiting for what was going to happen next, and what the main character was going to have to do next. If you enjoy American football, and you would enjoy learning a bit about how other nationalities and cultures might think of it, this isn't that unrealistic of a view of that. Mr. Grisham states that this is based upon what actually goes on in Europe and Italy, where the majority of the book is based. It is a great story about a Quarterback at that point of his career that has to decide if he will keep trying to fight the "second string" fight (if he will even be allowed to), go to a Canadian league, or play the game based upon his love of the sport, along with those others that love it as well. It shows a lot of sides to the game, and it is a very well done story if you are a football fan. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Love this author, his books have amazing premises and always heartfelt stories!

Brilliant read

NFLの決勝進出チームの控えの控えQBが主人公 全米国民の前で大失態をやらかして イタリアへ都落ち、それからどうした？ が本書のプロット。 仕事でへこたれ中の英語読みの皆さん この本読むとCOME TO LIFE! AT車の運転しか出来ない主人公が 早朝のイタリアの街でMT車の運転練習する場面が 凄く好きな部分です。

I loved "Playing for Pizza". Its entertaining. I read half of it in one sitting - from midnight to 3am; I just could not put it down. It's so many things that one can love, a great underdog tale with a lot of fish out of water flair, sports, vivid descriptions of Italy - the language, culture, people, landscapes, food and drink. If one loves sports and/or Italy, this is the book to read. Before reading this, I read a review which said: "Don't read hungry." There is some truth to that. I'm a big Italy fan and this took me back to so many trips to the country. The story itself is hard to summarize in an adjective but the tale of a football quarterback who stares at the ruins of his career and then reluctantly goes to Italy for a season, is at the end of the day heartwarming, for lack of a better word.

It is hard to come across a book about a sport which one has never played in their entire life. i have only seen a few movies on American Foootbll and hve no connection to the game whatsoever. But Playing for pizza is a story that will stay with me forever. I wouldnt want to divulge any details about the plot but it is a saga that I can read again and again but the freshness of it would remain.

If you expect only legal stories from Grisham, this will be a delight for you. It's about a football player and his rejection from the NFL, and his gradual acceptance of his potential in a northern Italian city. The novel unwinds with you fully immersed in the character, understanding (and in some cases not liking) aspects of his self-entitled ego, only to find - surprise! - redemption (and love) in Parma. The descriptions of football show that Grisham (or someone close to the story) knows enough to be entertaining on the subject without being boring, and the travel descriptions of Italy are like a Bill Bryson book. No lawyers (except peripherally); no murders; no malfeasance of any kind except normal human foibles. I love "can't put down" books and this was one. I started it on New Year morning, and, after interruptions for family, finished it late at night. The story unwinds nicely, the character development is excellent, and the locale and sports angle is a refreshing change. This isn't a long book, and the chapters are spaced so there's lots of opportunities to suspend the read....if you can. This was one of the best books I read in the past month, and while it's now ten years old, I'd love more like this from Grisham!