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Playing for Pizza | 
 enlarge | Author: John Grisham
Publisher: Dell
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $1.48
You Save: $6.51 (81%)
New (47) Used (45) Collectible (1) from $0.48
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 517
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.4
ISBN: 0440244714
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780440244714
ASIN: 0440244714
Publication Date: July 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In the AFC Championship game, to the surprise and dismay of virtually everyone, Rick actually got into the game. With a 17-point lead and just minutes to go, Rick provided what was arguably the worst single performance in the history of the NFL. Overnight, he became a national laughingstock—and was immediately cut by the Browns and shunned by all other teams. But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds, Rick finally gets a job—as the starting quarterback for the Mighty Panthers . . . of Parma, Italy. The Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. And now they’ve got Rick, who knows nothing about Parma (not even where it is) and doesn’t speak a word of Italian. To say that Italy—the land of fine wines, extremely small cars, and football americano—holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement. . . .
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Playing for Pizza September 3, 2008
This book was pretty good. It was a quick easy read. You feel for the characters and Italy is brought to life. When I was through with it I really wanted to visit Italy. It was fun and touching.
 Round Hole Meet Square Peg August 31, 2008
Those who read this book thinking it's another typical Grisham novel will be sorely disappointed, but for those of us who rely on an author's writing skills and storytelling rather than pigeon-holing him into one genre will get a kick out of this heart-warming football story.
Playing for Pizza takes the reader on a journey of personal growth and a true love of football. The main character, Rick Dockery, a third-string hack of a pro football player, begins the book in the most humiliating circumstances possible for a pro football quarterback. He loses the AFC Championship game in two bad throws when his team had a 17-point lead, and he's completely drubbed out of the pros. His adventures really begin when he goes to play for an Italian team.
I really enjoyed watching a down-and-out character drag himself up in the most unlikely circumstances, and his re-discovery of football and the meaning of the game makes for a lighthearted and entertaining read.
So, if you're looking for a legal treatise or some deep insight into the meaning of life, steer away from this book. If you're looking for an entertaining, well-written story, definitely pick up a copy of Playing for Pizza.
 Is There Another John Grisham? August 27, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I love John Grisham novels. If you're young and 'Playing For Pizza' is your first introduction to him, please give the author another chance.
It read as if a Travel Journal was mixed up with an abandoned short story and a football playbook. I literally thought I was reading John Grisham's diary of what he ate and what he did while in Italy.
Throughout the reading I kept hoping that the descriptions of ham and cheese would wane and the conflict between the life he left behind in the U.S. and the life he developed in Italy would escalate. It didn't.
However, if you like travel books and descriptions of food, this is a great book. If you're looking for dining suggestions, it totally works. As for me, I think I'll stick to his "The" books in the future.
Fluff read about a rough sport August 27, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Grisham examines the brutal world of pro football in this light-reading novel. Rick Dockery is a third-string NFL quarterback who unexpectedly loses a key playoff game. Hospitalized, cut by his squad, and unwanted by other NFL (or Canadian) teams, Dockery ends up playing for the Panthers of Parma, Italy. Yes, they play NFL-style football in Italy (they even have a Superbowl). Crowds run about 1,500 fans per game, and most of its players get paid in postgame pizza and beer (Dockery and a few other Americans get modest salaries). We get a nice feel for Italy, football, the brutal competitiveness, locker room camraderie, and inevitable aches and pains. Dockery is a typical jock focused mainly on his game and girls, but he is intelligent and likeable.
This book makes nice reading given Grisham's enticing prose, but lacks the seriousness or message of his many legal thrillers. A fluff read, but a good one.
Useless book August 26, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Hands down the worst of the Grisham books. It seems like he wrote it in a day or two with little or no effort. Don't bother.
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