Vanguard

Currently number two on the USA Today's Bestseller List, John Grisham's latest release "Playing for Pizza" is a fish-out-of-water story pertaining to the sport of football.

The novel opens with third-string Cleveland Browns' quarterback Rick Dockery lying in a hospital bed with a concussion from the conference game that he just played. Rick, who got his shot at the big time, fumbled on three passes and ruined any chance of the Cleveland Browns going to the Super Bowl. The result is that Rick becomes the laughing stock for Browns fans and the sports media.

His agent Arnie, who is at wits' end with Rick because his career has consisted many failures, signs him up with another professional team, playing the quarterback position. The catch is that Rick's new team is the Parma Panthers in Italy. When Rick arrives in Italy, he discovers that American football does not have mainstream popularity, as soccer does, but his teammates are playing for the sheer enjoyment of it. Add along to that the fact that Rick has never been to Europe before, does not speak a lick of Italian and Rick's uncertainty of how he will be perceived, and Grisham has a humorous story on his hands. Rick's Italian teammates are excited over their newest addition and think that Rick will be the one who takes them to their first Super Bowl.

Grisham, who is known mostly for his hard-hitting legal thrillers, takes on a lighter approach in this novel. This is surprising since this novel also takes on the world of professional football, which is brutal and harshly criticized at times.
In the novel, Grisham spends little time describing the actions of the actual games; gameplay fills only three to four pages of the book. Instead, five to six pages are spent describing Italy -- the tourist attractions, food and culture.

However, Grisham does a great job in comparing similarities and differences of football fans from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Each country finds different things more important: In America, for example, it seems to be fame; in Italy, enjoyment of the game reins supreme. For a light read, this novel is great, but if one expects more hard-hitting action from Grisham, this novel is not the one.

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