Playing for Pizza [Paperback]

"Delightfully comic . . . a deeply satisfying story."--"The Boston Globe"

"Fans of John Grisham live for his legal thrillers, but now and then he serves up something unexpected. That's exactly what he does, with great success, in "Playing for Pizza"."--"USA Today"

"A light-hearted story of football, food and love."--"Richmond Times-Dispatch"

"Enthralling."--"People"

Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In the deciding game at the climax of the season, 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 laughing stock and, of course, was immediately dropped by the Browns and shunned by all other teams.

But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, finds a team that needs him. Against enormous odds, Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great says Rick – for which team?

The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a player from the home of American footballat their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers – at least until a better offer comes along – and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma (not even where it is), has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy - the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance and football americano - holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.

Rick Dockery was a quarterback for one of America’s most famous football teams when he gave arguably the worst performance in his league’s history. Overnight Rick became a laughing stock and unemployable in his own country.

But his agent somehow finds Rick a job. He is guaranteed a starting position and a salary. The only problem is that the team that wants him is in Parma, Italy. The American football league in Italy is tiny and, unlike Rick, the Italian players only get paid in free meals.

Rick has never been to Italy, so it’s no surprise that the country has a few surprises for him. What follows is a delightful, heart-warming story of an innocent abroad.

‘A lyrical page-turner and a gasp-inducing reminder of the scope of this man’s genius with the written word. A delightful read.’ Sunday Express