Playing for Pizza - by John Grisham (Hardcover)

About the Book

In John Grisham's new novel, a one-time American football star signed to Italy's Parma Panthers becomes entangled in a series of comic misadventures on and off the field.

Book Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "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

After providing what is arguably the worst single performance in the history of the NFL, third-string quarterback Rick Dockery becomes a national laughingstock. Cut by the Cleveland Browns, and shunned by every other team, Rick insists that his agent find a team that does need him.

Against enormous odds, Rick lands 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.

Review Quotes

"Enthralling."--People

"This is a fish-out-of-water tale that perfectly suits Grisham's strengths as a storyteller. . . . A feel-good story, a tale of maturing and finding your way in the world."--USA Today

"Grisham at his best . . . a page-turner of a story."--Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Football in Italy? Who knew? Grisham means to have a sweet time with this story of a fallen NFL quarterback. And he does."--New York Daily News

"A delightfully comic tale of redemption . . . deeply satisfying."--The Boston Globe

"A winsome football fable, replete with team bonding and character-building . . . the result is a charming fish-out-of-water story."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

John Grisham is the author of numerous #1 bestsellers, including The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Innocent Man, The Whistler, The Boys from Biloxi, and many more. His books have been translated into nearly fifty languages. Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction. Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system. He lives on a farm in central Virginia.