HomeThrillerPlaying for Pizza

Cover of Playing for Pizza

Thriller · 2012 · PG

Playing for Pizza

by John Grisham

A washed-up NFL quarterback gets one last chance — in Italy, where nobody knows him and nobody cares about American football.

#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

For12+GenreThrillerLength262 pagesRead time~7.3 hoursCommunity ratings0

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Content snapshot

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What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.

Violence

Barely any

Minimal violence — football; some physical competition

Language

Barely any

Mild profanity

Sexual Content

Barely any

Mild — some adult situations in the Italian setting

Substance Use

None

No meaningful substance use

Emotional Intensity

Barely any

Rick's humiliation and reinvention — trading NFL disgrace for Italian obscurity; finding belonging in unexpected places

What this book is about

Rick Dockery is the most reviled quarterback in NFL history after a catastrophic playoff performance. The only team that will take him is an Italian semi-pro team in Parma. Playing for Pizza is Grisham's most lighthearted novel — a comedy about an American athlete discovering a country, a culture, and a game he didn't know he would love.

Notes for sensitive readers

Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.

Lighthearted — Grisham's most comedic novel

Italy and Italian culture — food, football, and charm

A washed-up athlete's second chance

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