Playing For Pizza

His books have sold over 250 million copies. For this reason alone literary critics might be unable to call him a "great" writer. His work is simply too accessible, too readable, too much fun. In point of fact, he knows how to tell a story that connects so as to keep readers fully engaged.

I've read a few Grisham books, his claim to fame being the legal thriller genre. Who doesn't enjoy this genre made famous by Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason? Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent is likewise gripping, and dripping with the legal drama that keeps pages turning.

So it took me by surprise to find Grisham tackling the subject of Italian football. What's more, the story begins with the Cleveland Browns, my first and only love in football, though the central character's a quarterback whose claim to fame is as Cleveland's greatest goat, not star. (Echoes of Ernest Byner, for whom I momentarily feel pity.) In fact, the poor Rick Dockery is possibly the NFL's greatest goat. At least that is the reputation he earns as his prima dona quarterback lifestyle crashes beneath a heap of linebackers.

And finally, the clincher event that made passing on the book near impossible... it takes place in the vicinity of some people I have recently begun to fall in love with, in Northern Italy. This statement needs further embellishment.

Earlier this may I received an unexpected email from Mario Monasterolo, who it turns out has become utterly fascinated with capturing the history of his region. Of special interest are the personal stories of old timers whose memories reflect the rich vast past in ways that history books often fail to capture.

Through our correspondence I learned that Mario had been utterly fascinated with my father-in-law's book, especially as it touched upon Italy, because of the unpretentious and down-to-earth observations of an young man with fresh eyes who recorded his impressions without an eye to impressing editors, but simply for his passion of preserving memories.

A brief introduction to Mario: When I was about forty, I began working as a professional in a new and growing sector of our region: historic-cultural heritage safeguard, and its promotion through tourism. I got in strong touch with our wonderful territory on a regional scale and I got to know its history from the point of view of the smaller towns. Torino and Piemonte were industrial areas (they are still now) which had forgotten their past. Cultural heritage was considered of little importance till twenty years ago: now it’s enjoying growing attention, tourism is growing, too, also thanks the Olympic Winter Games 2006, and Piemonte is considered a national leader as far as safeguard and promotion of cultural heritage are concerned. Not ‘cause of me, naturally! I’m just a very small... ant!

Well, this is one "ant" we have grown to love, and certainly he is one more reason we're falling in love with Italy.

John Grisham fell in love with Italy, too. He was doing research in Bologna for a 2005 thriller caller The Broker, and whether it was the food, the wine, the countryside or the whole mix, his heart had been stolen.

This is not the book I expected. And the impression I get is that the food, the music, the charm of the people, the Italian countryside you experience if you ever get a chance to go will exceed anything your imagination attempts to conjure up if you get a chance to take in this boot-shaped land that plunges deep into the Mediterranean. I challenge anyone to read this book without a longing for the food Grisham so wonderfully describes when our hero Rick Dockery first discovers the cuisine of Parma.

What a great world! Still so many treasures to discover.

Here's an excerpt from Amazon.com's interview with John Grisham about his book Playing for Pizza.

Q: American football in Italy seems like an unlikely subject for a John Grisham novel. What was the inspiration for Playing for Pizza?
A: Three years ago when I was in Bologna researching "The Broker", I discovered American football. One of my guides in the area played football for the Bologna Warriors for 10 years. I couldn't believe that American football actually existed there, but the more I heard about it the more intrigued I became.
Q: There is some great football writing in this novel. What kind of research was involved in capturing how this American institution is played in small town Italy?
A: The only way to research the book was to go to Parma and watch a game. The coach is an American who played at Illinois State, and he proved to be extremely valuable. I met many of the Italian players and the story simply unfolded.
Q: Speaking of research, you write lovingly of Italian food and wine in this book. What's your idea of the perfect Italian meal?
A: First course: prosicutto and melon; second course: stuffed tortellini; third course: roasted stuffed capon, all served with a great Barolo wine.

Well, check it out if it's in your library. I listened to the unabridged audio version and just finished two hours ago. I think you can tell I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Photos of green Italian hills courtesy Mario Monasterolo. Click to enlarge.