All That is Stickney

Review

Rating: 8

This was not your normal John Grisham novel, I had to do a little research to make sure it was the same Grisham. It was.

Apparently, this is story was inspired by a trip to Parma, Italy Grisham took while researching another book. It was in Parma where Grisham discovered the Italian NFL, Italy’s club team “football americano” league.

This is the story of 28 year old, washed up third string NFL quarterback Rick Dockery. After blowing a crucial game for the Cleveland Browns, Dockery was run out of the NFL. With his options limited, his agent suggested the Italian league. Each Italian team is allowed to have up to 3 Americans on the team. Most of these Americans are college players not ready for the NFL. So Dockery signs up with the Parma Panthers, and is welcomed with open arms, as Parma expects Dockery to bring home a Super Bowl trophy.

It was certainly a quick read, 250pgs, short chapters. I thought it was a good book. Maybe it was the ex-athlete in me who enjoyed it, or my half Italian blood flowing through me, either way, the book held my attention. Rick, a farmer’s son from Iowa, is thrown into Italy and does not blend in well at all. But he uses the time to mature a bit, culture himself with some opera, expand his life a little bit. He learns more about the game in Italy than I think the NFL taught him. Here in Parma, he had expectations he never had as a third string QB in the NFL.