The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni

The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni– 400 pages 

ARC provided by Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing

Book Blurb:

In 1979, Vincent Bianco has just graduated high school. His only desire: collect a little beer money and enjoy his final summer before college. So he lands a job as a laborer on a construction crew. Working alongside two Vietnam vets, one suffering from PTSD, Vincent gets the education of a lifetime. Now forty years later, with his own son leaving for college, the lessons of that summer—Vincent’s last taste of innocence and first taste of real life—dramatically unfold in a novel about breaking away, shaping a life, and seeking one’s own destiny. 

My Review: 5 stars

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The World Played Chess is a hauntingly beautiful story of growing from boy to man. I became an instant fan of Dugoni after reading The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell a few years ago. He’s incredibly well known for his Tracy Crosswhite police/detective novels that have a large and loyal following. 

In this book, we are introduced to Vincent and his 18-year-old son Beau in 2016, Vincent, again as an 18-year-old in 1979 and William, a co-worker of Vincent’s in 1979 and William’s journal entries from 1968 in Vietnam, when he too was 18. This age is a pivotal time that marks a boy’s coming of age whether it’s for a job, to go to war or to go to college, it’s a time of change: responsibility, independence and maturity. In each character’s story, we see their growth through the lessons they learn, the way their priorities change, the poor decisions they make, their smart choices, how they treat others, their relationships with G-d and figuring out what kind of person they want to be.

The epistolatory portion of the book comes from William’s journal entries, which were beyond powerful. Often graphic, as it needed to be in certain scenes, will move you to tears. The author never served in Vietnam, yet did immense research to bring the war to life. 

There were times when the book read quickly and other times the pacing slowed down, which really let the story sink in. I learned so much about the male psyche and life during the war. Overall, the writing was amazing and I feel like I’m a better person for reading this book. 

Quotes I liked:

Growing old is a privilege, not a right.”

“I was the blank pages of a journal William could fill with the stories cluttering his mind, the ones that became the nightmares that haunted his sleep…He could fill those pages honestly without worrying about any commentary or requests for clarifications, without me judging him. 

“Schools used student-athletes all the time. Student-athletes could also us schools. If the school didn’t like it, too bad.”

“I became a parent thinking of all the things I would teach my son and my daughter. I never realized how much I would learn from them. I knew then my son would never be a piece of meat. He would never be a number. Because that was my son. He was not me. He was a better version of me.”

“His death won’t be for nothing if you learn to celebrate each morning that you wake, take a breath, and realize you’re still alive and the day is filled with endless potential.”

“Worry about yourself. You don’t know shit. The world is playing chess and you’re playing checkers. 

“What you choose to do with your life is now up to you. Find your passion. Then find a way to to make a living at it. Do so, and you’ll never work a day in your life. Most of all, remember that it takes a lifetime to build a reputation, but only a moment to destroy it.”

“You can make your own luck by making smart decisions.”