Book Review: The World Played Chess - Highly Recommend

How do I describe this outstanding book? Raw, real, intense, instructive, stirring, and redemptive. This was not an easy read. Many passages made me want to look away. Moreover, it contained that cautionary content that triggered my desire to place a warning on some reviews. It hit all four of the dreaded categories, yet I still rave. I wish my sons would read it (if they were readers), despite the compromising content. I would only insist that they read to the end. If you left off halfway through, you would miss the full maturation process and final conclusions about God.

The title is appropriate, drawn from the adage: "The world played chess while I played checkers." Dugoni deftly weaves three time periods of story into one cohesive coming-of-age tale. Vincent Bianco is now the father of an 18-year-old son, Beau. When William Goodman sends Vincent his Vietnam journal, it propels him into the world of his own 18th summer. Vincent worked with William on a construction job that summer and heard stories about the war. However, opening the pages of William's journal fleshes out those stories in a far more significant way. Thus, the reader follows three men on a journey from boyhood to manhood: Beau (a modern teen used to the comforts of life), Vincent (now a father, but in 1979, a teen on the cusp of adulthood), and William (sent off to a senseless war as a tender teen). In facing down death, they realize the gift every new day provides. They recognize the stakes are far larger than originally imagined.

The war passages are brutal, transporting the reader into the taste, smell, and feel of battle. I struggled because my three sons are close to service eligible ages. War is possible in this crazy world and not just a story. The reality is horrifying. While uncomfortable, I still understood the necessity of full disclosure. Plus, tremendous value lies behind the painful experiences these young men traverse. There "is gold in them there hills," despite the climb.

Dugoni doesn't sugar-coat their responses, either. Obviously, soldiers who live staring death in the face will struggle with God. Yet, I didn't feel this book made God out to be the bad guy in the sky. Nor did it end with a nihilistic tone. Instead, my faith remained intact, and the ending was faith-affirming.

Indeed, the end brought me to tears. It was a powerful story with great purpose and meaning. I keep wishing I knew of a male friend who is a reader, so I could pass along this recommendation. The author captured the teen brain so well. He articulated that underdeveloped pre-frontal cortex that spurs teens into questionable and sometimes dramatically detrimental decisions. This passage near the beginning rings so true:

"Like most eighteen-year-old young men, I inhabited the center of my own universe, though cosmologists steadfastly maintain the universe has no center, that it will forever expand. Try telling that to a high school senior who thinks he's immortal because he has yet to experience mortality and indestructible because nothing has harmed him, who believes he can achieve anything he puts his mind to simply because others have said he can.... The realities of life had not yet popped the bubbles in which we lived. We did not know that nothing is guaranteed, not even nineteen."

So, although I give my content caution, I applaud this amazing novel and all it achieves. The writing sweeps you into the stories while keeping them separate and distinct. Each lesson packs a punch. The emotional resonance sings from the pages. This is a tour de force!

Note: I highly recommend reading the acknowledgements at the end (explains the creation process) and the further resources. My copy also provided 13 questions for book club discussion. I think this would make a top choice and generate interesting discussion and reflection.

Content caution: 📒 - drugs, language, sex, and violence