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The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni

What's It About?

From the author of The Extraordinary Life Of Sam Hell comes another moving story that is sure to bring tears.

Robert Dugoni treats us to his expert, character-driven storytelling about growing up, and you won’t want to miss it!

In his latest novel, The World Played Chess (Lake Union), recent high school graduate Vincent has a job working construction to make some beer money the summer before he goes off to college. On the construction site with him are two war veterans, Todd and William, who share stories of their difficult and painful experiences over in Vietnam. Trying to remain hopeful when confronted with the realities of fighting in a war as an outsider was a lot for William and the other men in Vietnam to have experienced at such a young age. And coming of age while facing emotional, moral and physical challenges, surrounded by loss and lacking family support, took its toll.

Years later, Vincent, now a father with his own son, Beau, preparing to head off to college, remembers his last summer at home working construction. When Vincent receives William’s journal in the mail, he chooses to read it, revisiting William’s memories of war. Facing tragedy at home, Vincent understands the lessons his friend taught him even more clearly as he draws strength from the journal to help his own son realize that being born into privilege doesn’t guarantee a long, full and happy life.

Each young man — Vincent working construction, William heading off to war, Beau preparing to play college football — had dreams that were impacted by fate. With lessons about friendship, love, perseverance and hope, and through multiple characters and timelines, Dugoni skillfully brings us into the lives of these three young men as we experience their growing from boys into men. I loved this story: the format that included journal entries and chapters dated to keep the timeline straight, the deep and complex characters, the friendships explored and the father-son relationships. I highly recommend The World Played Chess.

Q&A WITH ROBERT DUGONI

Q: You are a bestselling author across multiple genres: espionage, police procedurals, legal thrillers and literary fiction. Do you set out to write in a certain genre? How long does it take you to complete a book, and what do you attribute to your all-encompassing success? 

A: I do set out to write in a certain way, depending on the genre that I am writing. However, I also believe that the books readers remember are about characters who are three-dimensional and real. No matter the genre, I try to create characters that people will wonder about and worry about long after they have closed the book. I want readers to feel like they’ve just visited with a good friend and hope that good friend’s life turns out all right. The length of time it takes me to write a book really varies. Sometimes, I have a strong sense of the plot and it goes quickly. Sometimes, it can be a more difficult struggle. It also depends on what else I am doing while I am writing. Generally, anywhere from six months to nine months, including research.

Q: When did you decide you wanted to be a writer and how did practicing law influence you? 

A: I knew when I was 12 and in the seventh grade that I wanted to write, that I loved to write. My mother was a big influence on me. She had many classic books that she kept handing to me to read. Practicing law taught me how to work long hours and to multi-task as well as persevere through difficult times.

Q:  Where did you get the idea for The World Played Chess?

A: The idea for the book came from my own life. My summer after senior year in high school, I went to work on a construction crew with two Vietnam veterans and received the education of a lifetime.

Q: Americans growing up before the 1970s were protected in their environment and could easily live without extensive knowledge of the outside world, yet the Vietnam War coincided with more media access. How do you think this impacted young people coming of age in the 1970s?

A: Vietnam was the first media war. With the widespread use of television, the war could be broadcast into American households. The United States initially thought it would be a great propaganda machine to legitimize the war, but that thinking backfired when people at home saw the body bags and read about the number of wounded every day. People coming of age in the 1970s no longer had a glorified view of war. All the John Wayne and feel-good war movies went out the window, and we got real movies like Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Deer Hunter and Full Metal Jacket. Young people realized you could die, just as more than 50,000 young people died.

Q: Do you think we have improved how we prepare our youth for the real world, and do we protect and nurture them any better than we did in the 1970s?

A: I don’t think that can be answered generically because not everyone comes from the same circumstances. I think we have access to more information to better equip our children for what lies ahead. We have a better understanding of things like mental illness, anxiety and other illnesses that impact what can happen at college and in the real world. But young people now are exposed much earlier to things that can be detrimental to their development. Violent gaming and the internet have removed much of the naivete I enjoyed as a young person. Those days are, sadly, gone.

Q:  You captured the painful experiences of war through William’s journal entries — how did you research and ensure what you wrote about the Vietnam War rang true, and how did you come up with the idea of journaling to convey the soldier’s story?

A: The idea of the journal actually came from my son, who read a copy of the manuscript and said he really didn’t know about the Vietnam War and wanted to know what happened to William in Vietnam. I love research, so I read about 15 first-hand accounts of men who spent time in the Vietnam War. I watched all the movies. I watched documentaries, and I had two consultants, Marines who had served in Vietnam and were willing to help me to understand that experience.

Q: Love for family and friends resonates in both coming-of-age stories, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell and The World Played Chess. How did your upbringing influence your characters? 

A: I was raised in a loving family with nine brothers and sisters. My parents sacrificed so much of their lives so that my brothers and sisters could have the very best lives possible. But it was not without heartache and pain. My Dad lost his father at a very young age. My mother’s father was an alcoholic. My youngest brother was born with Down syndrome and met with bullying. Through it all, for the most part, we found strength in each other. I remain close to my siblings and to my nieces and nephews. In the end, family is all that matters. In the end, I realize that growing old is a privilege, it is not a right. We make the best of our lives, and when we do, each of us has the chance to lead an extraordinary life. 

Q: The World Played Chess would lend itself very nicely to a movie on the big screen. Who would you envision playing Vincent, William and Todd? 

A: I always loved Matt Damon as Vincent. Mark Wahlberg comes to mind. There are so many outstanding actors, it would be tough to choose. Orlando Bloom. James Franco. Paul Giamatti.

 

The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni
Genre: Book Club Network, Fiction
Author: Robert Dugoni
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
ISBN: 9781542029390
Jennifer Blankfein

Jennifer Gans Blankfein is a freelance marketing consultant and book reviewer. She graduated from Lehigh University with a Psychology degree and has a background in advertising. Her experience includes event coordination and fundraising along with editing a weekly, local, small business newsletter. Jennifer loves to talk about books, is an avid reader, and currently writes a book blog, Book Nation by Jen. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two sons and black lab.

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