The World Played Chess

I just finished reading The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni. Without hesitation, I can say it ranks among the top five books I’ve read in my 76 years of reading. My list also includes Gates of Fire, The Book Thief, Winter’s Tale, and To Kill a Mockingbird.

This month, I emptied my bookshelves. Over seven decades, I had collected around 500 books. Each one carries cherished memories, but I realized it was time to part ways with the surplus. The process was challenging; books are like companions we accumulate throughout life.

I mention The World Played Chess because I believe it offers genuine value to those who follow this website. Calling it extraordinary is not an exaggeration. My preferred genre is coming-of-age stories, and I discovered this book while searching for works in that category.

The story is narrated by an attorney in his mid-50s and unfolds across three distinct time frames. The first, set in 1968, takes place in Vietnam and is recounted through the journal of a veteran whom the young narrator meets in 1979. The second period covers Vincent’s summer between high school and college in 1979 working for a small construction company owned by another Vietnam marine vet. The third is set in 2016, when Vincent, now a father, mentors his own high school son through the lessons he learned during his youth.

One line recurs throughout the book:  “Growing old is a privilege, not a right.”  Mr. Dugoni demonstrates that truth even on the final page of the story.  I’ve learned it is a truth to remember every day.

I urge you to consider reading this remarkable book.

Growing old is a privilege, not a right.