{"product_id":"the-man-who-plays-alone-by-danilo-dolci","title":"The Man Who Plays Alone by Danilo Dolci","description":"\u003cp\u003eA 1966 documentary social survey and explosive exposé examining the cultural and systemic roots of poverty, corruption, and the Mafia in western Sicily. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book's title is derived from a pessimistic local Sicilian proverb: \"The man who plays alone never loses.\" Dolci uses this saying as a leitmotif to describe the crippling individualism, deep-seated distrust, and isolation that prevent Sicilian common people from organizing, cooperating, or fighting back against exploitation. His central thesis is that while playing alone feels safe, those who live by this rule ultimately never win or enact meaningful reform.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe trial depicted in the book ultimately resulted in Dolci and his associate being convicted of defamation in a proceeding criticized as a political farce, though the sentence was later bypassed by a pardon. The book stands as both a courageous act of whistleblowing without a safety net and a profound testimony to the necessity of collective, associative action over isolation\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Book Express","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45881882705994,"sku":"7018ak","price":35.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/9101\/8826\/files\/7018ak.jpg?v=1789868576","url":"https:\/\/www.bookexpress.nz\/products\/the-man-who-plays-alone-by-danilo-dolci","provider":"Book Express","version":"1.0","type":"link"}