Sooley: A Novel
Apr 2021 · Anchor
4.5star
89 reviewsreport
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368
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About this ebook
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • John Grisham is at the top of his game in this novel of a raw, young basketball player with big dreams—and even bigger challenges off the court.
“Grisham is about as good a storyteller as we’ve got.”—The New York Times Book Review
Samuel “Sooley” Sooleymon is just seventeen years old when he and his South Sudanese teammates come to the United States to compete in a basketball tournament. The opportunity to be scouted by college coaches is a dream come true. Though he is an amazing athlete, his technical game needs work.
And then Sooley receives devastating news from home: as a result of the civil war raging across South Sudan, his father is dead, his sister is missing, and his mother and two younger brothers are in a refugee camp. Moved by his story, the coach of North Carolina Central offers him a scholarship. Sooley moves to Durham, enrolls in classes, and prepares to sit out his freshman season.
But Sooley has a fierce determination to improve. He works tirelessly on his game, and soon he’s dominating in practice. With the Central team losing and plagued by injuries, Sooley is called off the bench. But how far can he take his team? And will success allow him to save his family?
“Grisham is about as good a storyteller as we’ve got.”—The New York Times Book Review
Samuel “Sooley” Sooleymon is just seventeen years old when he and his South Sudanese teammates come to the United States to compete in a basketball tournament. The opportunity to be scouted by college coaches is a dream come true. Though he is an amazing athlete, his technical game needs work.
And then Sooley receives devastating news from home: as a result of the civil war raging across South Sudan, his father is dead, his sister is missing, and his mother and two younger brothers are in a refugee camp. Moved by his story, the coach of North Carolina Central offers him a scholarship. Sooley moves to Durham, enrolls in classes, and prepares to sit out his freshman season.
But Sooley has a fierce determination to improve. He works tirelessly on his game, and soon he’s dominating in practice. With the Central team losing and plagued by injuries, Sooley is called off the bench. But how far can he take his team? And will success allow him to save his family?
Ratings and reviews
4.5
89 reviews
Jeff Tarantino
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May 31, 2021
I'm probably in the minority being a dyed in the wool Grisham fan but I did not like this novel at all. We all know that life is harsh and evil abounds but somehow Grisham seemed to pull out a flawed hero or heroine that managed to make the scales of justice work. In this novel not only is there no hero but there is no justice. Some random blonde essentially manslaughters Sooley and totally gets away with it while the focus shifts to some other random people rescuing his family. I think Grisham ran out of gas in the middle of the novel but what do I know. His previous work has been the stuff of legend. Looking forward to his next.
10 people found this review helpful
Halo Hpe
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January 4, 2024
This book could have been a gem like "Playing for Pizza," but the writing is too generic. We fall in love with Sooley and then the story of his life becomes such a cliche. It really had so much potential, but the twist is not at all believable and does not make any sense.
Paul Demetre
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May 30, 2021
Not your typical Grisham novel, an interesting story that is tough to put down.
7 people found this review helpful
About the author
John Grisham is the author of numerous #1 bestsellers, including The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Rainmaker, The Innocent Man, The Whistler, The Boys from Biloxi, and many more. His books have been translated into nearly fifty languages. Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction. Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system. He lives on a farm in central Virginia.
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