Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
a quick read and an engaging story.
while the story telling is pretty good (even if largely unbelievable), some of the writing felt a little juvenile/out of place.
the worst, though not particularly important in the actual story, was the frequency of basic basketball related oversights like misnaming positions (‘shooting forward’ & ‘strong forward’ haha), constantly describing ‘perfect 30 foot corner 3’s’ (impossible given the dimensions of a basketball court!) and a few weird ncaa tournament impossibilities - a little tough to overlook when the book is about basketball/a basketball player.
so, it’s a decent book but definitely a case of lazy writing and poor editing.
while the story telling is pretty good (even if largely unbelievable), some of the writing felt a little juvenile/out of place.
the worst, though not particularly important in the actual story, was the frequency of basic basketball related oversights like misnaming positions (‘shooting forward’ & ‘strong forward’ haha), constantly describing ‘perfect 30 foot corner 3’s’ (impossible given the dimensions of a basketball court!) and a few weird ncaa tournament impossibilities - a little tough to overlook when the book is about basketball/a basketball player.
so, it’s a decent book but definitely a case of lazy writing and poor editing.
So, this book was overall well-written and a compelling story, but I struggled HEARTILY with this book. Part of me spent the first few chapters thinking “who is John Grisham to write this book from the perspective of a Sudanese refugee”? I get that fiction writers can take liberties, and they SHOULD, but this book, at this time, was cringey. The first half’s chapters felt well-researched, but utterly inauthentic. Would Sooley really contemplate privilege, with that word in mind, and refer to his homeland as underdeveloped? There is only so much Mr. Grisham can relate to the characters he features. Was it terrible? No, not at all. But it was hard to get past a wealthy, white, former lawyer from the southern US describing the mentality and experiences of a Sudanese refugee and his family.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
sad
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book broke my heart
I have recommended this book STROngly to at least 9 people (encouraging a whole family to read it)
Unlikely? Sure. Simplistic? Of course. Wonderful, heart-wrenching, lovely, terrible? Yeah.
Perhaps just the headspace I'm in, but I really enjoyed this. I've always been a sucker for Grisham's particular brand of sports writing, but I think he and John Green both do a spectacular job of writing about the positives that sports, and their legends, do for our human community.
I do wish Grisham had taken the ending in a different direction, and thus this book that was a 5-star read until the Tournament becomes a 4-star overall.
Sooley, Sooley, Sooley!
Perhaps just the headspace I'm in, but I really enjoyed this. I've always been a sucker for Grisham's particular brand of sports writing, but I think he and John Green both do a spectacular job of writing about the positives that sports, and their legends, do for our human community.
I do wish Grisham had taken the ending in a different direction, and thus this book that was a 5-star read until the Tournament becomes a 4-star overall.
Sooley, Sooley, Sooley!
As a basketball fan the games are written wonderfully and really keep you in the story. The juxtaposition to his new life and his family's new life is done really well too, the beginning is such a tough read and then you are kind of rewarded with all of the basketball games. The ending however makes no sense to the character at all, I almost didn't finish the book because it took me so far away from the story and the character development.