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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not the typical courtroom drama you expect from Grisham. Way too much basketball for my tastes but the parts that took place in Africa made me cry. Any book that makes me cry gets 5 stars.
Helemaal geen traditionele John Grisham maar daarom niet slechter. Fijn verhaal, … ik zou nog wel wat willen vertellen maar dan worden het spoilers.
DNF as I realized that
(a) the book isn't a law drama, unlike the other Grisham novels I've enjoyed; and
(b) it has a very sad ending (major spoilers:the main character dies ), and I didn't really feel like reading that kind of book.
That said, it was fairly interesting so far, although a tad slow-paced.
(a) the book isn't a law drama, unlike the other Grisham novels I've enjoyed; and
(b) it has a very sad ending (major spoilers:
That said, it was fairly interesting so far, although a tad slow-paced.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, War
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault
Content warning for violent gang conflicts in South Sudan.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
My dad read this book and said the ending was SAD AS FUCK. Just saying, if you can make a grown man sad enough to cry maybe you shouldn’t be writing books that are supposedly “hopeful”. Seriously fuck this book.
Simply marking this read so I don’t read it, as it would destroy me.
0 ⭐️
Simply marking this read so I don’t read it, as it would destroy me.
0 ⭐️
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was difficult for me. I really really felt invested in the book and could not put it down. The whole background story, especially of Sooley's life in South Sudan, I could not get enough of. Grisham clearly did his research of the strife facing South Sudan and I felt like I learned so much from this novel. What I struggled with, the only thing I would change about this book is the ending. The ending was so depressing. I think I know Grisham was trying to do with the ending, but I could not stand where he ended things. In my humble opinion, Grisham could have had an effective ending without going the route that he chose to go. Also big nod for having accurate information about the immigration legal system. Still, despite my issues with the ending, I loved the book.
medium-paced
For 2023, I decided to read books that are true-ish. Most will be true crime, some will be about real people and then there will be some that are not really true but may be based on an actual person. That is what Sooley is. Sooley is Samuel Sooleymon, a young man from South Sudan who loves to play basketball. He's not great, but he's tall and has a massive vertical leap. He is recruited to come to America to play basketball and gets a scholarship to North Carolina Central University (know as "the other school in Durham") where he quickly becomes a fan favorite, with everyone calling him Sooley.
Shortly after leaving Sudan to come to America, his town is raided and his family is forced to flee. Sooley is able to talk to his mother once a week thanks to a caring nurse located in the refugee camp where the family ends up.
Sooley is told in two stories - Sooley and his mother. As a basketball fan, I didn't mind all the basketball descriptions but if someone doesn't really understand basketball, this might not be the book for you. There are some twists that I didn't see coming and didn't particularly like but you'll find yourself rooting for Sooley.
Shortly after leaving Sudan to come to America, his town is raided and his family is forced to flee. Sooley is able to talk to his mother once a week thanks to a caring nurse located in the refugee camp where the family ends up.
Sooley is told in two stories - Sooley and his mother. As a basketball fan, I didn't mind all the basketball descriptions but if someone doesn't really understand basketball, this might not be the book for you. There are some twists that I didn't see coming and didn't particularly like but you'll find yourself rooting for Sooley.