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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Very different from the other Grisham books I have read. Sooley is about a Sudanese basketball player who makes it to the US to play ball. After he leaves, his village suffers a massacre where his father is killed and sister goes missing. His mother and brothers make it to a refugee camp. Sooley starts his first year in college as a 6’2” quick, high leaper with no shot, but ends up 6’8 and an NBA draft pick. His only desire with his new found fame and money is to get his family to the US.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Sooley
By John Grisham
Rating 5/5
No wonder its a New York Times best seller - I think John Grisham consistently features year after year in the lists of best sellers nationally.
This is one gem of a book! Profoundly moving and touching on a very deep level. I have read a few - popular - previous works of John Grisham but didn't know he could handle emotional stuff with such flair and without overdoing it. Reading it made me appreciate life more and learn that while some use their talents to reap benefits for themselves - others become beacons of help to larger sections of humanity. Sooley falls into the second group.
Sooley is a good kid. He is truly a role model material. He is seventeen years of age and is from Lotta, a small village in South Sudan. He is ever growing and is way over 6 foot 2 when chosen to play in basketball showcase tournaments in USA by scout Ecko Lam. South Sudan has always been ravaged by wars and pillaging by rebels who can't be subsided/controlled by the government. While he is playing in USA, his team learns the news that his parents are displaced to refugee camps and his father possibly killed by rebel groups. Distracted and inconsolable,his team fails to make it to the finals but Ecko Lam helps him enroll in a college with sports based scholarship. Because Sooley - although needs much work/practice - has some very raw talent that can't be overlooked - his speed, agility, vertical leap of 45 inches while playing etc. All Sooley really cares for is to get back to his country and find his surviving parents to get them back to the states. Knowing that the easiest path to immigration is sponsorship, he works hard to become an ace player in his team. Hard work and talent combined, he becomes a legend for the season and one of the most famous basket ball players with much to look forward to. But all the dreams - not just his own but those of his supporters and friends and families are shattered in an unexpected turn of events. So what happens?
This is the story of love, loss, pain, hope, dreams and so much optimism and goodwill - it's hard to not imagine that there is hatred/evil in this world - there certainly isn't any in the world of Samuel Sooleyman who is loved by all, admired by many! .
By John Grisham
Rating 5/5
No wonder its a New York Times best seller - I think John Grisham consistently features year after year in the lists of best sellers nationally.
This is one gem of a book! Profoundly moving and touching on a very deep level. I have read a few - popular - previous works of John Grisham but didn't know he could handle emotional stuff with such flair and without overdoing it. Reading it made me appreciate life more and learn that while some use their talents to reap benefits for themselves - others become beacons of help to larger sections of humanity. Sooley falls into the second group.
Sooley is a good kid. He is truly a role model material. He is seventeen years of age and is from Lotta, a small village in South Sudan. He is ever growing and is way over 6 foot 2 when chosen to play in basketball showcase tournaments in USA by scout Ecko Lam. South Sudan has always been ravaged by wars and pillaging by rebels who can't be subsided/controlled by the government. While he is playing in USA, his team learns the news that his parents are displaced to refugee camps and his father possibly killed by rebel groups. Distracted and inconsolable,his team fails to make it to the finals but Ecko Lam helps him enroll in a college with sports based scholarship. Because Sooley - although needs much work/practice - has some very raw talent that can't be overlooked - his speed, agility, vertical leap of 45 inches while playing etc. All Sooley really cares for is to get back to his country and find his surviving parents to get them back to the states. Knowing that the easiest path to immigration is sponsorship, he works hard to become an ace player in his team. Hard work and talent combined, he becomes a legend for the season and one of the most famous basket ball players with much to look forward to. But all the dreams - not just his own but those of his supporters and friends and families are shattered in an unexpected turn of events. So what happens?
This is the story of love, loss, pain, hope, dreams and so much optimism and goodwill - it's hard to not imagine that there is hatred/evil in this world - there certainly isn't any in the world of Samuel Sooleyman who is loved by all, admired by many! .
A good non-legal thriller about a 17 year old basketball player from south Sudan who has the potential to be an amazing player. While he is experiencing a world of opportunity, the civil war in his country rages and rebels have destroyed his village. His father is dead, his sister is missing and his mother and two brothers are in a refugee camp. The novel explores the split focus between the two worlds. Although Grisham does not go into deep character development he still manages to convey the joy and anguish his characters experience. A sobering and satisfying read
It has been a few days and I still don't know if I like this book. It left me very unsettled.
Even though there was much more basketball details than I liked, I enjoyed up until the end.
Even though there was much more basketball details than I liked, I enjoyed up until the end.
Shocking twist toward the end....wow! Enjoyed the story and wrapped up nicely at the end. Sometimes the basketball game moments were too much to follow but great story!
I now want to read all of John Grisham’s books, but I also never want to read any of his books again. This book made me feel every single emotion my brain was capable of understanding. It felt close to home (literally) and I kept having to remind myself that it wasn’t real. I am amazed at Grisham’s research on college basketball and the nature of South Sudan. He wrote this book during the pandemic, and it is genius!! I don’t think I’ll ever be able read a comparable sports fiction book again. I dare you to pick this NC college basketball book up and fall in love with the South Sudanese star, Samuel Sooleymon.
adventurous
challenging
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:
No
This was a light easy read that was a different style for Mr. Grisham. I am old enough to remember when Len Bias died and that is what it made me think of. Overall it was a fun story to read and it kept me entertained over the weekend.