Sooley
The edge-of-your-seat drama from the number 1 Sunday Times bestselling author
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4.5 • 16 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
HE'S READY TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES.
Spotted for his talent on the basketball court, Samuel Sooleymon is whisked away from his life in South Sudan to the United States to compete in a tournament of a lifetime: the opportunity to play and study at one of the best universities in the world is on the line.
It's the longest of long shots. Sooley has raw talent but is untrained and undisciplined. And there are hundreds of better-known players ahead of him.
But as his home descends into civil war, Sooley soon realises he isn't just playing for himself - but for the lives of the people he loves the most...
💥350+ million copies, 45 languages, 10 blockbuster films: JOHN GRISHAM IS THE MASTER OF THE LEGAL THRILLER💥
Readers love Sooley:
'Read it, you'll want to cry too' Bill Clinton for the Guardian, 2021
'A captivating read' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Just fantastic' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Thought provoking' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
John Grisham is a master of high-stakes drama. With this powerful novel, he takes on some of the most vital questions of our time through the story of a desperate young refugee, Samuel “Sooley” Sooleymon. Sooley gets the chance of a lifetime when he’s invited to travel from South Sudan to a basketball camp in the United States. But while the talented 17-year-old is playing for scouts, his village back home is decimated by a raging civil war, leaving his family broken and stranding Sooley thousands of miles away. This is so much more than a sports story. We felt every pang of hope and fear that drives Sooley to make it into the NBA so that he’ll finally have the resources to save the people he loves. Grisham paints a vivid portrait of the horrors of war, but also of the unbreakable human spirit. Sooley is a deeply moving read about the power of hope in the face of even the worst tragedy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Grisham (A Time for Mercy) shoots an airball in this sappy novel about a South Sudanese teen's journey from his impoverished home to the world of American sports. Samuel Sooleymon, 17, described as the best basketball player in his village of Lotta, is invited to try out for South Sudan's national basketball team amid the civil war's relative peace. Despite undeveloped passing and shooting skills, Sooleymon's natural athleticism appeals to the national team's coach, Ecko Lam. With Sooleymon away in the U.S. for an exhibition game, a rebel rampage through Lotta is described in grisly detail, with the fate of his family uncertain. When Sooleymon learns of the attack, he's determined to return home, but Lam convinces him there's nothing he can do. Eventually, he accepts a full scholarship at North Carolina Central, where he's nicknamed Sooley, dedicates himself to practicing, and determines to gain attention from the NBA so he can earn the money needed to bring his family to the U.S. As Sooley's star begins to rise, though, Grisham tosses in a jarring tragic episode, and clunky foreshadowing and thin characters, such as Sooley's love interest, don't help. This is a disappointing outing from a writer capable of much better.
