Sooley
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-23 00:20:27
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：John Grisham
- ISBN：0593359534
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - John Grisham takes you to a different kind of court in his first basketball novel。 Samuel "Sooley" Sooleymon is a raw， young talent with big hoop dreams--and even bigger challenges off the court。
"Hard to put down 。。。 the pages turn quickly 。。。 building to a climax that won't leave readers doubting whether this is a John Grisham novel。" --Associated Press
In the summer of his seventeenth year， Samuel Sooleymon gets the chance of a lifetime: a trip to the United States with his South Sudanese teammates to play in a showcase basketball tournament。 He has never been away from home， nor has he ever been on an airplane。 The opportunity to be scouted by dozens of college coaches is a dream come true。
Samuel is an amazing athlete， with speed， quickness， and an astonishing vertical leap。 The rest of his game， though， needs work， and the American coaches are less than impressed。
During the tournament， Samuel receives devastating news from home: A civil war is raging across South Sudan， and rebel troops have ransacked his village。 His father is dead， his sister is missing， and his mother and two younger brothers are in a refugee camp。
Samuel desperately wants to go home， but it's just not possible。 Partly out of sympathy， the coach of North Carolina Central offers him a scholarship。 Samuel moves to Durham， enrolls in classes， joins the team， and prepares to sit out his freshman season。 There is plenty of more mature talent and he isn't immediately needed。
But Samuel has something no other player has: a fierce determination to succeed so he can bring his family to America。 He works tirelessly on his game， shooting baskets every morning at dawn by himself in the gym， and soon he's dominating everyone in practice。 With the Central team losing and suffering injury after injury， Sooley， as he is nicknamed， is called off the bench。 And the legend begins。
But how far can Sooley take his team？ And will success allow him to save his family？
Gripping and moving， Sooley showcases John Grisham's unparalleled storytelling powers in a whole new light。 This is Grisham at the top of his game。
"Hard to put down 。。。 the pages turn quickly 。。。 building to a climax that won't leave readers doubting whether this is a John Grisham novel。" --Associated Press
In the summer of his seventeenth year， Samuel Sooleymon gets the chance of a lifetime: a trip to the United States with his South Sudanese teammates to play in a showcase basketball tournament。 He has never been away from home， nor has he ever been on an airplane。 The opportunity to be scouted by dozens of college coaches is a dream come true。
Samuel is an amazing athlete， with speed， quickness， and an astonishing vertical leap。 The rest of his game， though， needs work， and the American coaches are less than impressed。
During the tournament， Samuel receives devastating news from home: A civil war is raging across South Sudan， and rebel troops have ransacked his village。 His father is dead， his sister is missing， and his mother and two younger brothers are in a refugee camp。
Samuel desperately wants to go home， but it's just not possible。 Partly out of sympathy， the coach of North Carolina Central offers him a scholarship。 Samuel moves to Durham， enrolls in classes， joins the team， and prepares to sit out his freshman season。 There is plenty of more mature talent and he isn't immediately needed。
But Samuel has something no other player has: a fierce determination to succeed so he can bring his family to America。 He works tirelessly on his game， shooting baskets every morning at dawn by himself in the gym， and soon he's dominating everyone in practice。 With the Central team losing and suffering injury after injury， Sooley， as he is nicknamed， is called off the bench。 And the legend begins。
But how far can Sooley take his team？ And will success allow him to save his family？
Gripping and moving， Sooley showcases John Grisham's unparalleled storytelling powers in a whole new light。 This is Grisham at the top of his game。
Reviews
Kelsey Burnett
，
SO good on audio！
Lynn
，
Grisham's sports writing was terrific here as was the overall storytelling - something Grisham always does well。 He broke my heart with this one though。 Grisham's sports writing was terrific here as was the overall storytelling - something Grisham always does well。 He broke my heart with this one though。 。。。more
Melanie
，
4。5 stars， the ending was not what I was hoping for but alas， it was well done！ This is a great book， there’s lots of Basketball talk， as one would imagine， but like Hockey， in Fredrik Backman’s Beartown， I found that the sport aspect of this book was definitely prominent， but secondary to the lovely human aspect to this story！ Foremost though， books like this one make me truly appreciate winning the first ever lottery I was in， the birth lottery that made me Canadian！
Marilyn
，
I started out really， really enjoying this book。 Perhaps it is because I have so many strong emotions about Africa and that I enjoy sports but it was a page turner for me。 No surprise there as John Grisham is a great story teller！ But I did not like the shocker near the end， again that shouldn't have been a surprise either as Grisham likes to take an unexpected turn occasionally BUT I was so sad and mad at this particular shocker。 I see the point he was trying to make but I wish he had done it i I started out really， really enjoying this book。 Perhaps it is because I have so many strong emotions about Africa and that I enjoy sports but it was a page turner for me。 No surprise there as John Grisham is a great story teller！ But I did not like the shocker near the end， again that shouldn't have been a surprise either as Grisham likes to take an unexpected turn occasionally BUT I was so sad and mad at this particular shocker。 I see the point he was trying to make but I wish he had done it is a different way。 。。。more
Karen Hoenstine
，
I haven't been reading Grisham for a few years now because his books all felt the same to me。 This one had certain Grisham qualities， but being a sports story made it so different and enjoyable for me。 I loved the first half， learning about Sooley's history and skill， but oof。。。it didn't take long for there to be such sadness。 Overall， though， I found it to be a very good story， and the reader did a fantastic job！ I haven't been reading Grisham for a few years now because his books all felt the same to me。 This one had certain Grisham qualities， but being a sports story made it so different and enjoyable for me。 I loved the first half， learning about Sooley's history and skill， but oof。。。it didn't take long for there to be such sadness。 Overall， though， I found it to be a very good story， and the reader did a fantastic job！ 。。。more
Wendi
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A beautiful and gripping read from beginning to end。 ❤️
Sue Trippas
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 Both my husband and I read it and thought that it was a great read。
Anita Welborn
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Inspiring and realistic This could have been a story right out of today’s sports headlines。 Inspiring and also cautionary at the same time。
Jim
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Not well written。 Got bored。
Stormy
，
Really enjoyed reading cover to cover。 My first experience with Grisham and his sports themed stories。 Tragedy of so many refugees， little hope， finding the dream， and then。。。。ultimate tragedy。Well written and revealing of so many humanitarian needs as well。
Joanne
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I loved the main character in this book and couldn't put the book down until I found out what happened to him。 This book takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions。 I loved the main character in this book and couldn't put the book down until I found out what happened to him。 This book takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions。 。。。more
George
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John Grisham knows hoops！ A departure from his other writings。 Although fiction， this story reflects real world experiences。 Fun，sweet， and touching story。
Loie
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It has been years since i have read a grisham novel。 he has the formula down so pat that they got boring。 this was a book club book and about basketball so i wasn't really very excited to read it。。。。。at first。 then i was blown away。 the information on so many levels was amazing。 from the refugee camps to the basketball camps sooley presents a picture of the stark realities of life， death and priorities。 i learned about the searching for and grooming of sports figures， the lines and emptiness of It has been years since i have read a grisham novel。 he has the formula down so pat that they got boring。 this was a book club book and about basketball so i wasn't really very excited to read it。。。。。at first。 then i was blown away。 the information on so many levels was amazing。 from the refugee camps to the basketball camps sooley presents a picture of the stark realities of life， death and priorities。 i learned about the searching for and grooming of sports figures， the lines and emptiness of refugee camps and how one young man navigated both。 i would recommend this book to anyone。 。。。more
Andrea
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Not a page turner but definitely worth reading。 As a former Celtics fan， I should not have been surprised by the ending， but I was。 I think it would also make a pretty good movie。
Rachelle Chapman
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Couldn't put it down Couldn't put it down 。。。more
Carolanne wollin
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am quite shocked by the ending。 I am so surprised because I didn’t think Sooley would have done anything to jeopardize getting his family out of the camp。 On a side note being from Virginia I went to all of Old Dominion’s basketball ball games in 1992-1995 at the Norfolk Scope。 This was before ODU build its own basketball arena on Campus。
David Baskes
，
Significant details not accurate around college basketball， which was annoying。 For example: dates that the tournament expanded to 64 teams， seeding for the first four， number of games required to make final four。 Made me wonder if anyone edited the book， and whether details around Sudan and the immigration process were also spotty。“Twist” in end was not consistent with character development， and seemed random。
Trish
，
This was my July 4th vacation read and it was great except really， really sad at the end and I wasn’t expecting that。 I love college basketball so it made it fun for me to read。 I wish the ending were different。
Chrysanthemum
，
“ Hard to put this book down， a lot of tension as you read。。。 basketball moves are described in detail！！！！！ so there I skimmed。 Quite the twists in the story。。。”
Dede
，
Whoa。 Plot twist。
Pauline
，
It's interesting to see the wide range of reactions from other readers。 I'm with those who think that the characters were pretty flat， and too much basketball lingo for the reader who prefers books to sports （not that it matters to understand what stuff like "shooting from downtown" means， but it felt like he was trying to make basketball fans feel in-the-know and the rest of us feel left out）。 For most of the book it was an OK story， though things went way too well and something was going to ha It's interesting to see the wide range of reactions from other readers。 I'm with those who think that the characters were pretty flat， and too much basketball lingo for the reader who prefers books to sports （not that it matters to understand what stuff like "shooting from downtown" means， but it felt like he was trying to make basketball fans feel in-the-know and the rest of us feel left out）。 For most of the book it was an OK story， though things went way too well and something was going to have to go wrong。 So then things went downhill really fast and slammed hard at the bottom。 It seemed like he hadn't been able to build an emotional attachment through the rest of the story， so he made it super emotional at the end， but in a way that didn't seem to fit with the book as a whole。 There's some good stuff about South Sudan and the determination to survive， about family ties and friendship， about joy in living， and of course the dangers of having too much money and too little sense。 But on the whole， it's not the engrossing novel that a Grisham novel usually is。 。。。more
Lindsay Kay
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I feel like this book kind of dragged on with unnecessary details。 But the ending saved it for sure。 Overall it was a good read。 I would recommend。
Jonathan
，
Very good read！ Exciting！ Puts you in the game and you find yourself laughing out loud！
Jace
，
The perfect pre-March Madness read！
Bryan Jorge
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Pages 1-200: slow movingPages 200-300: incredible storyPages 300-end: awful ending that didn’t make any sense
Cassidy
，
Brought me to tears。 I cheered for the main character and felt his losses。 Grisham is such a good writer but I get tired of lawyer stories so I don’t read a lot of his books。 I really enjoyed that this was more sports-focused with only a bit of law peppered in as needed。 Really good。
Angelator
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book fucked me up！ I selected it without knowing anything about the story。 It's uplifting until it isn't。 There is a lot of basketball in the story， so If you aren't familiar with basketball， some of it might be a little boring， but the story is great。 This book fucked me up！ I selected it without knowing anything about the story。 It's uplifting until it isn't。 There is a lot of basketball in the story， so If you aren't familiar with basketball， some of it might be a little boring， but the story is great。 。。。more
Lynn Speegle
，
Ii have always been a devoted Grisham fan。 Not all books have I loved。 But Sooley？ I never wanted to stop。 It was one of Grisham's BEST。 If you haven't read it， do it！ A must read。 Ii have always been a devoted Grisham fan。 Not all books have I loved。 But Sooley？ I never wanted to stop。 It was one of Grisham's BEST。 If you haven't read it， do it！ A must read。 。。。more
Brady Hawkins
，
Sooley’s Trip to the United States to Prove Himself and Save His FamilyBy John Grisham on April 27， 2021Format: Hardcover For my book review， I have read and reflected on John Grisman’s popular novel entitled Sooley。 In the following review and reflection of Grisman’s novel， Sooley， I will summarize the contents and compare the themes to everyday life experiences， many of which I have experienced throughout my own life。 Reading Sooley as a 16， almost 17-year-old who is heavily involved in sports Sooley’s Trip to the United States to Prove Himself and Save His FamilyBy John Grisham on April 27， 2021Format: Hardcover For my book review， I have read and reflected on John Grisman’s popular novel entitled Sooley。 In the following review and reflection of Grisman’s novel， Sooley， I will summarize the contents and compare the themes to everyday life experiences， many of which I have experienced throughout my own life。 Reading Sooley as a 16， almost 17-year-old who is heavily involved in sports， I found myself relating to several of the concepts discussed throughout the story and I could physically imagine myself in Samuel Sooleymon’s shoes。 Between Grisman’s writing style， his stern tone， and making the story seem like a real-life event where Samuel had to work to prove himself， I not only was able to identify several similarities in my own life， but I also could not put the book down。 It was exhilarating and I could not stop turning the pages。 John Grisman’s story， Sooley， reminds readers to chase their dreams， no matter how difficult it will be to achieve them。 Sooley is about Samuel Sooleymon， a basketball player in South Sudan， who was offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to travel to the United States to play basketball。 This opportunity presented itself as being surreal to Samuel as he was going to be scouted by college coaches， all of who could provide him with the opportunity to further live out his dreams of becoming a professional basketball player。 However， this opportunity did not present itself without any complications。 While Samuel was an outstanding athlete， having both wonderful speed， agility， and a superb vertical leap， the rest of his game dynamics needed work。 Samuel， heading into his opportunity in the United States， was met with some heavy criticism by the American coaches who were less than impressed with Sameul’s skill and knowledge of the game of basketball。 Despite Samuel dealing with the upset of not being up to par for the American coaches， he faces further complications when he learns of a civil war raging at home。 Samuel’s life was later turned upside down when he learned of his father’s death， his sister being unaccounted for， and his mother and brothers residing in a refugee camp。 Facing a complicated decision between wanting to go home to support his family and wanting to chase his dreams， Samuel realizes that he could do more good staying in the United States than returning home to South Sudan。 Samuel was met with exciting news of being offered a scholarship from North Carolina Central， where he then moved to Durham， North Carolina to join the team and continue his education。 He arrived in Durham knowing that he would not yet be a starting player， knowing that his spot needed to be earned。 However， Samuel was fiercely determined to succeed and there was more on the line than just basketball; he was trying to save and protect his family by bringing them to the United States。 All of his hard work and determination eventually would pay off， but not without countless hours of work on and off the court。 Eventually， Samuel， then nicknamed Sooley， was given his chance to shine， in hopes of saving his family， making a name for himself， and surviving his life in the United States… Does he accomplish this？ Read to find out！ Throughout reading Sooley， I have identified several themes and aspects that I will carry with me in my own life， especially out on the baseball field。 First and foremost， the biggest theme is about how talent can be made， but respect must be earned。 As Grisman stated in the book， “。。。we don't deserve respect。 Yet。 Respect is out there on the floor， just waiting for us to go get it” （Grisman 225）。 You must earn your spot。 You need to work hard。 You do not get to just show up and automatically get a spot， you must deserve it。 There will be players that will outplay you， that are better than you， and that work harder than you。 However， what matters is how you react to those things。 You must prove yourself repeatedly and make sure that you head into each game， striving to succeed。 You need to be there for your teammates and family， on and off the court。 And most importantly， you must have an intensive drive and love for the game， just like Sooley did。 。。。more
Debbie
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Another great one by John Grisham。 Without giving it away， I just wish I hadn't started listening to it after losing my brother just a few days。If you need a book with a tidy， clean， happy ending， this is not the one for you。I could envision Sooley and see his big grin throughout。 He was a character that I was really rooting for because of his work ethic and dedication to the game。 Another great one by John Grisham。 Without giving it away， I just wish I hadn't started listening to it after losing my brother just a few days。If you need a book with a tidy， clean， happy ending， this is not the one for you。I could envision Sooley and see his big grin throughout。 He was a character that I was really rooting for because of his work ethic and dedication to the game。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Sooley
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Sooley&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Sooley&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0