Author: John Grisham
Genres: Cultural, Heritage, Fiction, Sports, Adventure, Coming of Age
Normally I never read sports-related stories or watch movies from this genre because they kind of all are the same in many ways. But this book is different and I had to read it because it is written by Mr. John Grisham. The story is about a basketball player from an African country and his family.
The first thing you are going to notice is the feeling of listening to a commentary while reading the parts on the court, the play-by-play info of the basketball moving around, the dribbles, the catches, and the movement of the players. That’s how you write a book about sports and what is happening to make a reader visualize every moment like he/she is actually watching or listening to a radio.
The way the writer portrayed the living conditions and situation in many of the African countries is so realistic and painful to read and I am sure many of you may start sending donations to these deserving people after reading this book.
You are going to learn a lot from this book, not just about basketball and the selection system…you are going to learn how other humans are suffering while we don’t even know about it.
From The Back Cover:
“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..”
If you are a Grisham fan then it doesn't matter what points I give, you are still going to read this book. But I recommend this book to everyone even if you are not a fan of the writer or the sport it is about; just read it to know about the people around the world.
Warning: do not read this book if you have depression.
Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 95/100 Yes, but do not read if you are going through a depression.
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Check other book reviews by me:
A Promised Land - Christ The Lord: Out of Egypt - Giles Goat-Boy - James Herriot's Dog Stories - Rich Dad Poor Dad - Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography - The Last Templar - The Book of Flying - Queen Of Egypt - Pharaoh's Destruction - A Non-Fiction Writing Machine - IMPROBABLE - The Eight - The Millionaire Next Door - Riley Thorn And The Dead Guy Next Door - Atomic Habits - DUNE - The False Mirror - From the Corner of His Eye - Nightmares & Dreamscapes - Captain Sinbad - Jaws of Darkness - JAWS - The Fifth Angel - Papillon - Nine Lives - The Doomsday Conspiracy - The Da Vinci Code - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - The Last Thing He Told Me - Sooley
