Sooley

A Novel

By: John Grisham

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Number one 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 17th 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.

©2021 John Grisham (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"An intensely moving story, told with the same eye for character and descriptive detail Grisham brings to his crime novels. His occasional forays into general fiction are usually interesting, but this one is considerably more than that. It’s skillfully written, with a deeply compelling central character and a story that is full of raw emotion and suspense." (Booklist)

"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)

Interesting Story

Loved the story - it was well told and very different for this author. I wanted the ending to be a little more 'happily ever after', but life isn't always perfect, and the actual ending was a good one. I'm not sure you'll like this if you hate sports, but I enjoyed the sports aspect. If you can appreciate or even endure a lot of basketball, this book is worth a listen.

My face is leaking 😭

I was so looking forward to the joyous reunion of Sooly and Beatrice 😭. loved the narrator. I'm a little disappointed.

Captivating -Heartwarming and Engaging.

This awesome audible book took me two days to listen to. The Narrator's voice was so soothing I would get comfortable and eventually fall asleep and have to rewind back to a familiar part. I felt John Grisham wrote this novel with so much love and care. I could not stop listening and did not want to miss a word. The Sudanese community should be so very proud of this storyline and the way the hero was portrayed. I felt connected to the lead character and wanted the best for him and his family. Sooley was a hard worker and loved the game of basketball and his family. A very respectful young man with the dream of rescuing his family from Africa and providing a new life for them in America. Thank God for Sooley's American family and their sincere interest in helping and protecting him and his family.

The audible book stirred so many thoughts and memories about the unfairness of the world and how important it is to help others. Kindness was a theme that rang throughout the entire book regardless of whether it is was on the continent of Africa or America. Showing genuine concern and helping someone without an alternative motive felt so good. I highly recommend this book. I personally watched an interview with Whoopi Goldberg and John Grisham and decided to try it out. I was not disappointed at all.

Everything in this book took me back to Africa. I have an adopted family in the city of Fes, Morrocco. My family is Arab and I am African American. I have been visiting annually since 2003-2019. On my last pre-COVID visit 2019, I met a young man who was not Arab, but a Berber. From communicating with this young man, I realized how differently he has been treated compared to my adopted family. The indigenous people in Africa have the same plight as the indigenous people everywhere. Pushed back or removed from their native lands and left with no or little government assistance during this COVID worldwide crisis. This book felt like a parallel story in real life and probably had more meaning to me than it should. I know the circumstances are totally different, but the displacement and the lack of resources were the same. I say all of this to say the book more was more than just entertainment, but instead, a wake-up call for me to reach out and help other people in need where I can.

an interesting Grisham book an interesting Grisham

I haven't read a Grisham book that I didn't really likem
An interesting but sad story.

Amazing Story

I love and have read all of John Grisham books. This is now one of my favorites

Inspired

Great reading for any up coming athlete.
Very inspirational from a humanitarian point of view.

MUST READ!!!!

Absolutely loved this book. I am a lifelong Grisham fan and he didn't disappoint with this one! I caught myself chanting, Soo-ley Soo-ley, trust me....you will too!

Story has a ring of truth to it

Usual Grisham with well developed characters and story line. Very well narrated. The story bears some resemblance to the tragic story of Len Bias in the 1980s.

Sooley is an excellent read

This may be my favorite Grisham book and I’ve read them all. I loved a story about basketball. The characters were very real. I hate that I finished it.

Another great story by John Grisham.

John Grisham always crafts interesting and entertaining stories and Soolie is no exception. Dion Graham does a fantastic job of reading and makes the characters come alive - he is one of the best readers I have ever heard.