Sooley

Samuel Sooleymon travels to America the summer he turns sixteen. He joins his South Sudanese teammates for a basketball tournament. He has never flown or been far from home. Now dozens of coaches have a chance to watch him. He runs fast and jumps high, but his game needs work. The American coaches see those gaps in his skills.

Then news from home changes the stakes of his trip. Civil war has broken out, and rebels have looted his village. His father is dead, and his sister is missing. His mother and two younger brothers are in a refugee camp.

John Grisham’s sports novel links basketball hopes with war and family loss. It offers a story for readers drawn to sport and lives in crisis. This edition belongs to the OPERE XX series.

Grisham’s work spans 34 novels, seven novels for young readers, and nonfiction. His books have appeared in 40 languages; nine became films. Publishers Weekly named him the bestselling novelist of the 1990s. His Dosarul Pelican sold about 11 million copies in America. Grisham has said he usually writes a book in six months. He has also named John le Carré as his favorite author.