Sooley Summary
John Grisham

Sooley Overview

In the novel Sooley by John Grisham, Samuel “Sooley” Sooleymon believes he is on his way to realizing his NBA dreams after he is recruited to join the South Sudan showcase team. Samuel never learns he was the last player chosen for that team or that his coach campaigned hard for him to be awarded a college scholarship to play ball. Samuel, whose father was killed when guerrillas destroyed their remote village of Lotta, works hard to prove himself and to earn money to bring his mother and younger brothers from a refugee camp to the United States. Themes in the novel include the value of hard work, exploitation in sports, and the danger of popularity.