SooleySooley
What it's about
Seventeen-year-old Samuel "Sooley" Sooleymon, a raw basketball talent, gets the chance of a lifetime: a trip to the United States with his South Sudanese teammates to play in a showcase tournament.
Why it's worth reading
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller.
You'll love it if you liked
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
The Boys in the Boat
The FirmGood to know
It's Grisham's first basketball novel, not a legal thriller.
By the numbers
- Readers15 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller38 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #227 of the 260 young adult books we rank
- #450 of the 485 new books we rank
- #2832 of the 3,056 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Dark
More by John Grisham
The Pelican Brief
The Widow
The Client
The RainmakerIf you like this, read next
The Book Thief
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The Death and Life of Great American CitiesExplore the best-of lists
All 47 best-of lists →Quick answers
Is Sooley worth reading?
Yes. It was a #1 New York Times bestseller. It ranks #2,832 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 56.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Sooley about?
Seventeen-year-old Samuel "Sooley" Sooleymon, a raw basketball talent, gets the chance of a lifetime: a trip to the United States with his South Sudanese teammates to play in a showcase tournament.
How long does it take to read Sooley?
About 12 hours (497 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Sooley?
If you liked it, try A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown or The Firm by John Grisham.















