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Cover of Sooley by John GrishamSooley
New · Fiction, Sports, Young Adult

Sooley

by John Grisham
2021 · 497 pages · Fiction
Lifetime bestseller
≈ 12 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

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

Good to know

It's Grisham's first basketball novel, not a legal thriller.

By the numbers

56.3Must-Read Score
  • 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

Why it made the list

Bestseller
#1 New York Times bestseller (1 week at #1)

Reads as

Dark

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore 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.