John Grisham is trading lawyers for forwards and judges for referees.
The thriller author will tackle basketball in his newest book, Sooley, publisher Doubleday announced in a news release. The novel follows Samuel Sooleymon, a 17-year-old South Sudanese basketball player who earns a scholarship to a North Carolina university after a civil war erupts in his home country.
“Samuel has something no other player has: a fierce determination to succeed so he can bring his family to America,” the publisher says. “But how far can Sooley take his team? And will success allow him to save his family?”
Grisham is the author of dozens of legal thrillers, including The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Pelican Brief, and, most recently, A Time for Mercy. He’s tackled sports before, writing about football in Bleachers and Playing for Pizza, and baseball in Calico Joe.
Doubleday says Sooley is “ripping and moving” and “showcases John Grisham’s unparalleled storytelling powers in a whole new light. This is Grisham at the top of his game.”
On his website, Grisham, a longtime basketball fan, wrote, “For years I wanted to write a basketball novel but, as always, was forced to wait on the inspiration. Sooley was born two years ago when I watched a game in which a kid from Africa went wild on both ends of the court. His enthusiasm was contagious, his smile, infectious.”
Sooley is slated for publication on April 27.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
