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Robert Dugoni
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The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Robert Dugoni (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 81,596 ratings
Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction
See all formats and editions

Wall Street Journal and New York Times bestselling author Robert Dugoni’s coming-of-age story is, according to Booklist, “a novel that, if it doesn’t cross entirely over into John Irving territory, certainly nestles in close to the border.”

Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called “Devil Boy” or Sam “Hell” by his classmates; “God’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam persevered, buoyed by his mother’s devout faith, his father’s practical wisdom, and his two other misfit friends.

Sam believed it was God who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And that it was God’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy like a tornado, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls.

Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design—especially not the tragedy that caused him to turn his back on his friends, his hometown, and the life he’d always known. Running from the pain, eyes closed, served little purpose. Now, as he looks back on his life, Sam embarks on a journey that will take him halfway around the world. This time, his eyes are wide open—bringing into clear view what changed him, defined him, and made him so afraid, until he can finally see what truly matters.

Winner of Suspense Magazine’s Crimson Scribe Award.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    449 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Lake Union Publishing
  5. Publication date
    April 24, 2018
  6. File size
    3077 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Popular Highlights in this book
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  1. We realize it is in those quiet moments that each of us has the ability to make our lives extraordinary.
    Highlighted by 4,794 Kindle readers
  2. There comes a day in every man’s life when he stops looking forward and starts looking back.
    Highlighted by 3,618 Kindle readers
  3. “Time is wicked. It comes and goes like a thief in the night, stealing our youth, our beauty, and our bodies.”
    Highlighted by 2,094 Kindle readers
  4. There comes a day in every man’s life when he stops looking forward and starts looking back.
    Highlighted by 1,981 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A Suspense Magazine Crimson Scribe Award Winner

A Goodreads Choice Award Semifinalist, Historical Fiction

An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Literature & Fiction Category

“This is the bestselling Dugoni’s masterpiece, the book by which his work, and that of others, will be measured for years to come.” —Providence Journal

“Dugoni has produced a novel that, if it doesn’t cross entirely over into John Irving territory, certainly nestles in close to the border…Told in two separate time lines (Sam as a boy, and Sam as a man) that eventually come together, and written in a gentle, introspective yet dramatic style that is very different from that of Dugoni’s crime fiction, this is an inspirational story of a man who spends a lifetime getting to know himself.” —Booklist

“Sam Hell is inspiring and aglow with the promise of redemption.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Robert Dugoni has a rare and brilliant talent for infusing his characters with complex emotions. It is very hard not to ache for young Sam…Frankly, this might be the best book of the year.” —Bookreporter

“Distinctly different in style from Dugoni’s typical fare, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, is a captivating and poignant journey of strength and the power of finding your true self. Without a doubt, this is Dugoni’s best yet.” —Suspense Magazine

“Dugoni’s writing is compellingly quick, simple, and evocative; readers will immediately empathize with young Sam and will race to discover how his story ends. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is a heartwarming novel that celebrates overcoming the unfairnesses of life.” —Seattle Book Review

Past Praise for Robert Dugoni:

“Dugoni is a superb storyteller…” —Boston Globe

“Dugoni has a gift for creating compelling characters and mysteries that seem straightforward, but his stories, like an onion, have many hidden layers.” —Associated Press

About the Author

Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite Series, including My Sister’s Grave, Her Final Breath, In the Clearing, The Trapped Girl, and Close to Home. The Crosswhite Series has sold more than 2,500,000 books worldwide, and My Sister’s Grave has been optioned for television series development. Dugoni is also the author of the bestselling David Sloane series, which includes The Jury Master, Wrongful Death, Bodily Harm, Murder One, and The Conviction; the stand-alone novels The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, The 7th Canon, and Damage Control; and the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year; as well as several short stories. He is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel in the Pacific Northwest. He is a two-time finalist for both the International Thriller Award and the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and has been nominated for the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award. His books are sold worldwide in more than twenty-five countries and have been translated into more than two dozen languages, including French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Visit his website at www.robertdugoni.com, and follow him on Twitter @robertdugoni and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorRobertDugoni.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B074H8NFDF
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lake Union Publishing (April 24, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 24, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3077 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 449 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1503948978
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 81,596 ratings

About the author

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Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni

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Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite police series set in Seattle, which has sold more than 10 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, the David Sloane legal thriller series, the Keera Duggan legal thriller series, and several stand-alone novels including The 7th Canon, Damage Control, the literary novels, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell - Suspense Magazine’s Book of the Year, for which Dugoni’s narration won an AudioFile Earphones Award and the critically acclaimed, The World Played Chess; historical novels based on true events: A Killing on the Hill about Seattle during the great depression and Hold Strong, a WWII novel; as well as the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. Several of his novels have been optioned for movies and television series. Dugoni is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and multiple awards for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He has also been a finalist for many other awards including the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award.

Robert Dugoni’s books are sold in more than thirty countries and have been translated into more than thirty languages.

Visit his website and follow him on Amazon, Goodreads, twitter, Facebook, Tik Tok and other social media sites.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
81,596 global ratings
My favorite book this year!
5 Stars
My favorite book this year!
I love this book; I couldn't put it down...I didn't want it to end. It was my favorite book this year. I loved the characters, especially Sam and Mickie. Highly recommend. You won't regret buying and reading this book. I've put it aside to read again in a couple years. I'm certain I'll enjoy it all over again. It's simply a great story.
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Top reviews from the United States

Fifi Curtis
5.0 out of 5 stars Not to be missed
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024
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I truly enjoyed this book. It is a story of a loving family whose only son is born with red eyes. His mother, a very religious Catholic, tells him that everything happens for a reason. She gets the local Catholic school to accept him, a big accomplishment. But he is bullied and teased until he makes 2 friends. It is a coming of age story, a story of friendship, perseverance, and true love.
Beautifully written, and has a moving ending. I loved it!
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Greg Barlin
4.0 out of 5 stars A very good novel that falls short of "extraordinary" for me
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2024
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After months of seeing The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell pop up regularly as a book club darling and regularly recommended book, I finally got around to seeing what all of the hype was about. And while I liked it, it didn't rise to the level of something that I would universally and glowingly recommend as an all-time favorite, which is how I kept seeing it presented in different book lovers forums.

The novel focuses (of course) on the life of Samuel Hill, known as "Sam Hell", a nickname bestowed upon him due to a rare genetic condition called ocular albinism that causes his eyes to be red. Sam is born in 1957 in northern California to a German father and an Irish mother, the latter a devout Catholic and Sam's biggest supporter, determined not to let his disarming eyes hold him back. She works to get him enrolled in the Catholic grade school, where he faces the predictable teasing and bullying you might expect for one with such a condition. But Sam slowly finds his way, befriending the one Black boy in the school (Ernie Cantwell) and gradually gaining acceptance through his prowess in the classroom and hustle on the basketball court. It's also where his lifelong feud with school bully David Bateman begins.

The story extends into adulthood, and chronicles Sam's relationships with his parents, his romantic dalliances, his ongoing friendship with Ernie and their addition of a third musketeer in Michaela "Mickie" Kennedy, his professional career (hint: it's the most unsurprising career choice in the history of literature), and the inevitable ups and downs that life brings. Here's the thing: I don't know that I would call Sam Hell's life "extraordinary." He has an extraordinary condition -- the ocular albinism -- but aside from that the majority of his life is pretty mundane and in some cases (like his career choice) pretty predictable. I was expecting something akin to Forrest Gump -- that was an extraordinary, unbelievable life -- but while Sam has to deal with a series of trials and tribulations, the vast majority of it is "just life". While this is fictionalized, most autobiographies or memoirs of public figures would present a much more extraordinary life story.

That's not to say the stories and the characters aren't compelling. It was an enjoyable read, and the relationships that Dugoni develops between Sam and his friends and parents are heartwarming and memorable. There were lots of relatable moments, from his Catholic education to some of his experiences as a student. Between the bullying and the basketball, it was reminiscent of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, but a book that was better written with more fully-developed characters. It was a borderline 5-star book for me -- I read it quickly, and certainly liked it -- but I think inflated expectations and the whole "not that extraordinary" component bumped it down a slight notch for me.
9 people found this helpful
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Ninip60
5.0 out of 5 stars Just a really good novel.
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2024
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I enjoyed reading this book immensely. My book club seems to pick historical novels or books with a meaning. This book is just a story of one man's extraordinary life and the triumphs and tragedies that are in everyone's history. It reads like an autobiography, yet it's not. It held my interest throughout, made me cry at times and taught me about resilience and forgiveness. It does go back and forth in the timeline of his life. I'm used to this new way of writing, but others may find it off -putting. However, when the sequences needed to be one present time chapter after another, they were.
9 people found this helpful
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Laura Stevens
5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary story
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2024
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Had no idea what to expect when I ordered this - This story about a boy carries themes of family, faith, bullying, overcoming adversity... all while not feeling overly weighty. I laughed out loud... I cried more than once... and I always looked forward to diving in for more. I had the pleasure of listening to the audio book - narrated by the author - and found it impossible to imagine that it wasn't actually his story. Written in the first person and told in such a compelling, personal way... There were so many specific references to the Bay Area in the late 80s and I was taken back to the earthquake... the World Series... the backroads of Berkeley... I could go on and on. Told with such heart and excellent detail... I am truly sad it is finished. Thank you Robert Dugoni!
5 people found this helpful
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Maria H. Mechell
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024
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Very good read and a very touching and heart felt story. Highly recommend to read this book ,very good author
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Really good read
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2024
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There are extraordinary characters who embody what unconditional love is, what friendship truly means. It is a story of fate, of faith, of family and of friendship and how all of these things make us who we are, not how we look. These characters are introduced as Sam's story is told in alternating time frames between the present and the years he was growing up. I was connected the whole way. If I have one criticism, it's just that the ending was way too much, as if the author felt he had to tie up every loose end. Having said that, this well written story is moving. I felt that it was even more meaningful when I read in the acknowledgements about how his parents were when his brother was born with Down syndrome. I was moved that the seed for this story was an article he read about a young boy in Australia who "had been denied admittance to Catholic school because he had been born with ocular albinism and the nuns thought he'd be disruptive to the other students. It turned out that the other students had nicknamed this poor child the devil boy." I'm glad he read that article and that he gave us Sam Hell because of it.
5 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary Story!
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2024
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What a wonderful and uplifting story! I feel as though this book was written just for me, during this difficult time in my life. The themes and threads throughout the book resonated with many of the issues and questions I have been grappling with lately. I love the characters in this book, but especially Sam, as he is so honest with his feelings and emotions. I love how the book ended—especially that Sam was able to recognize the grace in his amazing life!
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Top reviews from other countries

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AngWish
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read
Reviewed in Canada on March 25, 2024
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I purchased this book because its plot reminded me a bit of A Prayer for Owen Meany. It is a very enjoyable book and while I see some similarities, it stands by itself as a very good read. Sam Hell will be one of those characters that stays with you long after you've finished reading the book.
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Abhijeet
5.0 out of 5 stars Touching, engaging, sad at times but heartwarming
Reviewed in India on January 31, 2024
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A lovely story of a difficult life for a child who was born different at a time when differences were feared a lot more than they are now.
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Helen
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2023
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This is my first time reading this author and I’ll definitely be trying more of his work. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is an exceptionally well written book that will make you laugh, cry and everything in between. I absorbed every single page of this book, it is littered with truly amazing characters and I didn’t want it to end. I can not recommend this book enough.
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music fan
4.0 out of 5 stars Très bonnes études de caractères
Reviewed in France on October 17, 2023
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Très bien écrit et intéressant, il manque juste un peu plus d'action pour la 5e étoile.
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catherine timmins
5.0 out of 5 stars É um boa livro sobre Católico familia
Reviewed in Spain on June 3, 2022
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eu adoro o livro !!!!!
One person found this helpful
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