The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

 

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni. Seattle, Union Lake, 2018. 428 pages. ****

Sam's father named him the first time he saw him, "What the Sam Hell?" His mother called it "God's Will" and his classmates dubbed him "the devil boy" Sam was born with ocular albinism and red eyes. His mother fought for him and if questioned about his unusual eye color would reply, "God made them that color. Their extraordinary." While Sam wanted to believe in his mother's faith and that everything will be all right, the bullies and cruel children in Our Lady of Mercy elementary school taught him differently. Sam learns that he can only depend on his best friends, Ernie Cantwell, the only African American student in the school, and Michaela Kennedy. 

I read this book in two days, laughed and cried. As a Catholic school survivor, I can relate to the life teaching experiences and his mother's devotion to the Blessed Mother. I laughed when Sam describes his mother's determination to get him into OLM Catholic school. His mother exemplifies Catholic mothers everywhere, butting into his life and hiding behind "it is God's Will."  Sam's afraid to believe and afraid not to believe, just in case. Dugoni dedicates the book to his mother and his Acknowledgements bring the story full circle. (no spoilers here) I have read other books by Dugoni and enjoyed them, however, this one touched me. While at times stretching credulity, Sam's ordinary life was truly extraordinary. While not for everyone and the Catholicism may be difficult for some to understand and accept, in these troubled times, Dugoni gives us hope in the goodness of ordinary people.

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 6 million books worldwide. He is also the author of The Charles Jenkins espionage series, and the David Sloane legal thriller series. He is also the author of several stand-alone novels including The 7th Canon, Damage Control, and the literary novel, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell - Suspense Magazine’s 2018 Book of the Year, for which Dugoni’s narration won an AudioFile Earphones Award; 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 a two-time winner of the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set in the Pacific Northwest. He is also a two- time finalist for 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 twenty-five countries and have been translated into more than two dozen languages.

Ocular Albinism

https://www.visionofchildren.org/what-is-ocular-albinism

https://www.albinism.org/information-bulletin-ocular-albinism/

 Follow my book reviews on IG @flamazing_books

#ocularalbinism #theextraordinarylifeofsamhill  #friendship #bullying #childabuse #bookstagram