The Extraordinary Life Of Sam Hell By Robert Dugoni - Booklist Queen

Genre: Contemporary Fiction Length: 448 pages Audiobook Length: 11 hours and 41 minutes First Published: 2018

View in Goodreads Buy on Amazon

Rachael’s Review

Born with red eyes, Sam Hill has been called the “Devil Boy” all his life. Reflecting on his life, Sam realizes that his childhood friendship with two other misfits – Ernie Cantwell, the only African American boy at his school, and Mickie Kennedy, a firestorm in the form of a girl – has defined and shaped his extraordinary life. Dugoni’s touching coming-of-age tale was captivating from the first page with its story of friendship and acceptance of what life throws at us.

Publisher’s Description

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.

Quotes from The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

There comes a day in every man’s life when he stops looking forward and starts looking back.

But to my mother—I suspect to all mothers—their little boys will always be their little boys, no matter how old those boys become.

Our skin, our hair, and our eyes are simply the shell that surrounds our soul, and our soul is who we are. What counts is on the inside.

We realize it is in those quiet moments that each of us has the ability to make our lives extraordinary.

About Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni is the bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series, the David Sloane series, and the standalone novels The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, The 7th Canon, and Damage Control. Visit the author’s website →

Featured In