The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, Robert Dugoni
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, Robert Dugoni
45 Rating(s)
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The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
A Novel

Author: Robert Dugoni

Narrator: Robert Dugoni

Unabridged: 9 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download (DRM Protected)

Published: 04/24/2018

Synopsis

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.

About Robert Dugoni

Robert Dugoni is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series and the David Sloane series.

Robert has twice been nominated for the Harper Lee Award for Legal Fiction, was a 2015 International Thriller Writer's finalist for thriller of the year, and the 2015 winner of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction. His books are sold world-wide in more than twenty countries and have been translated into a dozen languages including French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Angela M on April 18, 2018

4.5 stars It was impossible not to care about Sam Hill, his loving parents and his best friends Ernie and Mickie. Impossible not to admire Sam’s strength of character to endure the bullying and ridicule he experienced because of how he looked with his “devil eyes “, red eyes as the result of being bo......more

Goodreads review by Bianca (Back, catching up) on December 04, 2022

I may get crucified for this review, anyway, I’ll take my chances. I, like many others, enjoy an underdog story. This is the story of Sam Hill, who has ocular albinism, a genetic abnormality that makes his eyes look red. It’s the early 1960s, so people are less enlightened. Sam’s mom is an ardent Cat......more

Goodreads review by Lisa of Troy on July 22, 2024

Has the Internet warped our psyches so much that we can’t just appreciate something even if it has flaws? This little Booktube video by Robin Waldun on Critique Culture: Why Can’t We Enjoy Anything Anymore? has been rumbling around in my mind ever since I watched it. So, yes, I am going to rate The Ex......more

Goodreads review by Canadian Jen on May 06, 2025

Hell’s Bells! What an extraordinary read. The boy with the red pupils, Sam Hill, later known as Sam Hell, was born in the late 50’s with ocular albinism. His mother believed it was God’s will and that he would lead an extraordinary life. His classmates felt differently, however, and ordained him the......more

Goodreads review by Regina on February 03, 2021

Raise your right hand if you were bullied as a kid. Now raise your left hand if you still have the emotional scars from it. I’m lowering mine just briefly enough to write out my thoughts on "The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell." While my sins were being too skinny, too pale, too meek and too much or......more

Quotes

“This beautiful coming-of-age story is an emotional read. Its episodic nature really lets you grow with Sam, weaving in anecdotes that hit home the importance of family, friends, values and, for some, faith. The audiobook, narrated by the author, adds a personal touch, as his brother helped inspire Sam. This story really makes you think about life and people’s resilience. It had me crying both happy and sad tears.” —Newsweek

“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

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