I've been meaning to read this book since it was first published but other books and "life" got in the way until now. I was reminded of it and started to read it - - and couldn't put it down. It reads like a true story; I had to keep reminding myself it isn't a memoir. The characters are vivid, the topic both unusual and universal, and the story fast-,moving and engaging.

Some characters I loved - Sam, of course, and Ernie and Mickie - and Maddie, Sam's mother. I felt so sorry for her when it pained her to see her son mistreated. Some characters I hated - the bullies, the ignorant adults, and Sister Beatrice.

This is a coming-of-age story that speaks to everyone. We may not all have such distinct differences, but everyone has things about themselves whether real or not that they perceive as unworthy of acceptance by others. The way Sam dealt with his insecurities - thanks in no small part to his Mother - and also his father to a lesser extent - -was remarkable.

I was glad the story came full circle with Sam as an adult - and adopting a child who would face the same things he had. And he'll have Sam's help to deal with everything. This a beautifully written book that will stay with the reader a long time.

EXCERPT: My mother was not the object of their interest. It seemed that when the doctor had placed me upon my mother's stomach to cut the umbilical cord, I'd finally opened my eyes. And that's when the euphoria became bewilderment. The doctor froze, slack jawed. The attending nurse let out a yip, which she belatedly tried to cover by placing her hand over her mouth.
'Give me my son,' my mother had said amid the silent stares, whereupon the nurse had swaddled me in a blanket and handed me to her.
This was how my father found us when he waded through the crowd for a closer inspection and looked me in the eyes for the first time.
'What the Sam Hell?' he whispered.

ABOUT 'THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL': 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.

MY THOUGHTS: I wanted to like this a whole lot more than I did. Where do I start?

There were medical errors that made me cringe. Occular Albinism is not merely a case of having red eyes. There would have been multiple other complications affecting Sam's sight and life. Also, Sam leaves the surgery for a child's detached retina for a few weeks. This is an injury that is treated by immediate surgery. Delaying surgery is both dangerous and negligent.

Sam's life isn't particularly extraordinary. Any child who has a disability or is 'different' in any way experiences all the same prejudices and ostracism that Sam did. And any mother worth her salt will stand up and fight for her child, just as Sam's did.

Mickie was the outstanding character for me, and I would have loved more of her story incorporated into the book.

There were parts of the story that I enjoyed and which touched me, particularly in the second half of the book, and parts that bored me. I didn't dislike it, but nor did I love it.

⭐⭐.5

#TheExtraordinaryLifeOfSamHell #NetGalley

I: @robertdugoni @amazonpublishing

T: @robertdugoni @AmazonPub

#familydrama #friendship #historicalfiction

THE AUTHOR: A writer turned lawyer turned writer.
Robert Dugoni was born in Idaho and raised in Northern California the middle child of a family of ten siblings. Dugoni jokes that he didn't get much of a chance to talk, so he wrote. By the seventh grade he knew he wanted to be a writer.

Dugoni wrote his way to Stanford University, receiving writing awards along the way, and majored in communications/journalism and creative writing while working as a reporter for the Stanford Daily. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and worked briefly as a reporter in the Metro Office and the San Gabriel Valley Office of the Los Angeles Times.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Lake Union via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Thanks to Netgalley, Lake Union publishing and Robert Dugoni for this ARC. I’ve read the Tracey Crosswhite series, my first introduction to Robert Dugoni. Since then I’ve read a few stand alone. None have touched me this deeply as The extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. It had me laughing in the beginning and crying in the end. The characters were so wonderful and so well written. As I read through every chapter I got more involved in the characters lives, trials, and tribulations. Such a wonderful book, but even better, a really wonderful story. I loved it ❤️

Robert Dugoni's novels are so full of intrigue. The stories are so real and I fall into his novels every time. "The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell" is a novel that will keep you wanting more; which is great because his novels are series.

This is a tender book full of heart. And it has profoundly touched my own heart.
If you are a reader coming to this story reading the author's previous mystery works, here is a warning - this is not a mystery novel. This is partly a coming-of-age novel and partly, I dare to say, a (spiritual) memoir of sorts (even when the author claims no such thing, I think that such a vivid, heartfelt story must be based on at least some of the author's life). Mr Dugoni is going all in, all heart here, when telling the story of Sam Hill (nicknamed Sam Hell), who was born with the ocular albinism - hence having his eyes coloured red. This becomes a base for him being bullied from the young age, bullied by kids, but also by the authorities - and that hurt and pain has caused him not trusting that anyone could ever truly love him for who he is. Sam chooses in his heart to think about himself as a misfit - any my heart has been breaking for him all the time. But when God closes some doors, he opens some, too - so while Sam is visibly "different", he is not alone - there are wonderful parents in his fighting court, and also Ernie and Mickie, friends for life.
I am especially in awe of Mrs Hill's personality - and I am adding my deep bow to the hommage the author is giving to this mother and to his own mother, too. Mr Hill is great, too, but Mrs Hill is the living heart of this novel.

There is also ever-painful topic of faith. I think this novel would be best understood by those who have been raised in faith and trust to God's promises, only to have their heart and trust broken time and again by cruelty of world and not -understandable circumstances. How could God be good, if he allows this? Not once, but again and again? This pain is real. And the faith of those who have even a small bit of trust in their hearts while living this life on Earth is, in reality, immense. To trust in the silent God is hard. I feel you. May God show us His plan and His kindness - best today!

There is such tenderness, openness and authenticity in this novel that I can not recommend it enough. Please know you are not for the easy read here. But what you will get is one heart-touching read offering hope - and real hope is a rare commodity these days.
Recommended read.

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is a book that tells the story of a young boy bullied in school, protected by his mother, made to be a man by his father, and loved by his true friends. I found it unique that it was a story told by the main character in both the present time and the past. The present time was telling the story of his youth so the reader was able to see how the past shaped the man he is today.

I loved how protective Sam’s mother was of him. She didn’t shield him from life rather she stood up for him, showed up that although he was “special” he did not deserve to be treated differently, and loved him entirely unconditionally. There were times I wanted him to stand up to her or for her to step back and let him live his life but I also am a big believer that if a parent doesn’t stand up for their child who will. Mrs. Hill proved that to be true. With all my raving on Mrs. Hill do not forget Mr. Hill. He worked hard for his family, stood behind Sam’s choices, and stood up to his wife when it was needed. He taught Sam to be a man and not to be coddled all the time. Mr. Hill was not a hands-off father, he was a dad who loved, protected, and taught important life lessons to his son.

I felt like the most important people of the story were Mickie and Ernie. These two were his first friends in school, the friends he kept through his entire life, and the friends that as an adult were still in his corner. These are also the friends that Sam stood up for when things did not go their way, they were true friends. No matter where life took them the three of them kept in contact and maintained their friendships.

This is my first Robert Dugoni book but definitely not my last. I started The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell one night and could not put it down. It is a book that I look forward to recommending to my friends.

To me, this is the best thing Robert Dugoni has ever written. I love a good coming-of-age story and this one was marvelous. Sam endures bullying, loss, heartache; and yet he never loses all hope. The way Mr. Dugoni writes about the women in Sam's life was extremely endearing. I stayed glued to this story from beginning to end. It was beautifully written.

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni

Brief Summary: Sam Hill was born with ocular albinism; which gave him “red eyes.” This brings much adversity into his life from bullying to low self-esteem. Yet his mother continually says his life is going according to God’s Will. This is a coming of age story; as we follow his reflections on his childhood to adulthood; joining him in grief, obstacles, and triumphs. This is my first book by this author.

Highlights: This novel came with complimentary flashbacks to my own Catholic school days. It is also interesting to see how his family’s Catholic faith impacts his process of trying to make sense of his life and find meaning in the tragedies he befalls. I live with a significant physical disability; at times I had a had time believing that his red eyes impacted him and others perceptions of him to the magnitude that they did. I did appreciate the author’s note at the end about the events that inspired this book.

Explanation of Rating: 4/5; overall I enjoyed this story, found it interesting, and appreciated the real life lessons the author tried to convey. My only critique is I found some of his experiences caused by his red eyes a bit extreme.

Psychology Factors: This is a great book about feeling different because of something out of your control. It also addresses bullying and how to cope with it. Finally, it contains great examples of handling life’s unexpected curveballs.

Favorite Quotes: “It’s God’s Will” will always run through my head when I think of this book.

This is a great book for book clubs, anyone religious, anyone trying to find meaning in life, or anyone who feels different.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book so much. The way that it follows Sam through his whole life was my favorite. This is a great book for a book club.

I am a huge fan of Rober Dugoni's mysteries, and was excited to read this book. (Frankly, I read it a while ago, and somehow forgot to offer a review). The book is great and was easy to get into. I agree that it got a bit "preachy" near the end but overall, I enjoyed it. Thank you for the ARC.

When you are as obsessed with ‘all things books’ the way I am, it’s not very often that you read a book that you’ve never heard of and LOVE it! I read so many book recommendation lists, subscribe to so many book emails and services and listen to so many bookish podcasts that I often think I know about every book that has been published in the past year that is worth a damn! Boy…did the Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell prove me wrong!

I received this book as an ARC and, for whatever reason, it took me a long time to get around to reading it! I must have started it and gotten distracted at least 4 times in the first chapter alone! As soon on as I decided to listen to the audiobook, however, I was hooked! Read by the author, who does such an amazing job embodying the characters that I thought (at first) that it was a true story, Extraordinary Life is the life story of a boy born with red eyes (ocular albinism). (Yes! That’s a real thing!)

Dugoni tells the story of that boy, Sam Hill (Hell to his friends and his adversaries) almost as a series of vignettes but with a unifying thread that pulls the whole story together. We learn of Sam’s birth, his childhood in Catholic school, his relationship with his devout mother and the birth of his lifelong relationships with his two best friends. We also learn what it’s like to be a child who is so obviously different from others and how that plays out throughout Sam’s life. The examples that Dugoni provides of those who scorn Sam and those who embrace him are heartbreaking and heartwarming in turn. Watching Sam face the world with the help of those who adore him gives the book an incredibly hopeful feeling that points to the importance of resilience and the support of others.

Sam himself and the characters that surround him in this story are drawn amazingly realistically by Dugoni. They are imperfect and scarred in myriad different ways but so human and approachable that you can’t help but love them. The themes of discrimination, bullying, love and faith are strong throughout the narrative and it’s easy to become so engrossed in Sam’s life that you begin to feel as if he and his family friends exist in your world. Hearing Sam’s story in Dugoni’s voice only adds to the realism of the characters…it’s clear that the author knows and hears these characters in his mind. He does an incredible job making those voices available to the listener as the reader of his audiobook.

Dugoni spells out in the book’s acknowledgements that Sam Hill is a fictional character whom he imagined as a hybrid of his youngest brother Michael (who has Down’s Syndrome) and a child in a newspaper article he read about ocular albinism. There’s no doubt in my mind, however, that some of the situations we see Sam encounter must have really happened in the author’s life. His ability to paint a scene and the attendant feelings that go with it is incredibly impressive. What do they say? ‘I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats!’

As I read more about Dugoni and his other books (because, of course, when I love one book someone writes I want to read everything they write) I discovered that Sam Hell is outside of Dugoni’s typical wheelhouse. He has written a host of spy thrillers that get great reviews! Since that’s not a genre that I’m usually drawn to, it stands to reason that I wasn’t familiar with his name or his backlist! You can bet, however, that I’ll be looking for recommendations for which other book of his to read next…his talent and ability to make characters so real for me leaves me willing to follow him into whatever he’s written!

Maybe I was in the dark and everybody else was talking about Sam Hell in April 2018. If they weren’t, they certainly should have been. This book is the busy, messy, love-filled and ultimately delightful story of a man who embraces his life and his condition. I highly recommend you check it out for yourself. I’ll be over here missing my new friends!

Probably the best book I’ve read all year. Do yourself a favor, and pick it up. Unexpectedly rich and rewarding, this book is a departure from Dugoni ‘s exceptional thrillers, and it’s perfect for his legion of fans as well as those who prefer more literary fare.

I read this book last April and was so touched by it that I still think about it to this day!  This book has all the feels.  You will be happy, sad, mad, surprised, I could go on.  The story is fantastic and the underlying message/lesson even more so.  I seriously believe this should be required reading in high school.  So if you have NOT read this:  a) you are missing out; b) GO BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had heard this was a fantastic novel, but i was disappointed. I love Robert Dugoni's mysteries and this wasn’t a favorite.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!! I found this book to be an extraordinary read and could not put it down. All of the characters were so well developed and I found myself feeling like I was actually in the middle of this profound story of such love and hurt. I loved this to the end. I will be recommended this book to my book club as well as all my friends and family. Thank you Robert Dugoni for such an amazing read!!

I am a huge Robert Dugoni fan! The moment something new is released, I try and devour it as soon as possible. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is very different to Robert Dugoni's other books, but it is no less engaging. It reminded me of John Grisham's "A Painted House' which is also very far removed from Grisham's normal style, but still amazing. I think it is great when author's doing something a little different. I loved the story and would highly recommend it to anyone.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Sam Hill was born with ocular albinism, which gave him the appearance of having red eyes. Bullied throughout his life by both his peers and some adults, Sam's convictions and strength were buoyed by his mother's faith, his father's advice, and his small group of friends.

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is a coming of age story with a great cast of characters. Sam's parents provided a good balance for their son, as his mother's faith was tempered by his father's realistic view of the world. Sam did not come to terms with his differences until later in the book, but it really was not the point of the novel. The journey that Sam undertakes throughout his life, his view of the world and the people in his periphery, provides the novel with the wholeness of the character. The broader strokes of the story reminded me of The Body by Stephen King, in its storytelling and the concept of coming of age through difficult circumstances. I thoroughly enjoyed The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell and would recommend it to other readers.

I found myself getting lost in this story. It didn't take long for you to start to feel for Sam as he navigates life being different. People always assuming the worst of him. There are many points throughout this book that I felt heartbroken for him. I loved his character and the back story of his childhood. Its one of those novels that you never want to end, you just want to keep hearing more stories, more experiences, and getting to know the character.

I am blown away at the character development of Sam Hell, Mickie, Ernie, Sam's Mom and Sam's dad. Everyone, do you see a pattern here? I felt this book and it's messages of acceptance, wanting to believe in a higher power and having faith when we're tested. I am a religious person and I think this is why this book resonated with me as much as it did. I think anyone can enjoy this book but if you're not religious this book may bother you some (just my opinion) as it is heavily rooted in faith and the belief in the higher power. Sam's spirit is broken so many times throughout this book, but I haven't seen a stronger faith told in a book than Sam's mother. No matter what she went through her faith could not be broken.

I really appreciated the way in which everyone mentioned in this book is wrapped up. We hear about old Donna Ashby and how even though time has passed, she is still battling the same demons she was before. Really all of the characters are this way. David Freemon, probably the saddest situation of them all. Depicting a story of child abuse that was never addressed and carried through to adulthood.

Honestly this book is a testament to morals, how kind one should be to others and ultimately to oneself. Accepting differences about others and yourself and celebrating your "extraordinary" despite how others may see you/treat you.

This book is just amazing.