The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell: A Novel

Product Information

Meaning of Betsy: Diminutive of Elisabeth or Elizabeth, from Elisheba, meaning either oath of God, or God is satisfaction. Also a diminutive of Bethia (daughter or worshipper of God), and of Bethany, a New Testament village near Jerusalem. Where did the saying too old to cut the mustard come from?

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni | Goodreads

He is the winner of the Nancy Pearl Award for fiction, a two-time nominee for the Harper Lee Award for Legal Fiction, A two-time nominee for the Mystery Writer’s of America Edgar Award and a two-time nominee for the International Thriller of the year. His non-fiction expose, The Cyanide Canary, was a 2004 Best Book of the Year. He is published in more than 30 countries and two dozen languages. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell follows Sam as he travels from childhood to adulthood, experiences the flush of first love and lust, is buoyed by the intense loyalty and love of his closest friends, and, for the first time, realizes that God's will isn't always positive. When a tragedy hits close to home, he has to change the course of his life and become the man his mother always knew he would be, and he learns to keep people at a distance so he doesn't get hurt—although that doesn't always guarantee emotional safety.

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. Sam struggles with relationships and acceptance but has a big heart and an open mind. His experiences allow him to grow to be a man with confidence, skills and admirable values. We see how his belief system is created and influenced in childhood by his parents, friends, teachers and bullies and challenged by the same in his adult life. Sam is understanding and compassionate, and he believes in forgiveness. His love for his family and friends is unwavering and author Robert Dugoni shows us that our differences provide even more opportunities to lead extraordinary lives. Robert Dugoni: My books are always self-contained. That means the story is complete, so people don't have to buy the earlier books to know what is going on. That said, it always helps to read the prior novels in a series to get an understanding of why the character is, emotionally, where he is in that novel.

The Extraordinary Life Of Sam Hell Book Club Discussion The Extraordinary Life Of Sam Hell Book Club Discussion

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. David Bateman bullied Sam when he was young at OLM school and later he reappears in Sam’s life when Sam is an ophthalmologist. How well do you think Sam handled his nemesis? What would have you done in Sam’s place?Kudos, Mr. Dugoni, for such a powerful book. I can only hope to read more standalone novels of this calibre in the years to come. It would have been too easy for Robert Dugoni to write a story about how in adulthood David was repentant and Sam was forgiving, but instead he gave readers something more realistic. David was mean and stayed mean, and Sam carried the memories of being his earliest victim with him through the years as if they became part of his DNA. All too relatable. I have The World Played Chess on my list to read. Hear great things about it. Have you read that one?

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell - SuperSummary

And then, Bateman kills himself and his wife and Sam believes he is responsible. He is the cause. The story is about Sam wanting to believe. Wanting to believe that God gave him extraordinary eyes because he was going to lead an extraordinary life, but there are so many obstacles in that path, and Bateman is a very large one. This is another instance where Sam decides he no longer believes.Hannah’s new novel is an homage to the extraordinary courage and endurance of Frenchwomen during World War II.

Reviews | NetGalley Member Reviews | NetGalley

This started off with a bang and I was fully engaged with Sam and his wonderful parents. I had never heard of his eye condition before and I thought the author did a great job of making us care for him and his troubles. The prejudice that a boy with red eyes would face in a Catholic school is tremendous. This was such a special read for me, and from an author who usually writes a very good mystery series. We follow these young people as they grow, see the kind of people they turn out to be. How their lives turn out and how the wethered the circumstances of their early lives. Such a touching book, one where you embrace the characters, want only good things for them. There is also humor, sadness, grief and an unbelievable friendship. Being so different, Sam wasn’t certain about that. Instead, his eyes made him a target for taunts and bullying. He just didn’t fit in. Even the Catholic school held that opinion, but Maddy forced Our Lady of Mercy to accept him as a student, earning him an enemy in the administration right from the start. So Sam, at only six years old, faces a new world in which the kids call him names and at least one nun doesn’t bother to hide her resentment of him. When Sam’s dad had a stroke, Sam questions his faith. Sam’s mom said it was ‘God’s will.’ Have you ever been tested or questioned your faith?It may have originated sometime between the years 1850 and 1914. Heavens to Betsy is another variation of the phrase for Heaven’s sake, which began as a euphemism for what some considered the blasphemous for God’s sake and for Christ’s sake. Who sponsors Sam Hill? I have seen many people wax poetic about Robert Dugoni's Tracy Crosswhite series, although I've not read any of them. I was really impressed with his storytelling in this book—in some ways it felt a little like John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany or something similar. It's a book that touched me emotionally and made me think at the same time. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is about his journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance, but if you’ve ever felt different, left out, or lonely, Sam’s story could be your story, too. 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. Life is either a collision of random events, like billiard balls during a break careening off and into one another, or if you are so inclined to believe, our predetermined fate—what my mother took such great comfort in calling God’s will."