Samuel Sooleymon is a 17-year-old boy from the remote South Sudanese village of Lotta. Samuel’s mother, Beatrice, is a homemaker with no formal education who cares for his three siblings (brothers Chol and James and sister Angelina), while his father, Ayak, teaches at a two-room, open-air school. Life in the village is relatively stable, even though a brutal civil war has entered its second year in the country. Growing up in “the bush” means Samuel’s life has consisted of tending to the family garden and playing basketball on the village’s dirt court. When he is invited to try out for an under-18 basketball team that will travel to America for a showcase tournament, the entire village celebrates.

The tryouts are held in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, and Samuel takes the long bus trip by himself. The bus is crowded and hot, and the ride is bumpy on the unpaved roads. As they approach Juba through “miles of shantytowns, then blocks of sturdier homes” (17), Samuel is awestruck by how vibrant, modern, and busy the city is. He vows to attend university and pursue a career in the city if his basketball career doesn’t take off.

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