This quarter I began and finished The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni. This book is one of the best books I have ever read. The story follows the main character Sam Hell who was born with Ocular Albinism, which is a medical condition that turns the pigment in the eyes red. Throughout the book, I read about Sam’s struggle with his identity and acceptance due to his medical condition. His life story is a major rollercoaster and there is a lot to take away from it. The story is truly fascinating, and there are many lessons I have learned from reading this novel. The first lesson that is to be learned from this novel, is the importance of support and love from those around you. I learned this by evaluating the relationship Sam …show more content…
Throughout Sam’s childhood, he faced constant torment because of his difference from the other kids in his school. He faced extreme bullying and had a lot of trouble in school. Two main characters that were a source of his torment were David Bateman and Sister Beatrice. Those two characters stopped nothing short of making Sam’s school life hell. Even later in the novel, David Bateman makes an appearance and manages to make Sam’s life worse yet again. Sam carried his anguish and frustration with those people along with him for many years. Much further in his life, once David and Sister Beatrice are gone, does Sam finally learn to let go of all the pain that was inflicted upon him. “And I forgave them. But that wasn’t even the strangest part. The strangest part was that I realized by forgiving them all, I had forgiven myself” (Dugoni 406). Sam goes on to explain how it felt as though weight had been lifted off of him, and that he saw the world through different eyes, now that he isn’t carrying that burden. This shows how much of an impact it can have to let those who hurt you be forgiven. I can relate to this lesson a lot in my life. I have someone who I was once very close with, who later decided to treat me badly and spread horrible lies about me. It took me a lot of strength to forgive them and to let go. I learned that it was much better for me to forgive and move on then to sit and struggle. Much of my decision to forgive and let go, was influenced by this novel and the courage Sam had. I think this lesson holds a lot of weight for many