Thought I'd throw out a recommendation for a book I just finished reading: 'What is the What' by Dave Eggers. The book is a novelized history of one of the Sudanese Lost Boys, Valentino Achak Deng. It is suppossedly true except certain details that Valentino was unable to remember.The so-called Lost Boys refers to a large group of Sudanese boys who were orphaned or separated from their families during Sudan's civil war, largely in the late 1980's and 1990's. Most walked hundreds of miles across Sudan to a refugee camp in Pinyudo, Ethiopia, and later, Kakuma, Kenya. Their struggles, the horrors they witnessed, and their mass resettlement to the United States is covered through Valentino's experiences in 'What is the What.'
I found the book to be eye opening and a valuable source of context on the foundational problems confronting Sudan today. Furthermore, I found the insights into the day-to-day lives of refugees- their struggles, boredom, reactions to aid workers, relationships with their fellow refugees, etc.- to be capitivating. Definitely worth the read.
Also, all proceeds from book sales go to support The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, which aims to support Sudanese immigrants to the U.S. and to rebuild Southern Sudan.
