What is the What

Title: What is the What

Author: Dave Eggers

Pages: 560

Genre: Autobiography (classified as fiction)

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan who was forced to leave his home, village and family when he was 7 years old and civil war broke out in Sudan.  He trekked with many other young boys across Sudan by foot all while being pursued by government bombers, rebel groups and militias and wild animals.  They first temporarily settled in a refugee camp in Ethiopia before being forced out once again and finally settled in a more permanent refugee camp in Northern Kenya.  After many years, Achak was resettled in the United States, where he found freedom along with a myriad of other challenges. Deng and Eggers classified their book as fiction as many of the stories and experiences took place when Deng was very young and while they believe they are true and reliable, they are still subject to the years of Achak's memory.

My Review: This is one of those books that is both hard to put down and hard to continue.  The stories are fascinating while at the same time they are heart-wrenching and disturbing.  I felt especially sad that I was so unfamiliar with the plight of the Sudanese Lost Boys and the violence of the long civil war in that country.  More recently the genocide in Darfur has been in the news and to a large extent it is a continuation of the same violence that started many years ago in South Sudan (which finally gained independence in 2011).