I just got finished reading a phenomenol book and want recommend it to all of you. It is called What is the What. I read a lot of good books here in Nicaragua and this probably is the best one that I´ve read. It is a memoir/novel about a man from the Sudan who was one of the Lost Boys during the civil war there and the book is about him escaping from his war-torn hometown, encountering other orphan boys escaping from the war, making a ´home´ in a refugee camp, and finally living in Atlanta with other Sudanese refugees.
It is classified as a ´memoir/novel´ because it written by David Eggers (great author) based on the true stories of the life of Valentino Achak Deng. Valentino is not a writer so he had Eggers write his life story in the first person voice of Valentino. It cannot be classified specifically as non-fiction memoir because Valentino cannot guarantee that his memories of traumas and conversations are completely accurate (much of the story takes place when Valentino is 6 and 7 years old), but he does say that the whole story is written as historically accurate as he can remember.
The powerful stories of Valentino complimented by the excellent writing of Eggers makes this book one of the best I´ve ever read. It sheds a lot of light on the situation in Sudan the same way The Kite Runner and A thousand Splendid Suns sheds light on Afghanistan. I never really understand the Sudan/Darfur situation until I read this book. The book can be both depressing and comical but I highly recommend it. Let me know if you read it...
What is the What
by David Eggers
http://www.amazon.com/What-Dave-Eggers/dp/1932416641
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/books/review/Prose.t.html
4 comments:
I read this too...a few months ago. I also really enjoyed it but found it incredibly painful to think that Valentino's situation is the same as so many other refugees in the US. Anna
Paul, I enjoy reading your blogs. I think I can get them directly now and I wont have to have your mother send them to me.
Keep them coming!
Grandpa.
Just bought this...hoping to have it read before Kar and I land in Managua.
Here I am, John, in Ankara, Turkey on a business trip. As I near the end of What is What- the part where Valentino finds out his parents are alive as Miss Gladys holds his hand- I am compelled to search for an image of Mr. Deng. And that leads me to your Nicaragua blog. Coincidentally, I have a house just south of San Juan del Sur. So I just had to respond. It is amazing the journey on which life takes some of us, but I think we all have our own intersting road to follow, depending on which turns we take. Hope your journey is interesting, too. Saludos.
jmacdona@bdcast.com
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