by
Dave Eggers
In a heartrending and
astonishing novel, Eggers illuminates the history of the civil war in
Sudan through the eyes of Valentino Achak Deng, a refugee now living in
the United States. We follow his life as he's driven from his home as a
boy and walks, with thousands of orphans, to Ethiopia, where he finds
safety — for a time. Valentino's travels, truly Biblical in scope, bring
him in contact with government soldiers, janjaweed-like militias,
liberation rebels, hyenas and lions, disease and starvation — and a
string of unexpected romances. Ultimately, Valentino finds safety in
Kenya and, just after the millennium, is finally resettled in the United
States, from where this novel is narrated. In this book, written with
expansive humanity and surprising humor, we come to understand the
nature of the conflicts in Sudan, the refugee experience in America, the
dreams of the Dinka people, and the challenge one indomitable man faces
in a world collapsing around him. Hardcover, 475 pages
Published
October 18th 2006
by McSweeney's
original title
What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng
ISBN 1932416641
(ISBN13: 9781932416640)
edition language English
setting
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