Books : What Is the What (Vintage)

Rating: - One of the most important books of our time
To call this a "novel" might underestimate its truth and urgency. This is very much a work of non-fiction. The life of Valentino Achak Deng is representative of thousands upon thousands of lives in Sudan and their tales of struggle and oppression. While the book sensitively addresses a topic that is heartbreaking in and of itself, the narration is not overly sentimentalized. Eggers and Deng weave in humor, joy, and small victories through the tragedies of the Lost Boys of Sudan.

Valentino Achak Deng is both evidence of the resiliency of the human spirit and a beacon of hope for the future. There are moments in the book that call us out of our comfortable existence, and there are moments when we recognize that from which we also seek refuge. It is a compelling read about the human condition and should be compulsory reading for anyone wishing to remain ignorant about the struggles of Africa. To ignore Sudan is to ignore humankind.

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Rating: - Holy Moly. Tore me apart and I loved it.
It is easy to think of the problems of the world in the abstract. This story (beautifully told although I am not sure whose voice it is: Dave Eggers? Valentino Achak Deng?) makes the immense problems of the Sudan (and of the poor in America, for that matter) completely personal and individual. This is a book I will never forget.

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Rating: - great evil and what it does to people
we live in a beautiful world where some great evil also live.and if you like to know about people who are the victims of that evil, you'd like to read about this people, hear what they say, what they're going through, what their culture is. you really would want a good story, a story that will not dramatize everything excessively.truth and facts. a sincere voice.this book made me realize a different reality which is quite different from my own.because of that, l strongly recommend this book to you, which is a pleasure to read.

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Rating: - Spread the Words
I don't know how you read this book without being overwhelmingly moved and in utter awe at the resilience of the human spirit. Valentino Achak Deng is a Sudanese refugee who with the help of writer Dave Eggers tells his harrowing and hopeful story of survival in a war torn country. It's hard to believe that such atrocities are continuing in this world we live in, and these people need all the help they can get.
Frankly, this might be one of the most important books you'll read.

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Rating: - Outstanding
Dave Eggers drew me into Valentio Acheck Deng's moving story. His narration of the multiple layers of this one very special Lost Boy's life begins at the end and portrays the conflict in Sudan as well as Valentino's typical modern everyday from a view that is unexpected and engaging. Each chapter tells a complete story and leaves you hoping and rooting for a happy conclusion.