What is the What

David Egger's book, "What is the What" is the story of Valentino Achak Deng. I've seen the novel pretty much everywhere and felt like I really wanted to read it- and David's Africa Reading Challenge was a perfect excuse (not that I really needed an excuse...) The book actually takes place over the span of two days, but is mostly made up of Valentino's reminiscences of his youth- early childhood in Sudan, being driven from his village and joining the Lost Boys who march across the desert to safety, life in a variety of refugee camps, then the difficult adaptation to life in the United States. Throughout the book, Valentino is telling his story (not audibly, but thinking it through) to various people that he encounters. I know that some people have found this way of telling his story a little off-putting, but I found that it put a rather intimate feel to the entire thing.

I have heard some parts of this experience- the bands of boys that crossed to safety and a little about the refugee camps- but I found it very interesting and educational. The story is fictionalized, but enlightening to say the least. Most of all, it made me realize how much we take our comfortable lives, with jobs, family to depend on, and educational opportunities, for granted.