They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan by Benjamin Ajak

May 06, 2010 Hayes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bc-bookring, read-in-2010

Charming, harrowing, innocent and shocking all at the same time. This is the story of three of the thousands of Lost Boys of Sudan, told in their own words. Their stories begin when they are small things, growing up together in Sudan, living a harmonious and traditional life.

" The Dinka lifestyle centres on their cattle: the people's roles within the groups, their belief systems and the rituals they practice, all reflect this. " (Photo and text from the blog: Saharan Vibe)

The three boys take turn...more

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Apr 07, 2008 Mandy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir-non-fiction, socially-conscious

I could not put this book down! I was somewhat familiar with the Lost Boys of Sudan, but nothing could really prepare me for the childlike perspective of this book. I had to do more than one "reality check" while reading - reminding myself that these are just little kids going through these experiences! And that they are safe and many years have passed.

Despite the emotional and physical tragedy that these boys went through, their resilience is inspiring. It adds perspective to my own life.

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Apr 18, 2013 Radhiya Bryant rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is about three boys named Alepho, Ajak and Benson also known as the Lost Boys from Sudan. They were very young when Arab horsemen came to their village to destroy and attack it. At one point they were all separated from each other but were later reunited. As much as they tried to escape the war they eventually ended up as child soldiers. This book is about their personal experiences becoming child soldiers and escaping the war.

One lesson that everyone can learn from reading this book i...more This book is about three boys named Alepho, Ajak and Benson also known as the Lost Boys from Sudan. They were very young when Arab horsemen came to their village to destroy and attack it. At one point they were all separated from each other but were later reunited. As much as they tried to escape the war they eventually ended up as child soldiers. This book is about their personal experiences becoming child soldiers and escaping the war.

One lesson that everyone can learn from reading this book is that no matter how hard or challenging an event in your life can be, one should never lose hope. There were many scenarios that occurred throughout this book that Alepho, Ajak and Benson all faced but they persisted and stayed positive as much as they could. Even though as soon as things seemed to be going along a lot better there was always an event that took place that made their situation worse. Another lesson readers can learn from this book is to be grateful for what they have. The Lost Boys lost everything that they owned in the matter of minutes. They lost their belongings, friends, family and most importantly their childhood. Many people go day to day without being appreciative of the people around them or the items that they are privileged to own. People never know when things can change in their life nor how that could change the people around them. The last thing people can learn is to truly cherish their own life. Life is such a beautiful thing and I realized while reading this book how privileged I am to still be alive. There are people in the world who have to fight for their life and at the same time go through daily hardships. The people in the world who are not in the same positions as the Lost Boys should really value their life because no one knows exactly when one’s life can be over.

This book showcases that some Americans do care about the well beings of other people. The International Rescue Committee had a part in Alepho, Ajak and Benson’s arrival to San Diego. Fortunately, many other boys from Sudan were able to make it to the United States, and they are in different locations all over America. Judy A. Bernstein who was their mentor did a good job in mentoring them. The character of Americans are viewed upon in this book as good people.

I think this book and the women rights movement correlate together. The reason why is because they both never gave up. They both were in tough situations at a different point in time and place but neither one let their hardships overcome them.

I can connect personally with them because when they were rescued they were brought by the International Rescue Committee right here in San Diego. This is an organization that I am familiar with and I have a little bit of knowledge about what they do. I actually tried to apply for an internship with the International Rescue Committee during the summer of 2011. When the Lost Boys were describing their surroundings when they had first arrived in San Diego, I knew exactly the area they were talking about. I happen to commute through that area frequently from time to time. As I was telling my mother about this book she knew exactly who they were because their arrival was highly publicized on television. I can also connect with the characters of this book on the idea that I will never give up on my life. If they managed to survive a war than I can achieve anything that I put my mind and energy into.

The author’s writing style was excellent and was very consistent throughout the entire book. My favorite literary device is simply the title of the book and I think it is really unique. The title almost makes the story less violent and less frightening. After finishing this book it really painted a picture in my head, it was almost as if the title along with the story itself came to life. I liked how the book was told from all three characters instead of just one. (less)

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Apr 08, 2013 Victoria Berardi rated it 5 of 5 stars

After reading They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky, I had to give myself a reality check because the book was so powerful and moving. The book fills you with so many emotions while reading: Joy, sorrow, amazement, hope, and compassion for each of the three young authors who wrote this book. It was amazing to see what not just people but young children were capable of during a tragic time. They went years without seeing families, clinging only to the hope of that maybe there parents and brothers w...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Marcy rated it 5 of 5 stars

"We'd been scattered like leaves growing browner and thinner, never to put roots into the soil again. Where could we go next?" That was the plight of the Lost Boys from Sudan. Thousands of young children were always fleeing, from one town to another, from one African country to another, in order to escape the danger from the "fire in the sky," that wiped out villages and families in Southern Sudan.

When Judy Bernstein agreed to mentor four lost boys from Sudan in America, she took their written s...more "We'd been scattered like leaves growing browner and thinner, never to put roots into the soil again. Where could we go next?" That was the plight of the Lost Boys from Sudan. Thousands of young children were always fleeing, from one town to another, from one African country to another, in order to escape the danger from the "fire in the sky," that wiped out villages and families in Southern Sudan.

When Judy Bernstein agreed to mentor four lost boys from Sudan in America, she took their written stories which were woven into this anthology. Their stories began in the pre-war days, when the northern Sudan dangers were present. "...each year when the waters of the Nile went back, and the mud became dry cracked pieces of earth,the Murahiliin came from the north on their swift Arab horses to steal our cattle. When a trail of dust rose in the sky, our young men went with their spears to defend our cows. But the Murahiliin's horses were very fast and quickly surrounded the entire area and in a few minutes were gone with some cows making that trail of dust again. When I was small, I didn't worry too much about those Murahiliin because they only wanted the cows, not women, girls or little boys, and our young men could still protect the village with their spears."

Dinkaland's finest men and hunters were no match for the government troops from northern Sudan. The Muslims from northern Sudan thought of the southern Dinkas as indfidels. They wanted to kill the Dinkas for not circumcising the girls and becoming Muslims. The southern Dinkas were pastoral people. Cattlekeepers had no time to pray five times a day; They resisted Islam.

Racial hatred was the impetus of the Civil War in Sudan. As villages were attacked and left desolate, children were taught to run and hide. Thousands upon thousands of boys began to walk in the hopes of finding a peaceful place to live and reuniting with their families. As the children walked for months, they were plagued and killed by mines, starvation, mosquitoes, lions, snake bites, yellow fever, bombs, loneliness, armies of lice, chiggers, bedbugs, drowning in rivers...In Ethiopia, where life became tolerable for some refugees, guerilla fighters from Ethiopia disrupted the Sudanese with guns. Twenty thousand Sudanese began to flee yet again... Thousands of Sudanese were shot and killed, trying to cross the Gila River, heading back to Sudan.

This book contains the stories of four lucky Sudanese Lost Boys who managed to escape this holocaust and come to America. Their stories run parallel, each having their own point of view. This is the finest and most comprehensive of Lost Boy histories I have read so far. They are stories of hope and survival.

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Jun 28, 2012 Nakya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: must-read, summer-reading, biography, lost-boys

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky is based on a biography of three young boys who lived in Sudan. This book isn’t like any other, two brother and a cousin, write about their experience and emotions during the massacre of the Muslim government towards the SPLA, Sudan People's Liberation Army, and the tribal citizens. These three boys are Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak .They travel to great lengths to arrive at a stable place where safety and education is guaranteed. On their...more They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky is based on a biography of three young boys who lived in Sudan. This book isn’t like any other, two brother and a cousin, write about their experience and emotions during the massacre of the Muslim government towards the SPLA, Sudan People's Liberation Army, and the tribal citizens. These three boys are Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak .They travel to great lengths to arrive at a stable place where safety and education is guaranteed. On their journey they encounter many obstacles such as disease, hunger, wild animals, land mines, and thirst.
This was the first time I read a biography book by choice; I’m not a big fan of this kind of gene until I came a pond this book. As I walked through the aisles this book caught my eye instantly. Reading their story made me realize how fortunate and blessed I am to live in the United States. Their courage and bravery never ran out no matter how many challenges they faced, from walking through the biggest deserts to seeing the horrible massacres of their loved ones. This book bought many mixed emotions as their situation changed from time to time .Disgust, sadness, joy, frustration, and fear overcomed me. At such a young age they’ve experienced what some people haven’t in their life time.
They Poured Fire On Us From the Sky takes you to a very important part in history where you are able to experience what these innocent and confused children went through. “Reading was very difficult because when you read there was a certain cloud because of hunger.”(276, Benjamin) This quote shows their interest, dedication, and sacrifice they made even with an empty stomach. Seeing the ignorance towards education from kids who were born and raised in the United States is unbearable. Reading, Alepho’s and Benjamin’s experience of, the struggles in self-teaching and making a living on their own was eye opening. “You had to choose between education and food.” (276, Benjamin)This decision sounds easy to us living in this country where every single object is easy to access. Unlike the children in Africa this decision can shape their whole lives. Most fall into the temptation of the delicious taste of food, for this reason most kids don’t have the opportunity to fly into the United States for a better education.
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Sep 07, 2011 Barbara Lannert rated it 3 of 5 stars

Barbara Lannert
English 10
August 29, 2011
Book Review B
Deng, Benson. Deng, Alephonsion. Ajak, Benjamin. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky.
Cambridge: United States Public Affairs, 2005.
They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak made me think sincerely on a subject I knew little about, and changed my perspective for the better. After their villages are attacked by the Muslim government, Benson, Alephonsion, and Benjamin must flee for their lives in or...more Barbara Lannert
English 10
August 29, 2011
Book Review B
Deng, Benson. Deng, Alephonsion. Ajak, Benjamin. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky.
Cambridge: United States Public Affairs, 2005.
They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak made me think sincerely on a subject I knew little about, and changed my perspective for the better. After their villages are attacked by the Muslim government, Benson, Alephonsion, and Benjamin must flee for their lives in order to survive. These boys had to go through a torturous journey across the desert alone, with no family or people they knew to guide them. They had no idea where they were going and had to trust complete strangers with their lives. It is almost incomprehensible to think of how these boys survived as children in such harsh conditions, especially since I live in a world of ease.
This book really drew me out of my comfort zone, which I needed and enjoyed. It shocked me into the reality that is the Sudanese genocide. I couldn’t understand how these boys could gather the courage and will to live every day. It inspired me and made me reflect on how lucky I am. Though all the boys astounded me, one stood out in particular - Monyde. “I believed that he would be a good leader when he grew up because even though he was very young, I got courage from him because he never complained of any difficulties” (Deng 85). I admired that at such a young age, he was able to lead the way across the desert without complaint. I enjoyed Mondye’s spirit. He could boost the boys morale even in the most depressing times by being the main source of entertainment. He was my favorite boy. He was the only one who could bring light to their world of hate and darkness. Monyde’s life and personality continually astonished me. He was able to brave more than most elders and older boys and yet he died of yellow fever within two days, half a mile from safety.
Monyde motivated the other refugees to make it to the city to show that the march was not a lost cause. I thought since they reached a city, life would be better because they were not in the desert. I was wrong. Once the boys finally reached a city where they could get a remote amount of resources, Benson, Alepho, and Benjamin had to face hidden bombs on the way to the market and poisoned fruit trees. It was depressing to read about the boys facing life or death situations in order to complete simple tasks. I was infuriated when the refugees finally reached the destroyed city because there was no safety or civilization. The boys had gone through unimaginable triumphs only to have friends accidently end their lives by stepping on a bomb.
The worst part of the book was when 20,000 boys had hoped to reach safety in Ethiopia but were attacked by Ethiopian women and had to flee. After trekking for two days, they had to cross the river Gilo in tiny canoes in hopes of survival. By the third day, half of the refugees hadn’t even crossed when the women caught up and attacked. “‘Oh Mother! Koc a moc! Koc a moc!’they shouted, ‘We are attacked! We are attacked!’” (Ajak 139) These boys were lost, thrown from country to country, trusting rebels with their lives. Once I thought that they were safe, the refugees had to flee to their deaths in the river Gilo. Throughout this scene, I kept wondering - how? How did they do this? How were they able to use their massacred friends and family as a bridge to cross to the other side?
How did Benson, Alepho, and Benjamin live unlike so many others? These boys truly were lost, always believing that they had found a home, only to be removed and shoved back into the desert or another explosive city without any choice. Their story is hauntingly beautiful. Benson, Alepho, and Benjamin’s words were so thoughtfully written about their decisions during their trek across Sudan. Those choices enabled them to survive and write this book so that they may hopefully show others, as they showed me, how to channel your pain and struggle so you can live.
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Sep 07, 2011 Bryce Overstreet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bryce Overstreet
Mr. Rich
English II
6 September 2011

Bernstein, Judy. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky. New York: PublicAffairs 2005. Print.

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky was written by Judy Bernstein. This book she wrote makes you feel many emotions as a reader; some of which are sadness, frustration, and not so much of an emotion, but gives you a sense of realism. When I felt myself being sad was when the young boys Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin were taking from their families at a very y...more Bryce Overstreet
Mr. Rich
English II
6 September 2011

Bernstein, Judy. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky. New York: PublicAffairs 2005. Print.

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky was written by Judy Bernstein. This book she wrote makes you feel many emotions as a reader; some of which are sadness, frustration, and not so much of an emotion, but gives you a sense of realism. When I felt myself being sad was when the young boys Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin were taking from their families at a very young age and put into military camps to fend for themselves. I feel frustration because the book is so long and tedious, it is tedious because they don’t even get to America until the very end of the book. The boys not getting to America until the very end was the only problem I had with this book; I wanted to hear more about what they thought about America a little more or some experiences they have had thus far. This book makes you feel like you can do anything because of what these kids had to go through. Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin saw killing each day, friends being killed, going days without eating, going a day without a drink of water, and being taken away from your family, and not knowing if they’re alive or not. “We walked all morning, our mouths and throats so dry it hurt to breathe” This quote is an example of what they had to do just to get through the day and get away from the military camps. The biggest problem we face is “my stomach hurts because I haven’t eaten in 4 hours.” This just shows how truly blessed we are.

This book takes place in Sudan. Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin are the main characters of this book Alepho and Benson are brothers and Benjamin is there cousin. They lived with there parents for a short time before getting taken into military camps and just because of the war. When the boys were separated from parents they had each other until they were separated into different military camps. Alepho became really sick in the camp he got yellow fever and would not eat thing and became skinnier then he already was. Once he got away he got an education in Kakuma(refugee camp). Benson had trouble escaping from the camps because he had trouble walking due to a splinter in his leg. When he did escape he finished walking rest of the way by himself. Benjamin escaped by jumping into a truck and the soldiers could not make him get out because he was so young. When they got onto the airplane to get to America they were so amazed by the televisions in the plane. That just shows how behind Sudan is compared to the U.S. They truly are a third world country.

The way the book was written was not my favorite Bernstein made the book into a novel with short stories that were about what the boys went through. But other then that, the book was a really good book. It incorporates multiculturalism and other worldly views.
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Sep 07, 2011 Jack Rhea added it

Jack Rhea
Mr. Rich English 10
6 September 2011
Book Review B

Ajak, Benjamin. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan. New York, New York: PublicAffairs, 2006. 336. Print

In They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan, Alephonsion Deng recalls the tale of his life-changing journey coming here from Sudan to the United State. Deng and friends who are also refugees came to this country, looking for a better life. Making an intense jour...more Jack Rhea
Mr. Rich English 10
6 September 2011
Book Review B

Ajak, Benjamin. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan. New York, New York: PublicAffairs, 2006. 336. Print

In They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan, Alephonsion Deng recalls the tale of his life-changing journey coming here from Sudan to the United State. Deng and friends who are also refugees came to this country, looking for a better life. Making an intense journey like this to a brand new country is not easy for someone, especially if you’re a refugee that is coming from war. These refugees are just looking for a new place to live and were they can feel safe. Coming to America was going to be the best decision they made in their lives. There was “going to be a lot of new things for me to learn,” (Deng 296). They would need to know the customs of the American people and would need to find out how they could fit in, in order to survive.
These refugees came to America all alone, without their mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers, who most likely were killed in the brutal civil war that was going on in Sudan.
In the mid 1980s, villages in southern Sudan were attacked. Being attacked, forced thousands of humans into the wilderness looking for a new place to go, to avoid being captured from the rebels from the north. Benson, Alephonsion, and Benjamin along with other 20,000 people went on the biggest adventures of their lives. They traveled thousands of miles on foot, searching for a new life where they could be free and not have to worry about the rebels. Somehow brothers Benson and Alephonsion got separated for five years. They did not know if the other one was dead or alive. Years later, both brothers ended up at one of the busiest refugee camps in Sudan. Seeing their brother again, must have been one of their greatest moments in their lives. They got to the camp surviving on a half cup of corn meal a day. Then in 2001, the United National High Commissioner for Refugees arranged for the US Government to accept Sudanese refugees into the United States of America.
This unforgettable story is truly inspiring. This book taught me a lot of different things that happens in someone’s life. This book is also a vivid portrayal of more than 25,000 other Lost Boys of Sudan who also made the same journey to America. Reading this book will make you feel that you are one of the Lost Boys who is making this journey with them.
This inspiring story gave me hope. It alerted my mind about the future of this world and what I could do to help make refugees lives easier. This book does not only tell about Deng and company but also speaks on behalf of millions of children in Africa who are also victims of this civil war, who cannot speak for them selves. This book is a gift to anyone who reads it because it will touch your heart and you will learn to appreciate how lucky you are to live here in the United States of America.
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Sep 07, 2011 Sethharding14 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Seth Harding
9/1/11
English – Rich
They Poured Fire on us from the sky
Deng, Alephonsion; Deng, Benson; Benjamin Ajak; Judy A. Bernstein. They Poured fire on us from the sky. New York: PublicAffairs 2005
War is what tears communities apart. A small village in Southern Sudan, which was the home of Benjamin Ajak, Alephonsion Deng and, Benson Deng was destroyed by the war that started in the north and was brought south. The government was creating genocide. They knew that they had to get out of their...more Seth Harding
9/1/11
English – Rich
They Poured Fire on us from the sky
Deng, Alephonsion; Deng, Benson; Benjamin Ajak; Judy A. Bernstein. They Poured fire on us from the sky. New York: PublicAffairs 2005
War is what tears communities apart. A small village in Southern Sudan, which was the home of Benjamin Ajak, Alephonsion Deng and, Benson Deng was destroyed by the war that started in the north and was brought south. The government was creating genocide. They knew that they had to get out of their war-torn country of Sudan. They had no clue if they would eventually make it promise land of America. This book was filled with emotion, bravery and determination. These young boys as the same with other young boys from Sudan would become the lost boys. They would eventually band together to write this book and tell the world their story. It was written from three different points of view allowing the viewer to see through each of the people’s eyes
For a brief background of what was happening at the time: In 2001 more than 3800 young boys were allowed to come to the United States. Many of them were transferred from their refugee camps as for Benjamin, Alepho and, Benson they went to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. In the earlier years, with wars common in Africa resulting in rebels against the government, the Sudanese government went out to cause genocide. For 15 years, many Sudanese attempted to escape their corrupt country. Many failed but this a story of those who succeeded.
One quote that really seemed to stick out to me and also to many people who I’ve talked to about this book would be, “My son, times are dangerous. The Murahiliin gunmen are killing a lot of us…my son, the world is ending.” (Benson’s Mother, 47) This had to be one of the most shocking parts of the book. The people were getting to a state of mind where they were totally unsure if they would live to see another day. I can’t imagine my mom or dad even saying such a thing and being unsure if ill ever see them again. The thought of that completely haunts me. The way Benson’s mom was talking to Benson seemed to be in a final farewell way. They way I interpreted this section was that she didn’t want to show the utter shock she was in because since Benson was such a young boy at the time it would, what she thought, would scar him for life. She wanted to be very “upfront” with him on what was going on with their country. This scene deeply reminded of something from a movie where an elder is passing on their wisdom to their child, which was what was being done.
Another extremely important quote in which that shows the condition that everyone was in was “ I hadn’t eaten in three days…when we stopped to eat I went to the bushes to look for food. I saw a couple of mangoes up in a tree but I was too weak to try to climb up to them.”(179, Benjamin) This quote shows how exhausted these people were. This quote also relates to many of the same troubles that other “lost boys” had to suffer with. This is a commonality between almost all of the boys.
I personally thought that this was one of the best books I have ever read even though it was a sad and morose novel. The amount of first person detail is extremely impressive. The authors do a great job describing exactly as they saw it. The hardships that they went through are extremely inspiring and are shown through out the book.

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Aug 12, 2011 Susan Fetterer rated it 5 of 5 stars

A powerful, dramatic telling of children and teens experiencing some of the worst life offers in war torn Africa. Tribe fighting tribe, expulsion from their homeland, separated from parents and their communities, walking through lion infested land, struggling to feed themselves and stay safe, evading incarceration and UN internment camps, torture, murder.....so many did not make it, some did and are living miraculous lives thousands of miles from their homeland. Countless children on their own,...more

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Jun 18, 2011 Mohamed Hagi rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this book was especially interesting because it not only captured the political genocide that was happening in Darfur, but also how the southern civilians were being targeted. In the 1980s, when their villages in southern Sudan were attacked by troops from the cruel government in the north, thousands of young boys fled into the wilderness as their parents had told them to do, to avoid capture and death. Five and seven year olds, Benson, Alephonsion, and Benjamin crossed a thousand mile...more

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Sep 06, 2009 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

My awareness of the situation in Sudan was raised when I saw "G-d grew tired of us". Now, I cannot learn enough about the people of Sudan and the heroic efforts of the Lost boys and girls. I think some of the similarities to the Holocaust resonate with me. Like the cruelty, inhumanity, and oppression of innocent people. This book is a first hand account of three Lost boys and their escape from Sudan and immigration to the USA. Their innocence and spirit is inspiring. At times I was so saddened a...more

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Apr 19, 2011 Martianngray rated it 4 of 5 stars

I remember about 4 years ago one of my co-workers telling me the incredible story of a boy she had just gone on a date with. He was one of the "lost boys from Sudan." I remember how she told me how he and thousands of little boys crossed the desert of Sudan to arrive in Ethiopia or Kenya for safety. How they fought off crocs and alligators and had little food and water and no parents. These boys were only around the ages of 4 and up. I was really embarrassed to admit to her that I had never hear...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, read-in-2011

This book is a memoir of three of the Lost Boys of Sudan; Benson, Alepho, and Benjamin. Benson and Alepho are brothers, and Benjamin is their cousin. They were between the ages of 5 & 7 when war in Sudan hit their area and they were forced to travel for months and years to Ethiopia and Kenya before finally getting their chance to come to America via the Lost Boys program - they were also extrememly lucky because they arrived in the U.S. right before 9/11, and the program was suspended for se...more

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Oct 04, 2009 Awallens rated it 4 of 5 stars

A stunning literary survival story, hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a "moving, beautifully written account, by turns raw and tender."

Across Sudan, between 1987 and 1989, tens of thousands of young boys took flight from the massacres of Sudan's civil war. They became known as the Lost
Boys. With little more than the clothes on their backs, sometimes not even that, they streamed out over Sudan in search of refuge. Their journey led them
first to Ethiopia and then, driven back into Sudan, toward K...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Robin (RBBR) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir-bio-autobio, non-fiction

During the years of 1987 - 1989 the war in the Sudan forced several thousands of boys (there were also girls and a few adults but the majority was boys) to leave their homes and walk hundreds of miles into Ethiopia and then to Kenya. The age range was as young as 5 possibly younger. A Refugee Camp was set up in Kenya and eventually other countries agreed to allow them in. As a matter of fact there are several in the area where I live and I had the chance to meet one of them. Some find it easier...more During the years of 1987 - 1989 the war in the Sudan forced several thousands of boys (there were also girls and a few adults but the majority was boys) to leave their homes and walk hundreds of miles into Ethiopia and then to Kenya. The age range was as young as 5 possibly younger. A Refugee Camp was set up in Kenya and eventually other countries agreed to allow them in. As a matter of fact there are several in the area where I live and I had the chance to meet one of them. Some find it easier to talk about their ordeal than others but most of them have videotaped their story which allows others to hear it. As one would expect some have adjusted well whereas others have not.

There were a number of things about this book that struck me. 1. The Human Will to Survive: (view spoiler) 2. Their Faith: (view spoiler) 3. Cultural Differences can Be Funny (view spoiler) and 4. Its Amazing What We Take For Granted: (view spoiler)

Not only did The Lost Boys overcome amazing odds and survive many if not all of them are at minimum Bilingual and working on getting College Degrees they also send money back home to relatives that either they knew survived or that they had thought did not survive but have learned that they did manage to survive. This book is Inspirational and among other things will make you grateful for what you have. Definitely worth a read.

The Website for the Book is http://www.theypouredfire.com/lostboy...
The Website for the Ones in My Area is http://imagraphicx.com/lostboysus.org/ (less)

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Jul 06, 2009 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiographies, recommend

This is the story of three young boys and their survival amidst the Second Sudanese Civil War written by the boys when they were young men. It is written in a very matter-of-fact manner which makes it seem all the more childlike. This book, while not exceptionally graphic, is not for the faint of heart, but it is an excellent story made all the more engaging by the fact that it's true. My only criticism is that I would have liked the book to continue a little more in depth as they were immigrati...more

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May 25, 2011 Christi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow, a bit overwhelming. Some things are just really hard to understand...people can be very cruel when basic needs are not met and we don't consider what others might feel if we were in their shoes.
I am so proud of the human soul, that it has the capacity to rise out of the filth of bad treatment and say "look at me, I am worth something, I will try again".
I'm glad I read this even though it was hard.
It was not as graphic as it could have been. I was proud of the boys sweet innocence in descri...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Daniel Orth rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book opened my eyes and heart to the tale of the lost boys of Sudan. It is tragic to think that such atrocities can still be going on in my life time and the absence of knowing about it . A day where I as an American do not know the true taste of hunger or the sore throat of thirst, the ache of abuse or the pure enjoyment out of a yellow blanket and resourcefulness of survival.

But most of all, how children can really understand things better then adults can like Alepho, "I thought I underst...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Michael Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthropology, bio, historical, memoir, horror, non-fiction

I bumped into this book, published in 2005, after reading Dave Egger's What is the What (2006). I wanted to know how much is fiction in Dave's book, and how much did the story of Valentino Achak Deng differ from previously published stories of Lost Boys of Sudan. "Lost Boys" is an American term defining the group of over 20,000 children of Dinka and Nuer ethnicity who were forced to flee their family and land as a consequence of the Second Sudanese Civil War (1980s to around 2005). Motivated in...more I bumped into this book, published in 2005, after reading Dave Egger's What is the What (2006). I wanted to know how much is fiction in Dave's book, and how much did the story of Valentino Achak Deng differ from previously published stories of Lost Boys of Sudan. "Lost Boys" is an American term defining the group of over 20,000 children of Dinka and Nuer ethnicity who were forced to flee their family and land as a consequence of the Second Sudanese Civil War (1980s to around 2005). Motivated in part by the sharia law imposed by the (Northern) Sudanese government in Khartoum---the South is predominantly animist or Christian--- and in part by the discovery of oil-rich terrain in the South, this war may have taken over 2,000,000 lives and surely displaced several million people. Southern Sudan became independent after a referendum in January 2011. From the group of books dedicated to this topic, I wanted to also read John Bul Dau's God Grew Tired of Us: A Memoir (2007) and Francis Bok's Escape from Slavery: The True Story of My Ten Years in Captivity (2003).

They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky is the story/memoir of three "Lost Boys" from Sudan, written as part of their post-war healing process with the help and encouragement of their American mentor, Judy A. Bernstein. The memoirs show the atrocities of war as seen through the eyes of children from the Western Bahr el Ghazal, a part of Sudan with a pastoral, non-technological civilization; the children were five-seven at the time of their flight across the whole Sudan, to the semi-safe locations of Ethiopia and then Kenya.

Overall, this is a painful yet important story about a very modern genocide. For anyone with a conscience.

(Telling the story is to spoil the book. Skip if you want to discover everything by yourself.)
(view spoiler)[

The three boys, Benson, Alephonsion (Alepho), and Benjamin, mix tribal knowledge (unaccountable anecdotes) with historical fact, youthful innocence with the most terrifying explanations, information about Dinka lifestyle with the anthropology of the poor-nation refugee. Dinka are cattle-herders, and share and protect their grazing lands; we learn what it takes to be rich in South Sudan---150 head of cattle---and what it means to be well-off---only about 100. We learn how children have to help their parents from an early age, and how boys are circumcised during their coming-of-age rite. Children learn to guide the smaller goats, to bring water, and to hunt from the age of four. Stories form the basis of the Dinka education, and we learn the importance of the elderly in the life of a successful village. (We learn less but enough about the treatment of women in the Dinka society---lesser yet loved family members, whose main business it to cook, rear the children, make pottery, and fetch for their parents a significant dowry when moving into the husband's household. Among other disagreements with the Karthoum government, Dinka refuse to mutilate women, an Islamic tradition in Somalia and Sudan that has been documented among others by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.) All in all, the main business of children is to stay alive, from natural predators (lions, leopards, crocodiles, poisonous snakes, scorpions, etc.), disease, and slave hunters.

Although the rumors of war and atrocities have reached their village, Juol (a "five-day walk from Wau", the county capital), nobody is prepared to move. Even after the murahileen (or Janjaweed)---mounted militiamen, armed by Karthoum, formed by nomadic tribes of Arab descent, mostly Baggara (cattle herders)---raid the nearby villages and give violent warnings to Juol, nobody is willing to move:

Shortly after we were given those warnings, Aguok, a nearby village, was attacked. The men tried to fight the invaders with spears, but they were all killed in a few minutes. “There was a plane standing above trees pouring fire on them,” my mother lamented.

Ajak, Benjamin; Deng, Benson; Deng, Alephonsian; Bernstein, Judy (2006-06-13). They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan (p. 46). PublicAffairs. Kindle Edition.

One day, the area becomes an operational center for Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA)---the resistance army fighting for the independence of the Southern Sudan. School is closed. As things progress, the village is plundered by both the murahileen and the SPLA. People start dying. The horrors of war are revealed to six-year-old children:

When I reached the clearing, I gazed in shock at the roofless mud walls. What happened to Achol’s house? I went closer, hoping Achol would come out to greet me like she did every morning. But when I looked through the doorway I saw the worst thing I had ever seen. Bodies lay on the floor, shrouded in ashes. Burned alive in their house. These were my lovely friends. Achol was my best friend ever. I loved her so much. My eyes were fixed on the sight of death in front of me. I smelled it, tasted it and felt it. I hurt so much I could not live with it.

I couldn’t understand why people were killing us. Did Achol deserve to die? What wrong had we done to these people? Oh, Ma, why the killing?

Ajak, Benjamin; Deng, Benson; Deng, Alephonsian; Bernstein, Judy (2006-06-13). They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan (pp. 51-52). PublicAffairs. Kindle Edition.

As grown men (over fourteen) are killed by the Janjaweed or conscripted (often by force) by the SPLA, and women may be raped and killed, children have to fend for themselves, instructed by their parents and later on by the elderly to try to reach a safer area. Running from village, the surviving kids learn they have to reach Panyido in Ethiopia, where food and shelter are provided for them. After conquering many perils, among which thirst, hunger, and disease are more deadly than the murahileen, and having encountered human kindness as well as abjection, two of the three heroes reach Panyido; unbeknownst to the two, the third is taking a circuitous route to Lokichogio, a refugee safe-heaven in Kenya. After the Ethiopian government is overthrown by rebels supported by Sudan---ironic twist of fate, since Ethiopia is supporting the rebels that attempt to overthrow the government of Sudan---, perhaps also with the help of Saddam's Iraqi troops and weapons, tens of thousands of children flee again across the border, to face the same perilous Southern Sudan; the three authors are reunited. (Panyido turns out to serve more the interests of SPLA, who charge a tax on goods and food received through humanitarian aid, and recruit mostly by force children as young as ten.)

The story, far from turning good, walks us through the dust of the Lokichogio camp (Lokichoiko in the book). Similarly to the case of Panyido, the dust hides criminal activity, from outright stealing of food and medicine, to the formation of a cartel-like, hierarchical new elite, led by Kenyans and with clear national and tribal discrimination. However, the camp is in a safe place, which allows an American-len expatriation program to give almost 5,000 Lost Boys the chance to move to various places in the US. Thus begins the last part of this memoir, the journey towards and within America.

Once again, the boys explore a world that is not theirs, and which has been imposed on them by the request of the elderly (and, perhaps, a newly grown sense of judgement.) Having reached America, they are about to learn a great deal:

Life in the city would have its own style. I’d been told I could get a job and make money for myself of which I would be proud. But I’d heard there were many strong young men and women who loitered at every corner of the city, wearing rags, asking the passersby if they have dollars or quarters in their pockets. I wondered why and the best answer I could come across was that they must be idle. Where I came from at the refugee camp, everybody wanted to go to a place where he or she could work for themselves. In that camp they had been job sick. Maybe in America they were sick of jobs.

Ajak, Benjamin; Deng, Benson; Deng, Alephonsian; Bernstein, Judy (2006-06-13). They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan (p. 309). PublicAffairs. Kindle Edition.

(hide spoiler)]

PS: A Google Maps link for the locations I could find on the map.

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Dec 29, 2011 Vanessa rated it 5 of 5 stars

They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky I feel was an extremely powerful book. It was so honest, didn't hide anything for the benefit of the reader. The authors, told their stories as they were. It really changes your point of view on your own life and really the the world as a whole. It makes you really grateful for what you have, makes you re-think all of the little things in life that you feel like complaining about. I really like how the story was from different point of views, shows you really...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Sophie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Book Review
They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak takes place in Sudan during a war between the rebels and the government. The authors describe their experiences running from the constant massacres taking place in Sudan, while simultaneously searching for their lost family. This book describes the daily challenges the “Lost Boys” faced while searching for peace. The boys’ life in Africa was so different from what I experience everyday in Louisvill...more Book Review
They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak takes place in Sudan during a war between the rebels and the government. The authors describe their experiences running from the constant massacres taking place in Sudan, while simultaneously searching for their lost family. This book describes the daily challenges the “Lost Boys” faced while searching for peace. The boys’ life in Africa was so different from what I experience everyday in Louisville. So when I read this book, all I could think about was how extraordinary the boys were and how extraordinary everything they went through was. But as I think about the book again, I suspect that they would probably tell me that they were just ordinary children, no different from “all of the children throughout time who’ve been caught up in adult wars”(Deng, Deng, and Ajak, dedication). So what made their story extraordinary?
Of course, one thing that made them so fascinating was that a war started before their eyes in their home. But it was more than that; it was how they reacted to the war. They persevered, even when they were faced with hunger, thirst, pain, and danger. They did what they needed to do in order to keep going, in order to survive. They had no choice but to steal, lie, cheat, and sneak away, all things that in an everyday world we would think would be bad. For them, acting this way was a courageous choice. If they had listened to their elders or the other soldiers, as they were told to do, they could have ended up fighting in the army against their own people or worse, dead.
Also, they never stopped running from violence, sickness, hunger, and thirst. There were times the authors didn’t know where they were running to. They could have been escaping from the bad or running towards the good, for example the possibility of finding family or having a safe place to sleep. When I think of a safe place to sleep, I think of being home or in a place that I trust. For them, being “safe” was simply the absence of hearing bombs going off or the final scream of death. Even when they were able to avoid manmade danger, they also had to worry about wild life: at times they were sleeping with the threat of a lion attack.
All of this took physical strength and endurance, but the boys also remained strong mentally. They survived many dangers because they always remained focused on their goal to be free. Unlike many other boys, they did not give up hope of being happy and safe. They were not distracted by money, power, or the opportunity to hold and fire a shiny gun. And, as Alepho said, when the opportunity of going to America presented itself, that “gave me a new dedication that motivated me to study even when I was hungry” (Deng, Deng, and Ajak, 283).
Although this book portrays the stories of Benson, Alepho, and Benjamin, the book explains that there were thousands of other boys in a similar situation. The most moving part of the book for me was the pure chance that these boys always happened to find each other in a sea of people who were fleeing war with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Maybe that is the most extraordinary thing.
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Aug 12, 2011 Colleen Bryant rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: africa, historical, memoir, must-read, non-fiction, war

This book filled me with so many emotions: joy, compassion, sorrow, amazement, awe. It really is amazing to think of what humans are capable of, both in the negative and the positive. On the one hand, we are capable of creating so much tragedy in the world. We drop bombs on each other without thinking anything of it. We shoot each other in cold blood. We abduct children and rape their mothers. Then there's the other hand. We are capable of surviving the most extreme conditions. We can go years w

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Apr 14, 2009 Marcella rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: signed-copies

"They Poured Fire On Us From the Sky" is written by 3 "Lost Boys" from Sudan. One night, without warning, their village was bombed, killing several villagers and scattering the rest out into the desert. The authors were children when this happened (Alepho was 5 yrs old). For 12 years these children lost and found each other, narrowly escaped death and finally made it to a refugee camp. In September 2001, the 3 boys (now teenagers) emigrated to the US.
This is a very important book because it puts...more

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Apr 20, 2011 John Manyok rated it 5 of 5 stars

when I began to read this book, it vividly brought back those mysterious and memories of the atrocities and disaster that affected million of southern Sudanese including young people so call "lost boys/girls from Sudan" . fortunately, I'm one of those who were lucky to reach to United State but a lot of colleagues didn't make it.I think the book play a huge part of reminiscing the terrible life that a child was exposed to at earlier age not knowing the world around him.and the struggling in refu...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Renee rated it 5 of 5 stars

By far the best book I've read in 2013 so far...Benjamin(age 7), Alepho (age 7), and Benson (age 5) were raised among a close knit community Dinka tribe of Sudan. However, this all changed instantly when the government-armed Murahiliin began attacking their villages.

This is the story of thousands of children, referred to as The Lost Boys, who were forced to flee without their parents over one thousand miles across a war-ravaged country, through landmine-sown paths, crocodile-infested waters, and...more

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Jan 21, 2011 Justin Morris added it

The title of the book is "The story of three Lost Boys from Sudan". The book was written by Benson Deng,Alephonsion Deng, Benjamin Ajak, With Judy A. Berstein. In the introduction Judy talks about the frist day with the boys. They don't know what every thing is. She is shocked that they are dressed so well. the main theme of the story is the war of the state. This book is more like an adventure between the three boys. I like the way the book has been written it is not a funny story it sets the...more

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Dec 15, 2008 Deale Hutton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Excellent book. I am familiar with the Lost Boys of Sudan, and the stories being told in first-person makes the crises all-the-more traumatic and powerful. The boys were just children when the genocide occurred, causing them to leave their homes, and it is amazing to me they survived. Many did not. The book makes me very angry that the genocide continues to this day, very little is being done. The story definitely cuts down on the 'whine factor' in my life. All you have to do is think of this st...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Scott Zeidel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful! Enlightening! I'll never complain again. Never.

There's a basic Buddhist tenet: we are all basically good. These boys are proof of that. They were stripped from their families when extremely young, witnessed and experienced incredible cruelty and violence, nearly starved to death (over and over), nearly died of thirst (over and over), and nursed themselves back from sickness and disease (over and over). They had no mother to hold them, no father to kiss them, no home ... yet they rema...more

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