Reading the World discussion
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BOTM Jan 2024 - What is the What
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I read this book a while ago and it stays with me. I find Eggers non-fiction to be better than his fiction. His fiction can be strangely focused and slightly manipulative but his non-fiction is a wide open embrace of the happenings in this world. This story is both insightful and eye opening for me as yet again I learn world history through the story of a few individuals.
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The book is about the Lost Boys. It is a memoir in the form of a novel. Like Gail, I am learning more about world history and reading yet another book that takes place in one of the 54 countries of Africa.
Glad to see the strong reviews here. Been having a really rough health month and have limited use of my hands (at least without intense pain) so have had to lower my monthly reading goals but will get to it and review when I can.
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Best wishes Amanda!
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I ended up giving What is the What 5 stars and trying to tell the world to read it. The audible was quite good and added much to the story. The main character is quite engaging and because of his troubles has done things to help the world. I love Dave Eggers too. His book The Monk of Mokha is also very good. I read it for the country of Yemen.
Amanda----hope you soon feel better; I will plan to read this one Feb./Mar. since it sounds so good.
thanks for the kind words K and Celia :) Celia- I also loved Monk of Mokha so glad to hear this one is great as well.
Finally finished the audio for this today! I have to agree with Gail that I find Egger's non-fiction stronger than his fiction books, and this was another of his non-fiction treasures. Valentino's story is at once heartbreaking and triumphant, and illustrates how many refugees are forced from many camps or countries before they are accepted anywhere. One thing I particularly loved were the ways in which common small human experiences permeate his life as a 'lost boy' such as his first crush, going to the movies for the first time, and playing sports with the other Sudanese boys as a sort of 'team Sudan' in Kenya. By letting these experiences in instead of being a constant onslaught of tragedy we really do get to see Valentino as a relatable fellow human being- and makes the message of empathy for refugees more successful for approaching it this way. This is something that more trauma p*rn type narratives accidentally undermine by not allowing readers to see the human spirit and dignity shine through in a way that makes the reader identify with people who happen to be refugees.
It also did a great job at showing people who wanted to play at helping refugees in an acute way they can then back out of without being truly responsible for them- and that his best mentor was a Japanese NGO worker. I find a lot of Western media that is not as close to a real story make the assumption that NGOs are undertaken only by Western Nations in this weird kind of modern White Man's Burden, and I'm glad this one went differently.
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Reading the World
Books mentioned in this topic
The Monk of Mokha (other topics)The Monk of Mokha (other topics)
What Is the What (other topics)
What Is the What by Dave Eggers is historical fiction "based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng who, along with thousands of other children —the so-called Lost Boys—was forced to leave his village in Sudan at the age of seven and trek hundreds of miles by foot, pursued by militias, government bombers, and wild animals, crossing the deserts of three countries to find freedom. When he finally is resettled in the United States, he finds a life full of promise, but also heartache and myriad new challenges. Moving, suspenseful, and unexpectedly funny, What Is the What is an astonishing novel that illuminates the lives of millions through one extraordinary man." The story covers Sudan, South, Sudan, and Kenya.