What Is The What

 I chose another book by Dave Eggers even though I didn't like the first one, The Captain And The Glory. What is the What; The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng is about a Sudanese child refugee, one of the "Lost Boys." Valentino tells his story in three parts. The first part is when he lived with his family in Marial Bai, Sudan. His father was a store keeper and his mother was a mid-wife. When he mentions his mother he always includes her yellow dress. When the Muslim militia wipes out his town, he becomes a refugee at age 6. He starts walking in the bush with other boys. Part two is his life at a camp in Ethiopia which isn't so bad until a new president is elected in Ethiopia and the soldiers start shooting at everyone in the camp forcing all of them to flee. Valentino flees to a camp in Kambura, Kenya. Part three describes his 9 years at that refugee camp. As Valentino and Dave Eggers write the book, Valentino is living in Atlanta, Georgia and attending a community college. The story is difficult to read. Terrible things happened in Somalia. Some of the lost boys were killed by lions and crocodiles. Some starved to death. Some were killed by militia. Valentino survived his ordeal, graduated from college, and went back to Somalia to help rebuild his country. He started the VAD Foundation to assist other Somalians. All proceeds from the autobiography go to the VAD Foundation. Although very sad and difficult to read, the story does offer hope.