The story has resonated with me for over a year since i first read it. I gave five copies as gifts b/c it is so moving. It's "fiction from truth" the stories of many Lost Boys of Sudan all rolled up into one.
My friend's student, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who is now a US college student, once told her during a fire drill "I didn't walk halfway across Rwanda to die in a fire at school"

that's what this book is about, w/out the humor. To survive the most horrendous experiences that these boys did, then to end up victims of crime and "the system" in America - it's heartbreaking - and at the same time, inspirational.
Read it, share it, remember it, and do something for others.

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I don't think the Book Description or the other two reviews encapsulate what this book is really about. Its just about one boy and his journey and the things he sees along the way. If you know about the lost boys you will figure it would just be tragic, but it is a pleasure to read because of Valentino Achak Deng's voice. You won't be sorry to read this worthwhile novel.

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An amazing story of a boy growing up in the midst of social chaos created by civil war in Africa. One aspect which made the story interesting is the reflection of the past in Africa as a child with the present in the US as an adult.

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I read this book for a school assignment (at a really amazing expeditionary learning school) and really enjoyed it. It was a heartbreaking and yet intriguing story about a man who experienced far more brutality than most do. I am biased as I take special interest in the character's country of origin, it is very informational in terms of culture, both in his country of origin and in the United States. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand what's going on in the international and even local community.

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I absolutely loved this book. It is well written by Dave Eggers and narrated by the main character in this book about his years of struggle to gain freedom. It's the kind of book I didn't want to put down and didn't want it to end. I'm Valentino's facebook friend now... to follow his life.

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thought provoking

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An interesting biographical account of one man's life from the deserts of Sudan as a child to the streets of Atlanta as an adult. The story is good and I found myself sympathizing for the writer/protagonist, but he seems a bit arrogant at times. He apparently rose to the upper crust of the subculture he belonged to you, and he gives you continuous examples of this. I'm glad I read it, though.

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This is not a story about TWO boys...it is primarily concerned with one. Valentino, one of the Lost Boys of the Sudan, is the focus of this book from the beginning to the end.
Don't be intimidated if you know little about the conflict in the Sudan. The plot is easy to follow and well explained.
This was one of the most amazing, thought provoking, well-written books I have read in a long time. I emerged with a better understanding of Africa, the absurdity of American culture to much of the world, human rights, and the inexhaustible human spirit. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Mine is going on my keeper shelf.

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This unabridged audio recording is outstanding.

The novel begins with a bit of a disclaimer from someone who says it is mostly his story, with a mix of the stories of others from his cohort in Sudan, explaining that the result is a novel.

I can only respond as a listener to the story (having gotten the book on CD), and I recommend it to anyone who can put up with some of the descriptions of atrocities during war.

The larger part of the story is of optimism and perseverance in during part of a lifetime.

Pat I.

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This is the fictinalized account of a Lost Boy. Told both during his life in America and over the course of many years of the civil war that tore his and many other lives apart in Southern Sudan. This is truly a look into a life of a refugee and made me feel like my eyes were open to a life very different than my own in a way that no other documentary/book has ever done before. Really moving and sad, terrifying and beautiful all at the same time. It gives hope to the reader that a person can live through such injustice and cruelty but yet still come out with humanity intact through it all. After reading the book I looked into Valentino Achak Deng's website and foundation. They just built a school with money raised through this book and his other works to get the word out on this terrible tragedy. Amazing!

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