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Lost Boy, Lost Girl

Escaping Civil War in Sudan
by Martha Arual Akech
159p. 978-1-42630-708-9.
COPY ISBN
Gr 7—10—The tragic story of Sudan's Lost Boys and Lost Girs is told in simple language by two survivors. The authors explain that a civil war between Muslim Arabs in the north and Christian Africans in the south led to thousands of Sudanese being displaced from their homes. In 1987, when Dau was 13 and Akech was 6, war came to their village. Both traveled hundreds of miles to a UN refugee camp in Ethiopia. After a few years of safety, the refugees were forced to move again, back into Sudan and eventually to a new camp in Kenya. Through all those years, starvation, thirst, and disease plagued the Sudanese. Both Dau and Akech kept hope for the future by going to school and learning. Their story has a happy ending, with immigration to the United States and marriage. Teens who know little about Sudan and its problems will be drawn into this moving, inspirational story. More than just a memoir, it is a reflection on a lost lifestyle, with plenty of details about the beliefs and culture of the Dinka, the southern Sudanese people to which both Dau and Akech belong to. Ideal for classroom use, this book is also a heartbreaking but hopeful read.—Melissa Rabey, Frederick County Public Libraries, MD
With Michael S. Sweeney and K. M. Kostyal. In this memoir, married couple John Bul Dau and Martha Arual Akech, who both grew up in peaceful settings, describe how their quiet days turned grim as civil war raged into southern Sudan. Escaping the war, they started new lives in the United States and continue to help those in need. Their story is personal and inspirational. Some photographs are included. Timeline.
Reviewed by Melissa Rabey , Nov 01, 2010

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