Our Book Club, the Undercover Page Turners read the book, "What is the What?" It was story about Valentino Achak Deng, and the lost boys of Sudan. This heart wrenching fictionalized memoir was based on Deng's life. Valentino was seven years old when he fled his village with thousands of other children and trekked hundreds of miles on foot. lived for over a decade in a refuge camp. The United States, along with some other countries has given sanctuary and political asylum to many of them. We listened to him talk, along with the author, Dave Eggers at a Book Festival. The war in Sudan killed 1.9 million civilians and forced over 4 million people to flee their homes.
Last night, our club met and watched the film, "God Grew Tired of Us". This was about 4 young men who were also in the same camps as Valentino. The film concentrated mostly on what happened to them after they came to the United States. Think of it, you live your entire life without anything we take for granted, and then suddenly it is all before you....electricity, TV, enough food to eat, transportation other than just your fee; to say nothing of a culture entirely foreign. The film was very interesting. These four young men are like Valentino and those in the book...they want to get an education and do something for their country, for the people they left behind, the ones just like themselves who were not lucky enough to get the opportunity they now have.
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