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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
Amazing! I will always be humbled each time I read a book like this. To literally run for your life and struggle for the bare necessities to survive while watching pure evil around you and detach from those like you literally dying as they walk is just heartbreaking. The strength it takes to pull yourself up from that is something most people will never experience. I am in awe of what the human spirit can endure!
This was a brilliant way of conveying the experience of Valentino without it being a linear story that would seem to lead to one, single point. Instead, it presents his life experience in all of its messy, confusing, complex glory. The jumping of the story back and forth across time, to me at least, made it seem that the time in Sudan is just as present in his life as the time in America, in a way that more traditional timeline wouldn't be able to do.
The story is interesting. I read this for my book group but only got half way through by the time the meeting came. While it was enjoyable while I was reading it I haven't felt compelled to finish it.
A
A
One of the hardest and most horrifying books I never wanted to stop reading. I'd put it up there with WILD: a deeply compelling story, perfectly told, with craft and truth and grace.
Jaw-dropping story of one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. It will crack your heart open and change you forever. One of the most long and challenging books to read that I hoped would never end.
What a remarkable (slightly fictionalized, but almost entirely true) story of a Sudanese refugee ad he makes his way through Ethiopia, Kenya, and Atlanta. One of the best and most powerful books I've read.
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Vomit
This book was so informative, possibly too informative!! Every detail possible was put into this story. I now feel better educated about Sudan, but it literally took me 4 months to read this story (of course it didn't help that I was reading other books at the same time).
However, the writing was high-quality and I'm glad I read it. At the same time, I'm relieved to move on to something new. Someone referred to this book as one of "biblical proportions." They were exactly right.
And oddly, at the end of this epic book about Valentino, I still don't feel like I really know him as a person. I knew exactly what he had been through, but he still felt mysterious.
However, the writing was high-quality and I'm glad I read it. At the same time, I'm relieved to move on to something new. Someone referred to this book as one of "biblical proportions." They were exactly right.
And oddly, at the end of this epic book about Valentino, I still don't feel like I really know him as a person. I knew exactly what he had been through, but he still felt mysterious.