A review by nderiley
What Is the What by Dave Eggers

3.0

Deng's story of his lost childhood is saddening and amazing for his ability to survive. I can't imagine living through your country at war for such a long time and it's a tragedy that civil wars like these can take as many civilians as soldiers. As far as the writing goes, I appreciated Eggers not going into to much detail on the violence Deng encountered but I also found the narrative disjointed at times. Flipping back and forth from his journey as a refugee to modern day made sense in some scenarios but in others, it felt like the flip was more out of habit.