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A review by ashylibrarian
Don't Look Back: A Memoir of War, Survival, and My Journey from Sudan to America by Achut Deng, Keely Hutton
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This book left me in awe. I felt so many emotions while listening to the audiobook, and I am sure that my review will not do the book the justice it deserves.
Achut Deng retells the trauma and horrors along with the hope and excitement that she faced from childhood through adulthood as she, and thousands of others, fled South Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War that attacked many tribes, including Deng's own, the Dinka tribe.
The writing in this book is friendly to a wide audience though the content is extremely sensitive and heavy at times. I am pretty ignorant about what happened during the Sudanese Civil-War, and while listening to Deng's retelling, I felt upset and sad for her experiences as well as frustrated that I have not learned more about this conflict.
Even after Deng made her escape from the rebel groups in Sudan, ending up in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya and then to the United States, things did not go straight up. There is sometimes a misconception that once refugees are out of their home country they are able to start living a better life. As Deng shows through her intricate writing, trauma and hauntings from the past as well as new ones can form even after escaping the direct conflict.
There were times when I wanted to cry, throw up, and just stop. Stop listening. Stop imagining. But I think that is part of reading a memoir such as Don't Look Back. We are supposed to feel uncomfortable. We are supposed to be upset. We are supposed to not be content just sitting and listening.
Thank you, Achut Deng, for sharing your story.
Achut Deng retells the trauma and horrors along with the hope and excitement that she faced from childhood through adulthood as she, and thousands of others, fled South Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War that attacked many tribes, including Deng's own, the Dinka tribe.
The writing in this book is friendly to a wide audience though the content is extremely sensitive and heavy at times. I am pretty ignorant about what happened during the Sudanese Civil-War, and while listening to Deng's retelling, I felt upset and sad for her experiences as well as frustrated that I have not learned more about this conflict.
Even after Deng made her escape from the rebel groups in Sudan, ending up in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya and then to the United States, things did not go straight up. There is sometimes a misconception that once refugees are out of their home country they are able to start living a better life. As Deng shows through her intricate writing, trauma and hauntings from the past as well as new ones can form even after escaping the direct conflict.
There were times when I wanted to cry, throw up, and just stop. Stop listening. Stop imagining. But I think that is part of reading a memoir such as Don't Look Back. We are supposed to feel uncomfortable. We are supposed to be upset. We are supposed to not be content just sitting and listening.
Thank you, Achut Deng, for sharing your story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail