mflores94 's review for:

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

4.0

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A well-written account, Park does an excellent job of clearly communicating the horrors of the conflict in Sudan and some of the difficulties of life in a refugee camp at a level that is accessible to younger readers. As an adult reader, I felt that the book could have gone a bit deeper in examining both the context and the effects of the conflict, however I think it is crucial that younger readers be exposed to stories like this one, and leaving room for further study while inviting engagement is an effective strategy. I hope that all readers, both young and old, have an opportunity to pick up this book and to reflect on the selfishness that we often promote in our (US) foreign policy when we decline to fund refugee resettlement programs and/or support agencies like UNHCR, the Red Cross, and many, many others who face these situations head-on and offer support. Our planet is full of gifted people, and we should all do what we can to lift each other up and encourage talents to be discovered, developed, and shared.