2008 Longlist
What is the What
ABOUT
THE BOOK
Separated from his family, Valentino Achak Deng becomes a refugee in war-ravaged southern Sudan. His travels bring him in contact with enemy soldiers, with liberation rebels, with hyenas and lions, with disease and starvation, and with deadly murahaleen (militias on horseback)—the same sort who currently terrorize Darfur. Based closely on actual experiences, What Is the What is heartrending and astonishing, filled with adventure, suspense, tragedy and, finally, triumph.
NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS
Eggers’ powerful and topical novel blurs the boundaries between writing genres to illustrate the life of one of Sudanese civil war refugee.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Country
United States
Original Language
English
Publisher
McSweeney’s Books
Nominating Library
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Video
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