Deng Adut

Very similar book to Boy Soldier except that this is based on the actual memories of the author. Deng was 6 when he was taken from his village to be trained as a boy soldier for the Sudanese People's Liberation Army. This is the brutal story of how he is firstly indoctrinated to accept the Army as being his new family and then his training with live weapons around the age of 11. Finally the book sees him journey to Australia as a very damaged individual, who must put himself back together with help from the Church and the few people he has left in the world, and struggle to cope with arriving in a country where he is one of the first Sudanese refugees to be admitted. Harrowing and moving story that students today should read so that they understand why the Sudanese refugees have come to Australia.… (más)

I loved the voice in this book. I loved the fact it was straight forward. I loved that it gave an insight into details about what this man witnessed and lived through as a child. The fact that he is still alive is a miracle, if you believe in this kind of stuff.

It IS a VERY GOOD read.

The last part of the story contains is a journey into philosophy. I loved it, probably because I can relate to many parts of what Deng says and he says it well. There are parts that contain great wisdom and emotion and is really a must-read. Whether or not a person who has never been deprived, smelt death or the closeness of death - or felt the sting of dis-assimilation will ever understand them. They are worth reading - and knowing about.… (más)

It’s not a coincidence that my library had Songs of a War Boy on prominent display this week: the African community in Melbourne has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. Scurrilous politicians attempting to whip up law-and-order issues in time for the next election have used the criminal behaviour of a very small teenage minority to besmirch an entire community – and I’m happy to join my library in promoting a book by an author who is – no disrespect intended – a bit of a poster boy for the African refugee community. (Though if you followed the uplifting and often humorous #AfricanGangs Twitter thread, you will have seen that there are numerous examples of Africans studying and working hard, achieving great things, and bringing up their families to be everyday Australians to be proud of).
(BTW I am using the term ‘African’ in the same way that I would use ‘European’. There are 54 countries recognised by the United Nations on the continent of Africa. I found the map at the front of the book very helpful for tracing Deng’s journey to freedom because my knowledge of African geography is a bit hazy, as it is for parts of post-Soviet Europe).
Deng, however, has gained a place in Australia’s heart as a spokesman for people of African origin. From the age of six Deng Thiak Adut was a child conscipt in southern Sudan, and was rescued and brought to Australian when he was fourteen. Through sheer grit and determination this illiterate teenager with no formal education mastered English, and went on to complete not just an undergraduate degree in law, but also a Master’s. He now has his own practice, the AC Law Group, in partnership with Joseph Correy, was awarded the New South Wales Australian of the Year for 2017 and was featured in a promotional video for Western Sydney University which immediately went viral and has been viewed almost three million times.
I thought I knew Deng’s story from the extensive media coverage so I only brought the book home to browse through, but I ended up reading it cover-to-cover and couldn’t put it down.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/01/21/songs-of-a-war-boy-by-deng-thiak-adut-with-b...… (más)