Book Description
In a heartrending and astonishing novel, Eggers illuminates the history of the civil war in Sudan through the eyes of Valentino Achak Deng, a refugee now living in the United States. We follow his life as he's driven from his home as a boy and walks, with thousands of orphans, to Ethiopia, where he finds safety — for a time. Valentino's travels, truly Biblical in scope, bring him in contact with government soldiers, janjaweed-like militias, liberation rebels, hyenas and lions, disease and starvation — and a string of unexpected romances. Ultimately, Valentino finds safety in Kenya and, just after the millennium, is finally resettled in the United States, from where this novel is narrated. In this book, written with expansive humanity and surprising humor, we come to understand the nature of the conflicts in Sudan, the refugee experience in America, the dreams of the Dinka people, and the challenge one indomitable man faces in a world collapsing around him.
Customer Reviews:
Unusual mashup of real and fiction.......2007-10-16
There are a number of really excellent non-fiction autobiographies of the Lost Boys currently available, 5 of them (see below). "What Is the What" is the only fictionalized account I am aware of. I've read some of the non-fiction accounts, and they are just as compelling, fascinating and dramatic as fiction; in many ways more so because they are factual and have a sense of "otherness" and level of specific detail. Although the novel has plenty of violence, it seems somewhat sterilized and made more palatable for the sensibilities of a middle class American audience - Deng's "voice" (really Eggers?) is confident and optimistic about the future, rarely did I sense the utter loneliness, despondency, hopelessness, weakness and fear that is palpable in the real autobiographies.
This is not a bad book, Eggers has created an entertaining work of art, not unlike what Charles Dickens did for the poor in "Oliver Twist", it serves to advance a social cause. But the real autobiographies are just as page-turning readable and even more emotionally moving because of their truthfulness. Literary critic Lee Siegel in "The New Republic" took the problem even further saying the novels "innocent expropriation of another man's identity is a post-colonial arrogance.. How strange for one man to think that he could write the story of another man, a real living man who is perfectly capable of telling his story himself -- and then call it an autobiography. Where is the dignity in that?" Francis Prose in "The New York Times" said the novel is very popular among younger readers in their 20s and I guess this is not surprising since fiction is usually more approachable and accessible than non-fiction, but there are some excellent real-life accounts, told in the actual words and voice of someone from Sudan, it is a challenge to step into someone else's world, but can be a transformative experience.
--See also--
* They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky
* God Grew Tired Of Us: A Memoir
* The Lost Boys of Sudan
* The Journey of the Lost Boys
* Lost Boy No More
a powerful telling of one refugee's story and how it fits into a broader disaster.......2007-09-29
Over several years, a refugee (named Achak) from Sudan who has resettled in the United States (one of the "lost boys of Sudan") told his story to Dave Eggers. Eggers wrote a novel based on the story, and the result is excellent. Leaping back and forth through time, the fictional Achak tells of how he is forced from his village by the Sudanese civil war, travels hundreds (thousands?) of miles on foot from country to country and refugee camp to camp, and then how he arrives in the United States and adjust to life there.
Several times early in the reading I wondered, Why didn't Eggers just write the story of this guy's life rather than a novel "based" on it? Eventually I could see that the novel allowed Eggers to bring in characters, sub-stories, and dialogue to teach us not only Achak's story but also about the broader conflict, the other Sudanese conflict in Darfur, and the problems encountered by a broader net of re-settled refugees. Eggers seeks to (and I believe manages to) give enthrall us with Achak and convey an impressive amount of information at the same time.
I found one of his narrative devices mildly distracting: Achak narrates from the present-day, resettled in the USA, and most of flashbacks are in the form of his mentally telling people around him his story. For example, he meets someone at his work and imagines telling them about the time his buddy got eaten by a lion. But that's a quibble.
The audiobook reading by Dion Graham (published by BBC Audiobooks America) is very well done.
Note on content: Much of this book takes place in a war zone, so we see violence and intense human suffering. And in the USA, there is a mugging that involves lots of strong language (all in the book's first 50 pages).
Straightforward, Unpretentious Memoir.......2007-09-27
I'm a fan of Eggers, and even though I'm not crazy about how the precious and overly self-aware syle of writing in AHWOSG has seeped into literature, I think he has been an important influence. I was pleasantly surprised at how well he avoided his trademark style in this novel -- not that it's a bad thing in other contexts -- but because it wouldn't have worked here. As a result, this is a kind of sparsely (and well) written story. The only thing I thought was a little contrived was the device used to tell the story, which is that Valentino is telling his story to his captor in a robbery, and then some others. They aren't listening, so he's kind of recounting the story to the reader as though he was talking to the captor. I suppose it makes it more interesting than a simple straight-out memoir, but it's a little contrived. The fact that the modern day asides are so short is evidence that they could have just been cut out altogether. (One could say it's just creative, I suppose).
I found the story very interesting, and I would not have made it through any form of nonfiction about the same topic. THis is a credit to Eggers. The character development is credible, and the way he weaves the question "What is the What" through the novel is compelling and profound. It's very well constructed and told, and could be read by a wide age range. It's also fairly evenhanded in its treatment of the politics, and never gets preachy or self-important. (He in fact debunks many of the exaggerated stories of the Lost Boys, which I thought was a pretty brave thing to do).
If you are a fan of Eggers, you will appreciate this book unless you're just in love with his schtick, which is absent. If you're one of the haters (people love to hate AHWOSG, it seems), you might want to give this a try. I think Eggers will go down as a very important writer and this is very well done. And the profits go to charity!
A good book that gets better with diatance.......2007-09-08
There have been enough African horror stories in recent years to constitute a genre - the heart of darkness narrative. Most readers turn to these tales with a mixture of humane concern and prurient fascination. Back in Conrad's day, the European or American narrator generally found himself caught between warm fuzzy liberalism and the horror. In recent years, African narrators, often children, have been the ones whose innocence has been challenged by horrendous deeds and bestial actions done in the name of liberation but in the service of greed. The thin line between naivete and cynicism is particularly treacherous for writers who lived to tell the tale, but haven't had enough time to fully see their experience in perspective. By working with Dave Eggers, Valentino Achak Deng filters the story of his years as a lost boy, and thus provides the reader a chance to get close to him. I tend to shy away from confessional narrators like Ismael Beah, whose A Long Way Gone was too direct for my taste. I appreciated his tale, but it seemed too naïve.
The magic of What is the What is impressive. By creating creaky framing devices (the break-in of Part 1) and historical coincidences (the death of Diana Spencer and the destruction of the twin towers occur on significant days in Valentino's life), Eggers reminds us that this is a fiction based on a real life and actual incidents in Sudan's history. In the process of peeling off the artifice, the reader paradoxically draws closer to the young man who narrates the story. He preserves some mystery because we know that we don't know all that he might have said. We long to see him more clearly, just as we gaze at the drawing on the cover and wish that his eyes and features weren't obscured by shadow. But Valentino is himself trying to uncover the mysteries of fate, self, and the elusive "What," which seems both mystical and concrete.
There were times when I wanted more historical detail - religious conflicts and the promise of oil wealth explain the problem in broad terms, but Sudan has been part of public discourse for so long that one longs for more nuance. However, Valentino is not a political scientist, and the balance between naivete and knowledge is delicate. Eggers provides promising leads for the reader who wants more history. I loved the way the past and present narratives intertwined to make us sympathetic to Valentino's need for love and affection. His relationship with Tabitha was particularly affecting because we first experienced her in America and only gradually learned about the origins of their relationship. After he leaves his hometown to journey across Sudan with the Lost Boys, we forget about his parents for a long time, but we feel their absence keenly. Deng and Eggers have created a story rich in emotion and human feeling, no small task when facing the horrors of Sudan. In the end, we only know a little more about the situation in Sudan and Darfur, but we feel as if we have a Sudanese friend. And yet we can't even recognize his face or say for sure if his name is really Valentino Achak Deng.
A thought provoking and enjoyable read.......2007-09-05
Dave Eggers' What is the What is a fictional, yet truthful account of Sudanese refugee Valentino Deng and his life throughout civil war stricken Sudan and the United States of America. Eggers' retelling of Deng's life is not one of a robotic biography, but rather a fluid reminiscence interspersed with moments of the present and laced throughout with Eggers' own voice. The story is simultaneously frightening and beautiful, a feeling created by a combination of Deng's personal strength and Eggers' unique sense of timing and dark humor. This voice pokes fun at the ironies between Deng's life in America and Sudan. For example, the American Deng works the front counter at a health club in a county where almost 60 million people are overweight but while in Sudan he tried to get an extra ration card because food was scarce. There doesn't seem to by any anger at these ironies, Deng appears to be more confused by them then anything.
The plot is exciting enough to hold one's interest and be fun, yet still contains enough truth and soul to it to make you really think about Deng's plights during his journey. It is the ability to maintain this balance which truly takes the book from an interesting tale to a piece of literary art. The story itself is not only beautifully written, but expertly paced; on multiple occasions I found myself ready to put the book down for the night and turned the page to discover that I was at the end of a chapter. It is those little things that make the book an absolute joy to read. Also, I feel that I must mention the hardcover art is absolutely beautiful and protected the book from harm when I spilled a cup of tea on it, which is something I was pleasantly surprised by. What is the What is an great thought provoking, yet very accessible read, and I would recommend it to everyone.
Book Description
Imagine a young boy who has never had a loving home. His only possesions are the old, torn clothes he carries in a paper bag. The only world he knows is one of isolation and fear. Although others had rescued this boy from his abusive alcoholic mother, his real hurt is just begining -- he has no place to call home. This is Dave Pelzer's long-awaited sequel to A Child Called "It". In The Lost Boy, he answers questions and reveals new adventures through the compelling story of his life as an adolescent. Now considered an F-Child (Foster Child), Dave is moved in and out of five different homes. He suffers shame and experiences resentment from those who feel that all foster kids are trouble and unworthy of being loved just because they are not part of a "real" family. Tears, laughter, devastation and hope create the journey of this little lost boy who searches desperately for just one thing -- the love of a family.
Customer Reviews:
so sad.......2007-10-09
I've read all of the books and this one I felt was not as exciting as the rest but if you plan on reading all of them then you must read this one. So if you do plan on it just read it, it's not that bad but it's not that good.
The brave boy.......2007-05-25
I recommend this book because it is very interesting,and you do not want to put it down.In the book, I learned that I have a good life and that I should be thankful for everything I have after seeing what Dave has gone through in his life. I would read another book by this author because all of the books are sequels and at the end of each book you are left hanging and wondering what will happen next. These are some things about the The Lost Boy.
Dave's story helped me during really tough times........2007-04-18
As a foster parent who accepted only one child at a time, I needed all the inspiration I could get. Dave's story not only inspired but also encouraged me. It is full of truths that make us aware of how blessed we are. Anyone who is interested in helping abused kids should read this book. With Great Mercy author.
The story continues.......2007-04-14
Dave Pelzer gives a wonderfull account of his experiences of foster care in this sequel to A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive. In this book you begin to see the transition to a "normal" state of being, but it is not without it's problems.
My Hat Goes Off To Dave Pelzer.......2007-04-06
All of Dave Pelzer's books are absolutely by far the best books I have ever read. I couldn't put them down!!!
Book Description
BLOW is the unlikely story of George Jung's roller coaster ride from middle class high school football hero to the heart of Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel--the largest importer of the United States cocaine supply in the 1980's. Jung's early business of flying marijuana into the United States from the mountains of Mexico took a dramatic turn when he met Carlos Lehder, a young Columbian car thief with connections to the then newly born cocaine operation in his native land. Together they created a new model for selling cocaine, taking it from a drug used by the entertainment elite, to a massive and unimaginably lucrative enterprise-one whose earnings, if legal, would have ranked the cocaine business as the sixth largest private enterprise in the Fortune 500. The ride came to a screeching halt when DEA agents and Florida police busted Jung with 300 kilos of coke, effectively unraveling his fortune. But George wasn't going down alone. He planned to bring down with him one of the biggest cartel figures ever caught.... A riveting insider account of the lurid world of international drug smuggling and a supercharged drama of one man's meteoric rise and desperate fall, Bruce Porter chronicles Jung's life using unprecedented eyewitness sources in this critically acclaimed true crime classic.AUTHORBIO: Bruce Porter, a former newspaper reporter and editor of Newsweek, teaches at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has also written for the New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, Playboy, and Connoisseur, among other publications.
Customer Reviews:
Kind of blows.......2007-09-03
This book drags all the way through. I was hoping to hear more of the 'horrors' of the times in prison and the nastiness of the creeps that George Jung had to deal with (including himself) in the drug business. This book falls flat.
Very engaging! Very entertaining!.......2007-08-20
I loved the Movie, and finally read the book. The book is great! Better than the movie, partly because it's so much more in-depth. The characters are captivating (especially the star, George Jung), the story flows nicely. I learned so much about the cocaine business and what goes on in the underground world of cocaine dealing. George Jung was an incredibly risky guy. A strong-willed personality who decided he was going to make it happen. And he did just that!
If you enjoyed the movie, you will love the book!
FREE GEORGE JUNG!.......2007-01-04
If you want to understand George Jung this is the book to read. After you read this you'll have a new appreciation for how cleverly the movie was made. Sadly, the real George had some sexual habits discussed in the book that would of been better left unsaid, that don't add to the story and only tend make him sound bad. Never the less, it gives you a clear picture of how he was used as an example and given a much harsher sentence than was warrented. George Jung should be a free man today. He's more than payed his debt to society!!!!!
Blow.......2006-03-01
The up your nose, in-your-face life of George Jung, the high-school football star from small-town USA who became the American linchpin of the Columbium cocaine cartel. Jung is talked about his earlier years as a poor student, risk taker from a shaky family but the story comes to age as he takes off for California for a haze of sunbathing, sex, pot, and LSD. Soon enough George is arrested and his operation is on hold temporarily. In prison, Jung befriends a young Carlos Lehder and links up with the Medallion cartel, which gross 35 billion in cocaine sales a year. Money, Learjets, fast cars, and very wild women make this story a big success. George Jung did what he considered the best thing he would be at and took it to a level of unknown power. During the 1980's if you snorted cocaine you had an 85% you bought it from him or people he supplied to. I would recommend this book to people that can feel remorse for what a man did only for the reason he was good at it and enjoyed what he did. George Jung lived the American Dream in his own aspect and I will respect him for what he did and what he regrets.
Sloppy job, but still interesting.......2005-08-25
Aware that the movie is only loosely based on a true story, I turned to this book for a more factual account of the rise and fall of George Jung. But Jung's own account of the execution he witnessed on the Escobar ranch, to pick an example, differs as much from the one in this book as from the movie!
By page four I knew this wasn't secretly penned by Truman Capote. It is vulgar and loaded with malapropisms, for example: the word "obviate" is repeatedly used where "eliminate" is intended. Evidently no one at Harper Collins knows what the word means. "Secrete" is used for "secret." There are stretches long enough that I was able to get into the read before pausing to wonder what was meant by a non sequitur or a sentence that is not a sentence, but a slight effort by a copy editor or high school English teacher would have greatly improved the work. The editors and "fact checker" should all be serving time for criminal negligence. Terrible job.
Carlos Lehder is portrayed as a reckless megalomaniac brazen enough to unabashedly ramp up his smuggling through Norman's Cay to full tilt --really taking it to another level-- seemingly without regard for how much attention it would draw; indiscretion ultimately did the cartel in. There are interesting tales of boaters being chased away from the island, including a retired Walter Cronkite! Once a boat was found adrift in that vicinity, spattered with blood.
Surprisingly, considering the vast differences between this book and the movie, the fight scene with Mirtha driving up the I-95 one night actually did occur.
Regarding the Eastham bust, George was said to be looking at a ten-year sentence for the coke, but the book makes no mention whatsoever as to whether Richard Barile did in fact have the machine gun he mentioned at least twice to the undercover cop that evening, possession of which would carry the same sentence under federal law --not to mention what the state of Massachusetts would have done to him. There are many such places throughout the book that left me wondering why something was covered so unevenly and then just abandoned. At another point it refers in passing to George having two children, with no mention before or after of a second child being born.
Some of the "factoids" regarding aviation and firearms are hilariously inaccurate. A Hughes 500 helicopter becomes a "Huey 500." ("Huey" refers to an entirely different type of helicopter, and there's no such thing as a "Huey 500.") And once and for all, folks, a .357 magnum will not go through an engine block; that's a myth. (It just ricochets, leaving a tiny dent on the surface. Don't try this at home.)
For an enthralling account of indulgence, lust, and greed in the 1970's narcotics biz try "Underground Empire" by James Mills. It covers selected DEA CENTAC operations on different continents. Think you can't finish a thousand-page book? You wait. :-) Also, another bio of George Jung is currently in the works. And for instant gratification search the web for "Norman's Cay."
Book Description
A stunning literary survival story, hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a "moving, beautifully written account, by turns raw and tender."
Across Sudan, between 1987 and 1989, tens of thousands of young boys took flight from the massacres of Sudan's civil war. They became known as the Lost Boys. With little more than the clothes on their backs, sometimes not even that, they streamed out over Sudan in search of refuge. Their journey led them first to Ethiopia and then, driven back into Sudan, toward Kenya. They walked nearly one thousand miles, sustained only by the sheer will to live.
They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky is three boys' account of that unimaginable journey. With the candor and the purity of their child's-eye-vision, Alephonsion, Benjamin, and Benson recall by turns how they endured hunger and strength-sapping illnesses. How they dodged the life-threatening predators-lions, snakes, crocodiles and soldiers-that dogged their footsteps. How they grappled with a war that threatened continually to overwhelm them. Their story is a lyrical, captivating portrait of a childhood lost to war, and of the perseverance of the human spirit.
Customer Reviews:
A life-changing experience.......2007-10-04
I never thought that a book could move me in the way that this has. It is gripping, inspirational, horrifing, beautiful tear-jerker that will keep your jaw dropped. You will be forever changed by this true account of a tragedy that sadly many Americans do not know about. Amazing book. Make sure to have a box of tissues by your side!
A must read.......2007-09-26
I couldn't put the book down and at the end I cried. It was hard to believe that boys so young had been through so much. If your interested in whats going on in Sudan than I think its a must read.
True, Real, Humbling.......2007-09-26
This book is so powerful, these boys journey is so humbling, there is no way that you could read this book and not look at your life in a different way. The crazy thing about it is that it is ALL TRUE, this is thier account of their lives, this book has encouraged me more to want to fight for social injustices.
Must Read.......2007-08-11
I have a BA in English and taught high school literature courses for seven years before becoming the administrator of an alternative school. I consider myself well read. Therefore, when I say this was the most moving book I have ever read, I do not say so lightly. I had the honor of meeting one of the authors, Benjamin Ajak, at a recent conference. While his English is not articulate, his message is gut wrenchingly moving. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is not a summer beach romance. It is the story of the survival of the human spirit at its most base level. It is both appalling and inspiring. It is a must read. If you are not a humanitarian before you read it, you will be after you read it.
Must Read.......2007-06-27
Amazing!
This sad true account of the lives of the people of Southern Sudan is a must read.
Average customer rating:
- From Russia with Love
- slava mogutin
- Lost Boys of Russia
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Lost Boys
Slava Mogutin
Manufacturer: powerHouse Books
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ASIN: 1576873307 |
Book Description
Lost Boys, Slava Mogutin's first monograph, is a compelling collection of his portraits and landscapes taken over the past ten years—since he was exiled from Russia for "malicious hooliganism with exceptional cynicism and extreme insolence." Although it was his outspoken gay writing that angered the Soviet authorities, Mogutin's photographs caused just as much controversy. Provocative yet iconoclastic, his work transcends the conventions of male nude photography, confronting the viewer/voyeur with a raw style and new sensibility. A cross between porn and fashion, pop culture and marginal kink, Lost Boys is a poetic and sometimes raunchy journey into different obsessions and fetishes of the cosmopolitan urban youth culture. Crimean rasta boys, Russian wrestlers and military cadets, German skinheads, and football hooligans are among the subjects of these incendiary but intimate portraits.
Customer Reviews:
From Russia with Love.......2007-02-12
Slava Mogutin's Lost Boys is a unique combination of erotically charged imagery with a strong social and political context. Even though the geography of locations captured in this book includes a dozen of different countries, the most engaging and emotionally intense photographs perhaps come from Russia. Mogutin, who admitted in one of his interviews of having a "love-hate relationship" with his native country, refuses to follow a stereotypical western view of Russia as a totally grim and dysfunctional place; instead he shows us a different side of Russia that is colorful, sexy and full of youthful energy.
slava mogutin.......2007-02-12
this book is a dazzler. mogutin, in true russian style, has the eye of an artist & an anarchist, & this tension flashes from nearly every image in this fine book of photography. having lived in russia it's the only book of photography i've found along w/ lise sarfati's, acta est that begins to capture the disturbance & grace of that place. there's sex & artistry in this book that's both rare & brutal. if you're into new photographers it's a book you want.
Lost Boys of Russia.......2007-01-10
Even as Russia is a puzzle to most Americans, this photo book by Mogutin may puzzle as much as inform. Yet it is a new kind of photo essay, a sociological survey of a culture rapidly changing. It seemed the end of the Soviet Union was a political revolution, but if political the revolution is far from over. More, from 1917 to a decade ago Russia did not evolve, frozen by the power state. Well, now Russian society is evolving and it is not clear that the political state has any control of that change. This book shows one aspect of the spin that Russia is in: photographically interesting but sociologically fascinating.
RVMershart
Book Description
In 2000 the United States began accepting 3,800 refugees from one of Africa's longest civil wars. They were just some of the thousands of young men, known as "Lost Boys," who had been orphaned or otherwise separated from their families in the chaos of a brutal conflict that has ravaged Sudan since 1983. The Lost Boys of Sudan focuses on four of these refugees. Theirs, however, is a typical story, one that repeated itself wherever the Lost Boys could be found across America. Jacob Magot, Peter Anyang, Daniel Khoch, and Marko Ayii were among 150 or so Lost Boys who were resettled in Atlanta. Like most of their fellow refugees, they had never before turned on a light switch, used a kitchen appliance, or ridden in a car or subway train-much less held a job or balanced a checkbook. We relive their early excitement and disorientation, their growing despondency over fruitless job searches, adjustments they faced upon finally entering the workforce, their experiences of post-9/11 xenophobia, and their undying dreams of acquiring an education.
As we immerse ourselves in the Lost Boys' daily lives, we also get to know the social services professionals and volunteers, celebrities, community leaders, and others who guided them-with occasional detours-toward self-sufficiency. Along the way author Mark Bixler looks closely at the ins and outs of U.S. refugee policy, the politics of international aid, the history of Sudan, and the radical Islamist underpinnings of its government. America is home to more foreign-born residents than ever before; the Lost Boys have repaid that gift in full through their example of unflagging resolve, hope, and faith.
Customer Reviews:
Must Read.......2007-01-27
I will refrain from giving a summary of the book, as a couple of other reviewers did a nice job of that previously. I will offer a few brief impressions of this work.
Having obtained a degree in African studies in the 1990s, I was well aware of the issues facing Sudan and the history of the civil wars in the country. Many times material I read about Africa is erroneous to some degree in its reporting of events. Bixler gets things right in "The Lost Boys of Sudan." Additionally, he does a nice job of weaving historical context into the story he tells of the young men from Sudan. I was expecting a couple of introductory chapters that would serve as a mini history lesson, but Bixler chose not to go that route. Instead, he took the time to skillfully give historical context as it was merited in the story of the "Lost Boys."
The actual story of the four young men is compelling enough on the surface, but Bixler doesn't try to glorify the subjects of the book, rather he tells it like he observes it. He writes in a manner that makes for an easy read, and allows the reader to get a good picture of the lives of these men.
There are now quite a few films and books about the Lost Boys, and I strongly recommend viewing one of the DVDs on this topic either before or after you read this book. While Bixler paints a really colorful picture with his words, nothing can take the place of actually viewing the camp from which they came and the people themselves.
Of all the books I have read on this subject, Bixler's is the one I recommend the most for a person interested in the "Lost Boys." It does a great job of giving the reader a lucid account of the story of the Lost Boys in America and the circumstances from which they came.
Modern slavery, boy soldiers and African Diaspora.......2006-07-05
This is a fascinating account of how orphaned Sudanese displaced in struggles with northern miltias, found new lives in the US. The volume is particularly useful because it shows the connection between wars of religion and region, the slaving expeditions conducted by janjaweed Islamic militias, and the politics of recruiting for rebel liberation movements in the south. Short on arms, money, soldiers and international sympathy, the southern Sudanese seek international attention to the problems of post-colonial boundaries and rights. They have learned to use the politics of refugee camps to leverage attention and forces. The fortitude of these survivors is amazing, no matter how complicated the story of their displacement turns out to be.
Full review of Bixler's book.......2006-01-22
The Lost Boys of Sudan: An American Story of the Refugee Experience, by Mark Bixler. The University of Georgia Press, 2005. Pp. 261.
The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God (Leviticus 19:34)
Imagine a cluster of tall, thin Sudanese young men waiting in an airport in Washington D.C. They are all wearing the same sweatshirt. They have spent the past four or five years of their life in refugee camps in Ethiopia. This is their first time traveling by air, seeing the U.S., eating chocolate. They are separated from their parents by war or death. They seem, as Mark Bixler remarks, "to have been plucked from another era and dropped into the hustle and bustle of contemporary America" (96). They anticipate another flight to Atlanta, Georgia, where they will begin a life they have been anticipating for some time- hard work in the hopes of saving up money, passing the GRE, attending college, and making a new life.
And it just so happens that other boys like them, also from the Sudan, have been featured on the CBS program 60 Minutes II and in The New York Times Magazine. On CBS you learn that these young men are committed to hard work so they can receive an education. Bob Simon in the 60 Minutes interview asks one young man how many hours he wants to work. The answer: Sixteen hours a day. Why? The answer: I need to have money so that I can go to school. In the New York Times, we see these opening words: This is snow. This is a can opener. This is a life free from terror." These are untypical, sympathetic men entering what is for them a strange new world. As a result, there are more than your typical number of volunteers calling up refugee resettlement agencies across the country asking, "Are y'all resettling these guys?"
Not all refugee groups coming to the U.S. receive the kind of media attention the Lost Boys of Sudan have received. In fact, most refugees arrive in the U.S. without any attention at all from the press. This is not surprising. Refugees have over the course of history been a marginalized people, and their "refugee" status has not always been recognized as such. In fact, the idea of a refugee as someone who needs protection from the state did not become prevalent until early in the last century. It was not until the formation of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees that a thorough definition of who a refugee is and how they should be treated was established.
A working definition of a refugee, one embraced by the U.N. as well as U.S. refugee policy, is summarized by Mark Bixler: "[A] person who has left his or her country and cannot or does not want to return because of a credible fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a social or ethnic group" (77). "Credible fear" is a general term that in the particular can mean a host of different things. The credible fear for these young men was often a mix of ethnic and religious persecution.
Their "credible fear" is often accompanied by an incredible story. These boys, many of them Dinka cattle herders, heard or witnessed men with rifles shooting their neighbors or family. So they fled east towards Ethiopia, often walking hundreds of miles, starving and thirsty, fending off lions when they crossed deserts and alligators when they swam rivers. Finally, they arrived dazed and half-dead at refugee camps set up by the UNHCR. They lived in these camps for years, receiving some education and a bit of food, waiting to be offered shelter by the U.S. or another nation.
In addition, most of them would come to the U.S. as "unaccompanied minors"- that is, minors who are admitted as refugees without accompanying parents or adult family members. Their status as unaccompanied minors makes them doubly important in the current conversation going on about refugee rights and resettlement.
So to the book. Bixler narrates the experience of a group of four Lost Boys (p. 16-35, 111-210), examines the historical realities that make modern Sudan what it is (p. 56-74), explores the phenomenon of "selective compassion" as it influences our refugee admissions policies (p. 75-80), tells the refugee tale as seen from the perspective of those in charge of admissions (p. 81-94), and tells the refugee tale again as seen from the perspective of those who volunteer with them (p. 95-110). It concludes with a summary chapter, the status at the time of writing of the refugees and the country from which they fled.
Bixler's brief history of the development of international policies for the treatment of refugees (pages 75-80) is just one shining example of why this book should be read not only by those interested in the Lost Boys of Sudan, but by anyone interested in the American story of the refugee experience. Two recent and relatively popular books have presented the refugee experience from, respectively, a literary and sociological perspective: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Ann Fadiman; The Middle of Everywhere, by Mary Pipher. Bixler's unique contribution as a journalist is his telling of a compelling story of these brave young men that also captures the entire breadth of the refugee experience. Bixler's approach is multi-faceted, narrating not only the personal experience of some of the Lost Boys, but also examining U.S. refugee policy and the political situation in Sudan past and present.
Any adequate account of the method, means, and reasons for refugee resettlement by organizations like Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (for which I am an Ambassador and volunteer) is an adequate understanding of the situation itself. Most of us simply have an inadequate understanding of who refugees are (because they come from another place and diverse cultures), how they get here (because the governmental and social agencies involved in their settlement are themselves complex, not to mention busy processing refugees), and what needs to be done for and with them once they arrive (because it is the ever-recurring sin of second and third and sixth generation immigrants to fail to understand the immigrants and refugees who come later than themselves).
Bixler's book goes a long way towards remedying these deficiencies in our understanding. Since his book follows some of the Lost Boys through their first two years of life in the U.S., we learn not only about their initial culture shock, but also about their first jobs, their enrollment in places of learning, their search for lost family, and their common life together. Bixler also observes, often with the candor only a reporter can muster, the relationship between volunteers, relief agencies, and the Lost Boys.
As a Lutheran pastor and Ambassador for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), I was especially pleased to see that LIRS received positive mention by Bixler as an agency that provides exemplary care, especially for unaccompanied minors.
A story well told cannot be summarized, and this is true of Bixler's book. I cannot commend it highly enough. When I speak to church groups about the refugee experience and the ministry of LIRS, I am often at a loss how to share in a short amount of time all that is entailed in refugee resettlement. Book recommendations are my solution to that dilemma. Bixler's book is now at the top of my list.
Interesting Reading.......2005-07-27
Learned a lot about the area of Sudan and trials that a refugee faces cominginto the US when not working with a host family.
Great read!.......2005-06-07
The story of the Lost Boys of Sudan is like no other story ever told. It is a story about thousands of young children, particularly young boys, who became separated from their families due to the long running civil war between the North and South of Sudan. In all, these children walked over a thousand miles across the wilds of Africa in search of safe refuge. Their journey was a long and arduous one filled with suffering and horrors beyond ones imagination.
Through the skilled style of Atlanta journalist Mark Bixler, "The Lost Boys of Sudan" weaves their story with that of other refugees and immigrants who have also settled in our country, while never trivializing their incredible plight. And although "The Lost Boys of Sudan" focuses on four young men living in Atlanta Georgia, their stories are similar to those of approximately 3800 other Lost Boys who have resettled in various cities across the US. Like those in Atlanta, they too have had to come to grips with the fascinating sights and wonders of this strange land called America, while attempting to blend within our society. For the first time in their lives they are forced to work full time jobs in order to support themselves and those they left behind, while also attending school. The task of surviving in this strange and foreign land has proven difficult at best. The results of their labors however, as chronicled by Bixler, are both amazing and truly inspiring to us all.
Joan Hecht
Author of "The Journey of the Lost Boys"
Book Description
Imagine you're a young boy—maybe as young as three or four—separated from your family by civil war, traversing deserts and mountains with little food or water, no medical care, and no protection from wild animals. Imagine watching hundreds of boys perish around you from hunger, disease, or attacks by enemy soldiers and wild animals. To most of us, it is unimaginable, but this was reality for "The Lost Boys of Sudan," thousands of young boys who were separated from their families and forced to walk approximately 1,000 miles to reach safe refuge from war and certain death.
For the first time, this award winning book offers readers a chronological timeline of the epic journey taken by these children, beginning in their rural villages of Southern Sudan and ending with their arrival as young men to the United States. Narrated through the voice of Joan Hecht, one of their American mentors, whom they lovingly call "mom" or "Mama Joan;" "The Journey of the Lost Boys" is a compelling story of courage, faith and the sheer determination to survive by a group of young orphaned boys. Because of Joan Hecht's personal relationship with them, she is able to portray their story in a way that most famous reporters and authors cannot. In addition to her extensive research of the political and historical events surrounding the long lasting civil war in Sudan, are the heart-rending personal stories and original drawings of the boys themselves. A must read for anyone interested in the the true story of the Lost Boys of Sudan!
Customer Reviews:
The tragedy of the children of Sudan.......2007-03-31
I can only summarize my comment about this book in a few words. The author Joan Hecht did a wonderful task in narrating the frightening and heartbreaking experience of the thousands of lost boys of the Sudan,Africa's largest country. Their dangerous journey involving thousands of miles in a very hostile landscape is incredible. The author's very kind heart,sincere consideration and admiration for these children is worth more than all the gold of the world. Very highly recommended for young and old.
Learning about Sudan? START HERE.......2006-10-15
This is the book you need to read if you are unfamiliar with the background of the issues in Sudan, the Lost Boys, and the issues faced by refugees who come to America. Ms. Hecht might not be an " academic", but she is the person with an enormous amount of first hand information on these subjects, and she breaks it down into managable pieces. Even if you are knowledgable on these subjects, this book is still useful as a clarifying tool. Ms. Hecht is also very committed, and that comes through on every page.
OUTSTANDING BOOK .......2006-08-11
Readers of this book will be touched by the stories of these incredible young men, who, at an early age, were separated from their parents and families. The atrocities witnessed by the boys are unspeakable. The author has provided the readers with stories that make those who have lived a life without fear take a new appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States.
A good term paper.......2006-07-26
The endless conflict in Sudan is another calamity that the press should have been bombarding us with daily for years. A tragedy of such dimensions should torment our collective conscience. This is exactly why it deserves a better telling than Ms. Hecht is able to offer us. The writing is amateurish and the text cries out for the editing it appears not to have been subjected to. Easy streamlining and the correction of some grammatical errors would make the book more readable and more powerful. Ms. Hecht's devotion to the cause of the Lost Boys is clearly sincere and praiseworthy, however, and she does deserve thanks for contributing to making us aware of the atrocities that go on in the world while we turn the other way.
An accurate, heartfelt and well-written account.......2006-06-28
Joan Hecht's "Journey" is in this reviewer's opinion the most interesting and accurate book available on the topic of the Lost Boys. As a former foster father to one of the lost boys and a fellow author and researcher, I recommend the book without hesitation. It presents an extraordinarily complicated situation in a manner that is comprehensible, fascinating and accurate. It gives the reader a true sense of the horror, courage and hope that has gripped a generation of young Sudanese men.
For its rare photos, clear and organized presentation and sincere prose, I highly recommend this informative and inspiring book and thank the author for her outstanding efforts.
Book Description
"Remarkable--. What sets
Lost Boys apart from the ordinary lament is the author's palpable sense of care and compassion."--The Washington Post Book World
In the past few years our national consciousness has been altered by haunting images of mass slaughters in American high schools, carried out by troubled young boys with guns. It's now clear that no matter where we live or how hard we try as parents, our children are likely to be going to school with boys who are capable of getting guns and pulling triggers. What has caused teen violence to spread from the urban war-zones of large cities right into the country's heartland? And what can we do to stop this terrifying trend?
James Garbarino, Ph.D., Cornell University professor and nationally noted psychologist, insists that there are things that we, both as individuals and as a society, can do. In a richly anecdotal style he outlines warning signs that parents and teachers can recognize, and suggests steps that can be taken to turn angry and unhappy boys away from violent action. Full of insight, vivid individual portraits, practical advice and considered hope, this is one of the most important and original books ever written about boys.
Download Description
It seems children are more violent and angry than ever before. Does our society make it difficult for them to stay out of trouble? Are neglectful, abusive, absent parents to blame? Does easy access to guns actually drive boys to violence? Faced with school-based shootings in communities as diverse as rural Jonesboro, Arkansas, and suburban Springfield, Oregon, people are waking up to the truth -- the current explosion of gratuitous homicidal violence is neither an anomaly nor about other people's children. It is nothing less than a wave of epidemic violence among our youth. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. James Garbarino presents stunning new insights into the growing number of boys who kill. Drawing on twenty-five years of work with children and families, he shows that no matter where we live or how good we are as parents, chances are our children are going to school with troubled boys capable of getting guns and pulling the triggers.
Customer Reviews:
Some information unconscionably misrepresented.......2006-09-06
I worked as a documentary producer for some time in the 90's and came to have some first-hand knowledge of one of the cases James Garbarino discusses in this book, that of Shareef Cousin, a New Orleans teen who was once the youngest person ever to be on death row in the US.
Garbarino presents Cousin as a prime example of how a child can fall into a life of violence and murder for lack of a father figure. Problem: Shareef Cousin was not violent and did not murder anyone. His case is one of the most famous US cases of a totally innocent person, in this case a child, landing up on death row. Cousin was actually on several home videotapes taken at the time of the crime playing in a basketball game at a distant community center. Authorities were well aware of this evidence at the time of his trial but suppressed the information, and, in the meantime, coerced Cousin into confessing to a robbery he also couldn't have committed in order to keep him in prison after he was taken off death row. (He's out now, all charges dropped and convictions overturned, and he's a fine, upstanding citizen.). His story is not one of a fatherless boy falling into a life of crime, but of racism and corruption in the New Orleans DA'S office.
If you use the Amazon search feature to view Garbarino's references to Cousin's case in this book, you'll see he gives the impression he interviewed Cousin at length to get all sorts of insight into how his childhood circumstances made him a murderer. He even intimates that Shareef more or less admitted guilt. This is sheer rubbish. From day one, Cousin, his wonderfully supportive family, and numerous witnesses proclaimed his innocence to anyone and everyone who would listen. And by the time this book was published, his murder conviction was being overturned and he was well on his way to being cleared of the sham robbery charges. I find it hard to believe Garbarino was unaware of Sharif's innocence when he wrote this section of the book. But he needed Cousin to be guilty, being the picture-perfect fatherless black kid and all, in order to support his shallow, pop-psychological theories on boys and violence, so he completely misrepresented this child and his situation.
Such a lack of respect for people and for the truth makes all the other anecdotes and "data" in this book highly suspect. What a shame because this is such an important topic that really needs to be addressed by an author of intellectual and personal integrity. -- If Garbarino is their only advocate, the Lost Boys will most likely remain lost.
Nothing new or enlightening.......2004-07-23
You'll find nothing new in this book; social cues, abuse, cycle of violence, shame, role models, etc. Perhaps it was new news in 1999, but no longer. The author's brain seems to connect items which have nothing to do with each other, and in a judgmental way. See page 151, he makes a severe and inappropriate judgment of a person's reaction to imminent death, and attempts to make an outrageous connection to "being in touch with your soul." Don't waste your money. I'm sure you can find it in a local library and peruse it, but I doubt you'll get much out if it. Unless you're a sheltered Psych 101 student who has never watched the news.
Really good!.......2004-05-27
This book is great,it does not only inform you but it also makes you think. I have thought of how I've treated people and how hopefully I have not hurt anyone because I know that it might affect someone in the long run. I just hope more people would read this book and learn how important it is to not only hear about your childs day, but actually listen. Sometimes your own kid might have problems at school but you're too busy to pay attention, and when the school calls you to tell you your child has been "bad" you immediately start to think of punishments when you should start thinking of why they were "bad" and if there is anything you can do to help them.
Mixed Messages With Some Good Content.......2002-07-15
James Garbarino does an excellent job of understanding youth violence and putting it into its historical and social contexts. However, he works so hard to understand the origins of youth violence that he buys everything these sociopaths sell. He struggles to hold on to his objectivity and not be won over to the dark side, but the book ends up being a criminal defense lawyer's dream-come-true. Garbarino explains to the point of excusing the violence, then keeps backtracking to find his own, and society's, values regarding violence. This book is informative and useful, but have plenty of grains of salt on hand, and be careful and critical, while reading it. Despite all my reservations, I do recommend this to professionals who can put it into proper perspective and be (more) objective (than the author), or to anyone who is willing to read this book as part of a package that, overall, will give the reader a more rounded view of the subject matter.
solid research.......2002-07-01
The ability to get behind the eyes of troubled kids and see the world from their perspective is invaluable for anyone struggling to understand why kids find themselves in such situations. Dr Garbarino's book also validates the social programs created by schools to encourage the inclusion of everyone. I am already seeing a resurgence of school based student assistance programs and support group activities. Thanks for your meticulous effort. "Meticulous" is the right word, as these kids are not easy to reach. They have been socially "walled out" for so long that they have learned not to trust anyone. Anyone (parent, school staff or another student) who tries to connect will find that their communication structure takes alot of "wait time" and patience - just to make sense of what is being said. It is worth the wait.
Average customer rating:
- Best childrens book
- Great read-aloud!
- Realistic to an extreme.
- The land I lost , written by Huynh Quang Nhuong( Author)
- the land i lost.
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The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam (Harper Trophy Book)
Quang Nhuong Huynh
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
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Similar Items:
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Water Buffalo Days: Growing Up in Vietnam
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Goodbye, Vietnam
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Li Lun, Lad of Courage (The Newbery Honor Roll)
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Daughter of the Mountains (Newbery Library, Puffin)
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Children of the Dragon: Selected Tales from Vietnam
ASIN: 0064401839 |
Book Description
The land I love was lost to me forever.
These stories are my memories....
Huynh Quang Nhuong grew up in the highlands if Vietnam, next to the jungle teeming with wildlife. Encounters with tigers, wild hogs, and deadly snakes were as much a part of his life as tending the rice fields while on the back of his pet water buffalo, Tank. Here are fifteen tale that will transport you into a world of lush beauty and terrible danger -- and a way of life that is gone forever.
Customer Reviews:
Best childrens book.......2007-03-15
I have bought at least 10 copies of this book thru the years. I give one to all my friends with children 8+ years. The stories are truly amazing and great for adults as well.
Great read-aloud!.......2006-07-14
We loved this book! My kids begged me NOT to finish our read-aloud time! We were glued to this book and ended up reading it a lot quicker than expected. It is graphic and true to life...read to young ones with caution!
Realistic to an extreme........2006-01-04
I am the daughter of a Vietnam veteran and my entire life I have grown up hearing stories of how dreadful it was to be there and how scary it was to be in a foreign land. Quang Huynh gave me a new perspective on this foreign land and made me see it as a very unique place with his relationships with his animals, family, and insight into his culture. This book was terribly sad, and at times it is a bit too real for one to handle. It is very well written and the stories are captivating. I reccomend everyone read it for a rare insight on Vietnam before the war.
The land I lost , written by Huynh Quang Nhuong( Author).......2004-01-16
This Adventure story is full of dangerous fun and sorrow. Huynh Quang Nhuong lives in a small hamlet (village)in the central high lands of vietnam. The hamlet he lives in has a jungle on one side in which they must watch for jungle cats, lone hogs and the most dangerous the horse snake. And on the other is a river which Crocodiles live in. Many of the crocodiles are man eaters like mister short. In the begin of the story you meet Tank the Water bufflo. Tank isn't your regular water bufflo. He is bred between a lowland female because it would be patient and A moutainous bull so it would have the fierce fighting able.
The reason I choose this book was because love the outdoors. when I six years old I live in a village in Alaska and I hunted and fished all the time.
the land i lost........2003-12-18
The book I read is about the author's life. The author tells us about his experience with animals he met. The setting is a village where the author has lived. Anyway there is very important animal called Tank. Tank is a friend of the author but it's not human it's a cow.
There are some dangerous animals, too. The author describes his adventures and his story very nicely to make people know what's going on in the book. My opinion about this book is great. I liked his adventure, the other stories from his friend, etc. if you are interested in animals then you should read this before any other books.
Book Description
J. M. Barrie, novelist, playwright, and author of Peter Pan or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, led a life almost as magical and interesting as his famous creation. Childless in his marriage, Barrie grew close to the five young boys of the Llewelyn Davies family, ultimately becoming their guardian and devoted surrogate father when they were orphaned. Andrew Birkin draws extensively on a vast range of material by and about Barrie, including notebooks, memoirs, and hours of recorded interviews with the Llewelyn Davies family and their circle, to describe Barrie's life and the wonderful world he created for the boys. Originally published in 1979, this enchanting and richly illustrated account is reissued with a new preface to mark the release of Neverland, the film of Barrie's life, and the upcoming centenary of Peter Pan.
Customer Reviews:
Lovely and sad, the story behind "Peter Pan and the Lost boys".......2007-07-27
Having found this little book before the advent of the film "Finding Neverland" I was able to read it originally without comparing it to the film, always a good thing. The film, of course, changed much of the true story as films usually do. This book standing alone as far better, but note, it is not a happy story with a happy ending, it is a tragedy, and no one is left unscathed.
The photographs, almost all, were taken by Barrie himself, and are absolutely wonderful. He had a natural artistic sense, and his unposed photos of the five Llewelyn Davies boys, Michael, George, Peter, Jack, and Nico at their play, stay with you. They are dressed in the Edwardian clothes of the time, or in costumes they wore in the elaborate make-believe games they played with their childlike grownup friend Mr Barrie, and those are truly memorable in themselves. Often they are playing with J.M. Barrie's large dog, and one can't help but think of the big dog, Nanna, in Peter Pan, it's acutally quite eerie, seeing that the play "Peter Pan" itself wouldn't be written yet for years.
J.M. Barrie came from a lower class Scottish family, and in childhood lost an older brother to illness. His mother took to her bed griefstricken, for a long period, and once, trying to cheer her, young Barrie put on the older brother's clothes and went to see his mother. For just a moment she thought it was the older brother, and he seemed to see happiness in her eyes; for all his life, the message stayed with him, the boy who would never grow up was the loved boy.
He was a strange, brilliant, gentle, childlike man. Highly regarded in his own time, considered a great playwright, equivilent to George Barnard Shaw in his day; and very prosperous due to his books and plays, married, but childless, and probably not very happy in his marriage which would end in divorce, one day in Kensington Park he saw one of the five young Llewelyn Davies brothers. They struck up a friendship, based on Barrie being quite willing to talk to a child on the child's level. Soon after, he met the rest of the family, who were impressed to meet the famous playwright. Their family was also upper class, well to do, but would soon lose their father to cancer, they would thenceforth be in precarious financial straits. Barrie immediately became a combination father/ big brother to the boys. He also became close friends with their mother Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, but not, I suspect, to the degree the movie implies. It was all about the boys, their innocence, and something he wished to capture and hold on to. His obsessive photography of them makes that clear.
Tragedy struck again, unbelievably, when their mother died of cancer as well, at a young age, after a relatively brief illness. By then Barrie was such a part of their lives that his continued influence, and the benefit of his money in seeing to it that all five boys finished school in the manner befitting their "class", was accepted by the boys' extended family. He stayed involved in all their lives indefinitely, though it is interesting that he had his favorites, and the two who were not favorites resented and disliked him as they grew older.
The book stops with the boys' growing up, though he did stay involved with them as a surrogate parent. Tragedy did hound the family, but unlike some reviewers I am not sure that it can be blamed on JM Barrie's role in their lives. In fact, without him, financially they would have far worse off.
It is true the boy named Peter resented that the play was named "Peter Pan", and of course he was teased at school, and Barrie probably should have thought of that. (Of course without Barrie he most likely wouldn't have been at Eton to be teased.)
Two footnotes: all the proceeds of the play went to the Children's Hospital in London for 100 years, until recently with the 100 years anniversary, the copyright ran out, and now it is in the public domain. No proceeds of his biggest success ever went to Barrie.
Also, the girl's name: "Wendy", was first used in the play. It was an unknown name before that. Barrie used it in memory of a young daughter of a friend who was named Wendy, and who died at age 5. (Not known where that family got the name from, or if it was a nickname.) It was not a name known previously and "Peter Pan" popularized it.
Its an excellent book, an opening via the photographs into another long-gone time, a sad story, but not I believe, due to Barrie. I believe he meant well, and tried his best to be a friend to that unfortunate family. He had his demons as do we all, but to "love" children, in that era, to befriend them, and even play with them when they were pre-teens, could still occur without any implication of perversity; and even to sleep with a child, the concern of one reviewer, was, at the end of the Victorian world, seen as a pure and innocent act, like a parent and child might sleep together...I think it is hard for us in our cynical age to see things as the late Victorians/Edwardians did. No whisper of scandal or of anything improper ever came from any of the five boys, their family, servants, or anyone else connected with them; and I think had there been it certainly would have come to light. I believe he truly loved the boys, and they in turn, after he knew them several years, and had observed their play and their natural talk and style, influenced him to write his masterpiece "Peter Pan".
J.M.Barries and the Lost Boys: the real story behind Peter Pan.......2007-03-08
This is one of the bases for the movie "Wonderland" but reading this book will creep you out on J.M.Barrie. You might never really like Peter Pan again. Author had access to his papers, letter, diaries etc. Very weird stuff.
Sheds a new light on Peter Pan.......2006-11-03
I found this book to be a well-researched and moving account of not only Barrie's life but also the lives and deaths of the original "Lost Boys". After reading this book, I read Peter Pan again in a whole new light and enjoyed it even more. I think reading this book is essential in order to fully appreciate the entire Peter Pan experience as it truly helps to bring the characters alive.
Tragic loss of dear illusions . . ........2006-09-12
I read this book over 15 years ago in an attempt to find out who the author of Peter Pan really was, and what his life was like. It was not a pleasant or easy read. I wanted to forget all about it and just have the enchantment of "Peter Pan," but as with the real life of the author and photographer of "Alice in Wonderland," the truth can wound deeply. But lies and half-truths can never reveal the relationship between biography and art, so one must often face much disturbing information in order to understand the art itself. This is not to say that art is reducible to biography; it is not. There is, nevertheless, a kind of dialectic (God, I do hate to sound so gawdawful jargony, but when it so plain, other words just do not work) between the life of a genius and the art of the same individual. The truth of art can only come from the struggle between an artist's vision and the life that made such a vision a necessity. Yes, a necessity: there are those artists whose lives were so fraught with sheer catastrophe that revelation through a skewed fantasy can be so powerful as to take on a "life" of its own. And this is why it is so grievous to "paint-over" the unpleasant details of such a life. There was a recent film with an appropriately disturbing title: in the attempt to not really "find" Neverland in Barrie's life, the art itself is drained of its truly tragic roots. At the time such "nice" little fantasies are presented, they seem so harmless, but they are not. Successful attempts to eradicate truth can also eradicate the depth of the art itself. "Neverland" is a word that begs a little attention: a land where children "never grow up." This is not to say that they physically die - no - instead they live their lives, as did Barrie, in a desolate, lifeless, and desperately lonely "land" and try, from within their internal isolation, to bring others along for the rides to nowhere and "never." Where else could such a person bring another? If one lives in "Neverland" of the mind, there is nowhere else to lead another - nowhere else to go. And if we do not face unpleasant truths as they are revealed in the crucible where life and art meet, we learn nothing further from the art. It is better, actually, to know nothing of an artist's life than to be fed untruths. I would suggest the readers either read this book and/or see Peter Pan, but would urge them *not* to see Peter Pan after experiencing a false represenation - no matter how "well-performed" the falsehood is presented. The play or story would be meaningless. The truths, whatever you choose to make of them are here in this book, like it or not. And once the genie is out of the bottle (such as when you have been fed a disingenuous Hollywood film or other disingenuous account), to refrain from the truths of an artist's life is a violation of the art. No one can any longer understand or be truly moved by Peter Pan, much less try to interpret it based upon a sugar-coated Hollywood paint-job. And the effect goes on: if other artists were inspired by Barrie's work (perhaps because it touched the nerves of their own catastrophic lives), and all we have is a candy-coated film, their art and whatever in their lives might have inpired their interest in Barrie's work is also distorted. I do not know if truth sets anyone "free," but I do know that untruths distort and harm. And then the distortion goes on . . . This book cuts deep, but struggles for truths, which is what a biography of an artistic genius should try very hard to do.
Tragic and Beautiful .......2006-02-01
Prompted by the movie "Finding Neverland" I wanted to learn more about the Davies family and their relationship with Barrie. My research lead me to this book. The tragic story of the boys and Barrie was an eye opening read. Birkin is an artful weaver of ancedotes, interviews and history. While I was reading the book I got lost.I started feeling like I was an intimate friend of the families, instead of curious observer. Furthermore, Birkin's website has been updated with more pictures and media files. The website coupled with the book really saturates you into the life of the 5 boys and the mindof the man who loved them very much. A beautiful account of a flawed and tragic life.
Books:
- Window Art (Klutz)
- Wooden
- Ya Gotta Believe!: My Roller-Coaster Life as a Screwball Pitcher and Part-Time Father, and My Hope-Filled Fight Against Brain Cancer
- A Dignified Life: The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care, A Guide for Family Caregivers
- A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
- A Loss for Words: The Story of Deafness in a Family
- A Night of Questions: A Passover Haggadah
- A Short History of Nearly Everything: Special Illustrated Edition
- A Wing and a Prayer: A Message of Faith and Hope
- A Woman Rides the Beast: The Roman Catholic Church and the Last Days
Books Index
Books Home
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The Inheritance of Loss
The Emperor's Children (Vintage)
Suite Francaise
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
