- United States in fiction, Sudanese in fiction, Sudan Civil War, 1983-2005, Valentino Achak deng in fiction
*What Is the What* is the epic novel based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng who, along with thousands of other children--the so-called Lost Boys--was forced to leave his village in Sudan at the age of seven and trek hundreds of miles by foot, pursued by militias, government bombers, and wild animals, crossing the deserts of three countries to find freedom. When he finally is resettled in the United States, he finds a life full of promise, but also heartache and myriad new challenges. Moving, suspenseful, and unexpectedly funny, What Is the What is an astonishing novel that illuminates the lives of millions through one extraordinary man. --From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Character
Epic, earnest, overwhelming and contemporary.
- intimateepic
- earnestironic
- cooloverwhelming
- contemporarynostalgic
- gravecomic
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About the book
- Author
- Dave Eggers
- First published
- 2006
- Pages
- 475
- Publisher
- BBC Audiobooks America, Audiogo, Penguin Books, Limited
- Editions
- 26
- Language
- English, Dutch, French, heb
- ISBN
- 9780141015743
Where to read
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On Open Library, 17 have read it and 39 want to.
Dave Eggers (born March 12, 1970) is an American writer, editor, and publisher. His 2000 memoir, *A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,* became a bestseller and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Eggers is also the founder of several literary and philanthropic ventures, including the literary journal *Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern,* the literacy project *826 Valencia,* and the human rights non-profit organisation Voice of Witness. Additionally, he founded ScholarMatch, a program that connects donors with students needing funds for college tuition. His writing has appeared in publications including *The New Yorker, Esquire,* and *The New York Times Maga
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