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Dave Eggers, Dave Eggers: What Is the What (Hardcover, 2006, McSweeney's)

What Is the What is the epic novel based on the life of Valentino Achak …

Review of 'What Is the What' on 'Goodreads'

Again, not sure if I would have been able to read this in paper from (yay audiobooks!). The book tells the tale of Valentino Achak Deng that fled Sudan as a refugee and became part of the 'lost boys' before eventually moving to the US. Clearly this book poses some moral questions. The subtitle is 'The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng', but it is not. It is a novel by Dave Eggers. Why is he not credited as author on a book that is his autobiography? Why would Eggers need to write a story when Deng could have written it himself, maybe with the help of Eggers? But on the other hand... would I have read it if not being a book by Eggers, whom I idolized as a child? I guess not...

In any case, I learned a lot about refugees and the was in Sudan from this book and of course it is also an amazing story of perseverance and courage.