What Is the What

By: Dave Eggers

Narrated by: Dion Graham

Length: 20 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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.

“A testament to the triumph of hope over experience, human resilience over tragedy and disaster.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"An absolute classic. . . . Compelling, important, and vital to the understanding of the politics and emotional consequences of oppression.” —People

©2006 Dave Eggers (P)2007 BBC Audiobooks America

Critic reviews

"Engrossing." ( Publishers Weekly)

Odyssey of Innocence

This very affecting book, excellently narrated, effectively emphasizes not only the miserable experiences of the "lost boys " in Africa but highlights the violence done to them in bringing them out and then dropping them on metaphorical and actual street corners to fend for themselves. Their profound culture shock leaves them totally vulnerable to the worst predation. And it's all done with the best of intentions.

Definitely worth a listen

The main character is not inspirational as a literary figure; but as a human being he is extremely impressive.

Loved it!

The is book exceeded my expectations by giving a glimpse in Deng's life. This book was a heartbreaking look at the victims of civil war.

Powerful, whimsical, emotive

This is a wonderfully moving story, and an amazing narration. This story covers quite difficult personal times, and portrays a full array of emotions throughout. A beautiful insight into a journey I prior did not know much about.

Beautiful

Beautiful novel and beautiful performance. This book will put privilege into perspective for those that struggle with the concept.

Superb

Stunning narration. Masterful approach.

I had the privilege of meeting some of these boys from Sudan.

Amazing book!

Just a phenomenal book, a must listen too or read! Makes one not forget to always be humble.

Good book, worth the listen....

Interesting novel. Not big on novels but someone suggested this so I tried it out, probably will listen to again at some point ....

Writing compensated for by source material

Epic in scope, but told in a very personal, down-to-earth fashion. The material itself is striking. Even if you've been aware of what happened in the Sudan, I expect hearing about what the people endured as part of the story of an individual life would still be eye-opening. I wasn't that well-informed, so it was certainly interesting for me.

Despite the excellent source matter, however, the story is somewhat crudely told. While Eggers has a fantastic sense of voice and really personalizes all of the characters, the overall handling of the plot arc felt clumsy and gimmicky at times, and the way the historical material is introduced through the Valentino's present-day inner monologue addressed at various people in his daily life gets to be a tired trick after a while. Also, the attempt to include everything possible about the Sudanese people's experiences in this one person's individual story leads to a certain straining of plausibility after a while that's only partly explained away by having the other characters themselves remark that God must have something against him. The pacing of the context switches seems slightly off in a way that often leaves you wanting to hear more about the part you're not hearing about now, whichever part that may be. There are a couple of things which are introduced multiple times during the course of the story in a way that seems more accidental than artistic, and oddly, given that at several points the story felt a little long, the book eventually just sort of ... stops, dropping the story in an unsatisfying fashion.

That said, the source material is so compelling that even a muddled rendition of it provides for an extremely worthwhile read, and Dion Graham does a riveting job as the narrator, with excellent voices for most of the characters and a fantastic command of the cadence and character of the principal character's voice that makes the book wonderful to hear.

Extraordinary

I wasn't sure this book could add much to "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ismael Beah, but it does. Both books are extraordinaryl and left me shaken and yet joyous in the respect I felt for the Sudanese and the people from Sierra Leone (as represented by these authors). Beah's book takes place over a shorter time period. Egger's book traces the boy's life fleeing the soldiers, surviving, the long trek to Ethiopi, and 10 years in a refugee camp. It also covers some painful years inthe US. The book begins when he's 6 or 7; near the end, he is close to 30. The suffering of the Sudanese, the people from Sierra Leone, and people in in many parts of Africa is part of our history as well. The books make their situation much more mutli-dimensional than the photos and news reports from the area I've seen. I reccommend everyone read both of these books for the information and for the range of feelings they evoke. They are great literature and truth.