Walking the Bowl

A True Story of Murder and Survival Among the Street Children of Lusaka

De: Chris Lockhart, Daniel Mulilo Chama

Narrado por: Hlonela Ngqwebo

For readers of Behind the Beautiful Forevers and Nothing to Envy, this is a breathtaking real-life story of four street children in contemporary Zambia whose lives are drawn together and forever altered by the mysterious murder of a fellow street child.

Based on years of investigative reporting and unprecedented fieldwork, Walking the Bowl immerses readers in the daily lives of four unforgettable characters: Lusabilo, a determined waste picker; Kapula, a burned-out brothel worker; Moonga, a former rock crusher turned beggar; and Timo, an ambitious gang leader. These children navigate the violent and poverty-stricken underworld of Lusaka, one of Africa’s fastest growing cities.

When the dead body of a ten-year-old boy is discovered under a heap of garbage in Lusaka’s largest landfill, a murder investigation quickly heats up due to the influence of the victim’s mother and her far-reaching political connections. The children’s lives become more closely intertwined as each child engages in a desperate bid for survival against forces they could never have imagined.

Gripping and fast-paced, the book exposes the perilous aspects of street life through the eyes of the children who survive, endure and dream there, and what emerges is an ultimately hopeful story about human kindness and how one small good deed, passed on to others, can make a difference in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Wonderful book; Excellent narrator

This was a beautifully written story based on years of research and experience by a team working in Lusaka. The characters are incredibly compelling, the plot draws you in and the prose is beautiful. I loved the narrator's style and voice. At first I wondered if the accent would prove distracting to me, but his beautiful voice and cadence carries you along in the story and his accent serves to place you firmly in the setting. Highly recommend!

Heartbreaking but with a dash of hope

I bought this book because i had an intuition about how different the lives of street children in Zambia would be from suburban America. Those differences were stark - even having listened to stories of others growing up in poverty (like Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime) didn’t prepare me for it.

Even so, the children keep on living. Despite the system crushing them and the (almost) absence of hope. I found myself still listening to find out what happened each of the several street youth characters, even the anti-heroes.

Docked points on the performance because the narrator volume came out pretty uneven - I had to keep cranking the car stereo up and down to hear properly.

Heartbreaking, Unforgettable, Stumning

This most incredible piece of literary journalism I have ever read. Despite all the darkness and evil in this book, the beauty of kindness looms larger. Having lived in South Africa, I am overwhelmed by the raw honesty of this story. To those who wrote it, to those who walked the bowl, I am forever in awe of you.

Amazing.

Heartbreaking and also very bittersweet. I enjoyed the storytelling in the book so much. I highly recommend this for anyone. Even when it seems all hope is lost there is always a bit hope. Just such a wonderful story of hope and kindness in the midst of darkness and despair.

Gripping and Informative

This book uses the narrative of a murder among street children to cast a light on the plight of children in quickly mushrooming African urban areas. It is most powerful as a window on the systemic exploitation rife in the world and the feble response of NGOs and governments. Walking the Bowl is a bit less satisfying as art being heavy-handed at times as obvious themes are driven home repeatedly. Over all this was an enjoyable read by a skilled narrator.