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Content snapshot
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Violence
Very heavy
Extreme war violence including the deaths of children; village massacres; the brutality of the Sudanese civil war is depicted in detail throughout
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Barely any
No significant sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
Extreme and sustained psychological trauma from witnessing war atrocities as a child; survivor's guilt across decades; the horror of displacement and what it costs to rebuild a life
What this book is about
Valentino Achak Deng survived the Second Sudanese Civil War, the death of his village, the death march, years in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, and finally America—where he was robbed and held captive on his first night in Atlanta. Dave Eggers's fictionalized memoir, developed in close collaboration with Deng himself, is one of the most remarkable survivor stories in recent literature. The war sections depicting Valentino's flight as a boy—the burning village, the march, the crocodiles, the attacks by soldiers and lions—are among the most harrowing pages in contemporary American fiction.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Extreme war violence including the deaths of civilians and children
Village massacres and displacement depicted in harrowing detail
Survivor trauma sustained throughout the narrative
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