What is the What

Holy Moses.  This book was incredibly difficult to read.  It was amazing, but incredibly difficult.  I like reading books dealing with refugee issues (as if you couldn't tell by the steady slew of reviews of such books); while the stories told by such books are heart-wrenching, there is usually a silver lining toward the end (i.e. the refugee is resettled or the situation improves in their home country so they are able to be repatriated).  Those books usually end there; they don't go in details about their resettlement experience.  What is the What however, does an excellent job of not only discussing Achak's experience in Sudan but also his experience as a refugee in the United States.  And wow, does it give me motivation and encouragement to do my job and do it well.

What is the What is technically classified as a novel, although everything in the book is historically accurate.  Ahack (the narrator) explains that since many specific events in Sudan happened when he was such a young boy, he and the author (the friggin' amazing Dave Eggers) determined to simply call the book a novel.  Achak opens his story not with his boyhood in Sudan, but as an adult living in Atlanta as a refugee- as one of the famous "Lost Boys", in fact.  The tone of the book is determined from the beginning; he is not triumphant and successful after coming to America.  He is struggling with school, work, and acceptance by the American people.  Achak's story flows smoothly between his experiences in the United States and his trek across Sudan into Ethiopia and back again as a young boy.  Both stories are amazing examples of the resiliency of the human spirit and the courage to not only survive, but to do something far more difficult: to hope.

I encourage you to read this book.  You will not only glean more understanding about the situation in Sudan (including Darfur), but you will also get a glimpse of the refugee perspective of America.  And while Achak is grateful for his chance to live in America, his experience here is not always the fairy tale ending to a painful and difficult childhood.  After one incident, he writes, "We refugees can be celebrated one day, helped and lifted up, and then utterly ignored by all when we prove to be a nuisance.  When we find trouble here, it is invariably our own fault."  Friends, let us not ignore those around us- and not just only the refugee- who are hurting and in end of help.  Let us refrain from judging those who are different or new to our country and culture.  Let us not heap burning coals upon their scarred heads and battered hearts.  Instead, let us offer healing hands and hope.  Practically speaking, this offering of hope will look different from community to community and person to person.  On the whole however, simply look for ways you can help the marginalized and the down-trodden.  Sometimes all it takes is the time to simply listen to their story, to understand their situation, and to be their friend.  The smallest of things can bring the greatest of hopes.

Don't forget to enter the SpendYourself giveaway!  Blog about SpendYourself to get two entries and to inspire hope!