Nov

13

Book Review – They Poured Fire On Us From The Sky

Posted by maureen

November 13, 2006 |

George Clooney has recently turned his focus to more challenging issues. Clooney urged the United Nations Security Council to take action in the troubled region of Darfur in Sudan. To get an understanding of the depth of the tragedy that is a daily occurrence in the Sudan, you should read “They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky” What is so remarkable about this book is that it is an astonishing true story and was written, in turn by three boys Benjamin and his seven-year-old cousins Alephonsion and Benson. It’s the story of three boys who struggle to survive civil war in the Sudan. It starts with an account of life before any of the boys knew the reality of war: of their families and their way of life in the village. As the civil war gets closer and threatens the boys’ villages their parents tell them that they must be quiet and quickly run into the bush to hide if their village is attacked. After the first sounds of gunshots and explosions, the boys see smoke and dust from burning huts. As they ran into the bush they had no idea how much their lives were about to change. Thus their incredible journey began: it began as a flight from the soldiers and became a journey in search of refuge. It took them, and tens of thousands of young boys, collectively know as “The Lost Boys from Sudan”, from Sudan to Ethiopia and back again. Ethiopia turned out to be worse than Sudan. Most of them traveled on foot with just the clothes on their backs, others had nothing at all. The boys struggled against unimaginable odds and constant hunger. They often wondered if they would ever see their families and villages again. They had to survive life threatening illnesses that were prevalent along the way, yellow fever, malaria and dysentery. They had to find the strength to carry on even after seeing starving adults do the unthinkable and take food from children ‘s hands. It was a journey that offered only the smallest of kindnesses to sustain them along the way and the emotional lift that came from finding or making a friend. The boys eventually make their way to safety and then to America through the U.N. agency. This is a shocking and powerful book. It’s about human survival and the spirit to overcome against all odds. I cried more than once while I read it and was genuinely relieved at the end. Unbelievable!FIVE STAR RATING


This book is available from most bookstores or on-line at: Amazon Barnes and Noble


Comments

2 Comments so far

  1. Garry on November 28, 2006 2:06 pm

    wow. It’s hard to imagine how these kids could survive all of that. It would be very interesting to know how they are doing in a few years.

  2. Maureen on November 29, 2006 7:03 pm

    Garry . The boys live in California and continue to speak about their struggle. They are in their mid-twenties now

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Speak your mind

<< Post Navigation >>

« « Romantic Vacations – Our Top Eight List | Retirement Income Planning – My Guiding Principles » »