They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky

by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak

I came across this book after I attended a presentation at my school about the Lost Boys of Sudan, where Alephonsion Deng spoke to us personally about his experience as a refugee. His story interested a great many of me and my friends, and we decided to buy the books that they were selling at ten dollars each. I'm very glad I got a chance to read it; there is a story here, a TRUE story, that speaks out to Americans with a very relevant, very present message.

This book is not a moral call to action, nor is it a heart-rendering tale that sends its readers on a guilt trip. The point of this book isn't to blame anyone for what happened to them; it is to let people know it is happening. It is simply a testimony of 3 boys who survived the Sudanese civil war, and witnessed things that no boy should ever have to witness.

Their descriptions of the fire bombs, the wild animals, the starvation, the despair, the callousness of the people around them, the utter loss of hope, are all told frankly and without any sentimental adjectives to try to appeal it to the readers. The narrating voice is simple, spoken in ways that even little children can understand, and talks about things that even adults may find a hard time comprehending. It is ironic, but also a very effective narration.

What I admired most about this book, though, was the fact that these boys were able to still talk, laugh, play, and have fun as boys even in the midst of all this chaos. Yes, these moments were few and far in between, but they were there, portraying their humanity in ways that bellied any sort of tragic and epic adventurous tone they could have adopted.

This is a book whose voice needs to be heard by the world.