I’m in the reading zone these days. Almost a book a day, luckily they are in the
200-220 page range, otherwise I wouldn’t get there. Just finished the real life story of the how
America brought over 3,800 Sudanese refugees to the United States beginning in
2000. The book, The Lost Boys of Sudan, written by Mark Bixler, provides a
historical context into the bloody wars during the Second Sudanese Civil War
from 1983-2005 where over 2.5 million people were killed and left approx.
20,000 boys of two tribes (the Dinka and the Nuer) orphaned and moving out of
Sudan to other countries in the region. The war was between the Christian and
the Muslim sects fighting for control of the country. The book mainly focused of the struggles of
four young men, whom relocated to the Atlanta region. The author, a newspaper columnist from
Atlanta, chronicles their entry to the US, learning how to live in an
apartment, getting monies to live, finding jobs, attempting to get an
education, and the trials involved of working with non-profit organizations
that allegedly are working on their behalf.
The stories illustrate how hard it is for foreigners to acclimate to a
new country, how immigrants are constantly being taken advantage of, and that
in the end, education does enhance one’s life-time dreams. Some of the other challenges highlighted
include, getting a driver’s license, working through the bureaucracy of
receiving a social security card, and finding champions who will help battle
through the hoops of US life. Bixler also
exposes each of the four young men’s story of survival through the most
inhumane and devastatingly long wars in our world’s history. Watching parents get tortured, peers being
chased into rivers full of crocodiles ready to prey, and walking across deserts
at the hottest temperatures possible with no food or water. The book rips at one’s heart realizing that
this level of human degradation occurs every day on this planet, and we as a
society allow it to continue. Religion,
envy, greed, and power… they all seem to be motivators for stomping on
others. I remember watching the 60
Minutes segment a decade or so ago.
These young man are a testament to what the American Dream can be for
those who have the mentorship and guidance to never give up the dream. A compelling reminder for all that evil does
lurk right around the corner and how lucky Americans are today to have the
freedoms we have.
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