Lost Boy, Lost Girl

Lost Boy, Lost Girl
By John Bul Dau and Martha Arual Akech
National Geographic, 2010. 159 pgs. Young Adult Nonfiction

John and Martha alternate chapters, describing their experiences during the Sudanese civil war. John was a teenager when he was driven from his home; Martha was only a child. Both walked to a refugee camp in Ethiopia and spent a few years there before being forced to leave again, this time crossing back into Sudan and walking to Kenya. It was in Kenya that they met, before each was able to move to the U.S., where they eventually married.

This is an informative look at the Sudanese civil war and how it affected millions of children. John's and Martha's accounts are told in a straightforward manner, without a lot of emotion, but at the same time, the story of these lost children is a touching one.

AE