What is the What Review


What is the What, by Dave Eggers, was the literary highlight of my summer. The novel follows Valentino Achak Deng and his experiences both in war-ravaged Sudan and elsewhere. As he states in the preface, “ This book is the soulful account of my life: from the time I was separated from my family in Marial Bai to the thirteen years I spent in Ethiopian and Kenyan refugee camps, to my encounters with vibrant Western cultures.” This man’s autobiography will tug at your heart as you struggle alongside him for faith, hope, and belief in humanity.

This book opened my eyes not only to the perils of the East, but also to those right here in the United States. Borders did nothing to keep unfathomable injustice from trailing Achak. Each horrible death and terrible disaster made it harder and harder to think of it as a story of a real man’s life. I was grateful for this. Never before had nonfiction interested me. I’ve always tried to steer away from familiar biographies stocked up with facts and details about a stranger’s life. But I’m being honest when I say that What is the What is like no memoir I’ve ever read. Dave made the story of Valentino Achak Deng exciting with recounts of horrors that leave readers in awe.

It is not only unbelievable savagery that’ll keep you turning pages. Dave Eggers also paints a beautiful picture of Sudanese culture. I applaud the way he sprinkled in stories of love amidst stories of animosity. As I look back on the book, it is not the images of boys blown up by land mines or men with their faces burnt off that most stick out in my mind. It is the images of Valentino kissing his girl for the first time in a grocery store or his mother in a sunshiny yellow dress. These cherished memories entangle themselves with implausible evils in ways that make readers smile and cry with Valentino Deng.

I recommend this book to teenagers and adults everywhere. What is the What isn’t just an amazing story. It isn’t just violent, romantic, or unfortunate. What is the What will make you fall in love with a man walking the same Earth you and I are today. There is no doubt Valentino Achak Deng has seen things you and I will never dream of seeing, and had things done to him which we cannot imagine. Though they may pale in comparison to Achak’s, we all experience adversity. I think what Dave and Valentino are trying to communicate through this book is a message of hope and determination. As you turn the pages, a young Sudanese boy will show you how to fight for faith and a better future despite the world’s evil. This truly is a must-read.