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 enlarge | Authors: John Bul Dau, Michael S. Sweeney
Publisher: National Geographic
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $3.55
You Save: $11.40 (76%)
New (42) Used (14) from $3.55
Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 33144
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 1426202121
Dewey Decimal Number: 962.404092
EAN: 9781426202124
ASIN: 1426202121
Publication Date: January 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Incredible will to survive combines with determination to go further August 25, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The subtitle of this excellent book ,i.e."the heartbreaking and inspiring journey of a lost boy of Sudan" is such that nothing could be more appropriate. And so does the illustration in the book's jacket design(credits to Newmarker films and Melissa Farris).
After the heart-wrenching feeling of losing their families, the incredible journey of John and the tens of thousands of lost Sudanese boys through a thousand or so miles of unknown and ferocious landscape is beyond human understanding! Yet, it was accomplished, with all those miserable conditions they carried, when they reached Ethiopia. From that land, they were again cruelly driven to the same misery until they reached the Kakuma Refugee Center in Kenya.
Perhaps in order to truly comprehend the essence of what the book narrates, the reader should imagine him/her self to be with the lost kids in their terrifying exodus. That these are YOUNG CHILDREN some as young as 8yrs and 6yrs!That they are NOT adults,like the MOSTLY ADULT refugees we hear about or the ADULT prisoners of war on their death march for a hundred miles more or less. Can anyone truly see a THOUSAND OR SO MILES of terrain associated with desolation,nakedness,terror,hunger,thirst,fear
disease,sorrow,despair and death by wild animals or hostile human beings?Immersed in this predicament,you LISTEN TO and HEAR their sobs,cravings for missing or dead parents,lament for dead or dying companions,cries from their wounds and broken bodies,slow death by starvation and the more
horrible sensation of dying of thirst leading to drinking their own or their friends'urine for survival,their fear of the night and the searing daytime. Then suddenly,gunshots,machine guns,mortars aimed at them!They panic and scatter in different directions to hide.
The aftermath of all these sufferings?-->dead bodies to bury.CHILDREN BURYING CHILDREN with sharp sticks from the bush and their bare hands for lack of axes or shovels. Can anyone comment if there is such a scenario elsewhere in the world,
past or present? Children burying children in a MASSIVE scale.
John's faith in God and himself made it possible to attain his goal from rural Africa to an American university.The adjustments and adaptations to an ultramodern world from a "stone age" type of existence by John and his Sudanese companions in America is fascinatingly told in the book.From there,he is resolved to accept the challenge to go FURTHER to help himself,his family and his people back in Sudan. He has also given us a gift which serves as an example that in the face of unbearable adversity, hope and success are still attainable with a strong faith and will. I'm sure that John Bul Dau has also spiritually added to the title of his book"God Grew Tired of Us" ...the words "But He Did Not Really Abandon Us."
This is a highly recommended reading for everone but perhaps particularly to our youth.
Inspiring July 19, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've seen the movie twice and have met John Dau professionally a few times. The book goes into much more detail than the movie and is simply inspiring. His spirit and his honest insight into life is truly wonderful. After reading this book and learning about the horrors he has gone through in his life in Southern Sudan you wonder how he is not bitter or angry, which he does not seem to be in the least. He is simply moving forward. I'd recommend reading this book. His perspective on our country is refreshing and honest. We could all learn something from this man's integrity.
Amazing story of Grace in Tragedy July 3, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The author's experience in childhood rates among the all-time records of extremes of human suffering. The story is, however, much more than a record of suffering. It is a story of triumph and faith in the goodness of God without being trite or over-simplifying very complex paradoxes and inconsistancies in life. John Bul Dau is a living demonstration of the superiorty of faith, optimism, and determination over despair.
God Grew Tired of Us: A memoir May 30, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book showed the human side of this tragic war in this country and how they survive. This made you aware of others and their struggles during the war in Africa. A must read on your list.
 Mixture of Humor and Sadness May 10, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
A daunting story of survival. Somehow the author though obviously scarred by the experience still finds humor, compassion and optimism with life. If you liked "Kite Runner" then give this one a try.
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