I was captivated by What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave Eggers, which is based on the real life story of a Sudanese refugee forced to flee his village in the Second Sudanese Civil War. It’s the story of how Valentino escapes, meets up with groups of other fleeing boys, and treks across Sudan to refugee camps in Ethiopia and then Kenya. Eventually, Valentino moves to the States as part of the Lost Boys of Sudan program, which seeks to relocate some of the more than 27,000 boys that were displaced during the war.

You may have heard the term “Lost Boys” before. The reason there were so many boy survivors is that when villages were attacked and destroyed, many boys were out tending sheep or otherwise able to flee quickly and unseen. The older men were usually immediately killed, and the women and girls were raped and killed or taken as slaves. Groups of boys would join up with other small groups of boys, and together they would journey for years before they crossed the border in relief. Those who survived the trip fought off hunger, thirst, wild animals, insects, disease, and extreme fatigue to do so. Many of Valentino’s friends died along the way.

The book is a novel, which means it’s not a true autobiography. Valentino Achak Deng is a real person who told his story to the author, Dave Eggers, who says that while some things were changed, the essential truthfulness of the storytelling was maintained. Historical fiction is tricky because it leaves me unsure of what really happened, but I’m grateful for it because it still leaves me much more informed than I was before reading it.

I love reading books like this and The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns. Not only do they clue me in on the history of regions I have no clue about, but they give me a global perspective that is at the same time so personal. Reading about the characters and feeling what they feel reminds me that while these unseen people have grown up in vastly different circumstances and think in vastly different ways, they are still so much like me. The human experience is universal, it turns out! And this gives me compassion, which leads me to contemplation, which leads to action, to figure out what it looks like for me and my family to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. Of course, that would be a whole ‘nother post.

I while back I stumbled upon this post by Freakonomics blogger Steven Levitt. It describes a phenomenon I first noticed while book shopping during the Christmas season last year: there have been a lot of books published lately which seek to undermine the existence of God: Breaking the Spell, The God Delusion, God the Failed Hypothesis, God is Not Great, Irreligion.

These books intrigue me. I’ve been tempted to read one, just to see what sorts of things they say. Have any of you picked one up, perhaps aiming to give your apologetics skills a workout? What did you think?

This fall, my LIFE Group will be reading through The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Tim Keller. I’m very much looking forward to it. To be honest, my faith could really use some shoring up right now. I long for belief in an age of skepticism!

 I like reading fantasy because there is usually a good vs. evil theme and after many struggles, the good wins. I like this because it is true of the ultimate Story of the world – good and evil are real, they are warring against each other, but ultimately, eventually, finally good wins once and for all. Not all fantasy works have direct parallels to our world or Christianity, but you can often find at least hints of such parallels, and I enjoy looking for them. I also enjoy the fantastical worlds in which the stories are set, worlds with creatures and rules different than our own.  I don’t have much of an imagination myself, so I’m amused by the imagintive works of others.

For those of you who enjoy fantasy, or if you’re new to fantasy or don’t think you’d like it, I’d recommend the novel Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Even though I’m a fantasy fan, I’ll be the first to admit that all those epic battle scenes in The Lord of the Rings sometimes left me turning the pages thinking, “Ugh, when can I get back to the interesting parts?” That’s one thing I liked about Stardust – no battle scenes. Perhaps I’d label it as Fantasy Lite. It’s also relatively short.

The story set-up: Tristran Thorn promises Veronica, the girl he loves, that he will find and bring her a fallen star. To do this, he leaves his little English town of Wall and journeys into Faerie, a land of mythical creatures. He finds the star, who is a living female being named Yvaine, and sets to bring her back to Veronica. Their journey back through Faerie is quite eventful, however, in part because various others want to capture Yvaine for their own purposes. Intrigue and surprise revelations ensue.  It’s part adventure, part love story, and makes for a pretty quick and enjoyable read.

Perhaps you saw the movie version last year. If you have, leave a comment and let me know if it was good.

This one is in honor of my friend, Karin, who suffers from the inexplicable condition of not being able to read fiction.

In the record I keep of books I’ve read, I rated Marley & Me as one of my favorite books of the year in which I read it. This is saying a lot since I came to it pretty reluctantly. It was on the New York Times Bestsellers list for hundreds of weeks. I’d heard that every dog owner and lover would just adore it. Well, I’ve never had a pet in my life and I’m sort of afraid of and don’t like any animals. (I’m sure there’s no way those two things could be related, right?)

I also heard that despite the description of Marley as “the world’s worst dog,” it might make readers actually want a dog. Eek! I didn’t want a dog, and I didn’t want to want a dog, either. Another reason not to read it.

So, when my husband bought it for me, I returned it, because that’s the kind of appreciative gift-receiver I am. Sometime later, he brought a borrowed copy home from work, so I gave in, and let me tell you, there’s a reason it was on the Bestsellers list for so long! (Duh.) It’s not just for dog owners or lovers, though if you are either you might identify more with the stories. There are few books that truly make me laugh out loud while reading, and this was one of them. (Warning: It also made me cry.) It’s not just about the dog, either. It’s basically a narrative of the author, John’s, journey into marriage and parenthood with stories about their (possibly literally) crazy dog, Marley, woven in. And yes, he is indeed lovable but thankfully, the book did not make me want a dog. Whew!

Check it out from the Orange County Library if you think you might be interested. There are several other versions more suited to younger audiences. Marley: A Dog Like No Other has the “marital” parts taken out of it. A picture book for beginning readers is called Bad Dog Marley!. A third called Marley & Me: Illustrated Edition is the book with pictures, I’m guessing.  And because this is the fate of all bestsellers, a movie adaption is coming out around Christmas, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson.

Don’t forget that the Grab & Grow Dessert is next Friday, August 22 at 7:30. Even if you haven’t finished, come and enjoy some delicious dessert from TooJay’s along with fellowship and conversation. I’m going!

And speaking of not finishing the book…well, I did finish it, but this week has not been one that’s allowed me to think through and write. So, here’s my question for those who’ve read it, either now or in the past: What is the most meaningful thing you’re taking away from Bravehearts?