Book Review: What is the What

I was recently asked to post a book review for What is the What, a work of fiction (but based on real events) by a Sudanese refugee who resettles in the United States. From the first words in the Introduction, I could not put this book down for even one minute. The feelings and images are clearly communicated through eloquent, raw, witty, and sometimes humorous telling of this personal fictional biography. I find difficulty in labeling this book a work of fiction because the main character is a real person and his story is true. However, due to the difficulty in retelling such a traumatic story with years of backlog, and the fact that the main character does not choose to write the book himself, it remains a work of fiction.
In the book, the author moves seamlessly from real time situations to memories and flashbacks of the war in the Sudan. What results is a disturbing realization that life as a resettled refugee in the United States has just as many barriers as actually living as a Sudanese refugee in Kenya. Although the nature of the barriers is obviously somewhat dissimilar, the situations in which the main character finds himself are nonetheless disheartening and detrimental to his well-being. As an educational tool for learning about the war and its consequences in Sudan, this book is a must-read. Detailed maps and information regarding the history of the conflict come in handy for those who may not be as familiar with the subject. As a work of fiction, this book pulls at the heartstrings of the reader. End the end, the reader is asked, not to feel ashamed, or calloused, or angry, or amused, but, is asked simply to feel something. The fact that the cathartic decision is in the hands of the reader makes the book a necessary addition for anyone interested in issues of human rights and justice, no matter what their personal convictions might be.