Customer Reviews

The Journey of the Lost Boys: A Story of Courage, Faith and the Sheer Determination to Survive by a Group of Young Boys Called "The Lost Boys of Sudan"

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I have come to know a "Lost Boy of Sudan" during his years living here in Massachusetts. He arrived here at about age fifteen with three or four other boys and lived with a local family. After graduating from our local, very good, high school, he has completed his first year at an excellent college. I have been following the story of these boys for several years and realized that he was probably very young when he lost his family and that he probably has very little knowledge of the big picture of what had happened to him. This book was written by a volunteer who had also come to know and love these remarkable boys. She went further than most volunteers and researched the background of the situation in Sudan. She included many photographs of different boys, both in the refugee camps in Africa and in their new lives in America. I purchased this book as a gift for this kind, sweet natured, intelligent and thoughtful boy who helped me in my garden last summer. I read it before I gave it to him and it was exactly what I was looking for. I hope it will be a book he will share with his friends from Sudan and others now that he has returned to college. I am sure he will be a fine adult and a success in all he does. He has worked so hard and been through so much that it is a joy for all who know him to watch his progress. I recommend this book very highly for anyone who is interested in these boys.

Joan Hecht writes about the Lost Boys in a unique personal way. In each chapter, a different Lost Boy tells of his own experience during a certain period of time- i.e. life before the war, walking to Ethiopia, and life in the refugee camp. The history was also well researched. The book not only brought tears of sadness but also tears of hope for the Lost Boys who have made it to the US. Her love and caring for the boys is evident throughout the book.

Joan Hecht's "Journey" is in this reviewer's opinion the most interesting and accurate book available on the topic of the Lost Boys. As a former foster father to one of the lost boys and a fellow author and researcher, I recommend the book without hesitation. It presents an extraordinarily complicated situation in a manner that is comprehensible, fascinating and accurate. It gives the reader a true sense of the horror, courage and hope that has gripped a generation of young Sudanese men.

For its rare photos, clear and organized presentation and sincere prose, I highly recommend this informative and inspiring book and thank the author for her outstanding efforts.

I am one of the Lost Boys of Sudan and I can tell you that this book is the true story of our journey to freedom/America. I was there and I am a firsthand witness to the atrocities that happened to us and all people from the south of Sudan. When I read this book it brought back many memories of my homeland. Some were happy and some were very sad,like the loss of my family, friends, cattle and farmland. I think everyone who reads this book will be inspired by it. I encourage you to read it and ask yourself if you can do something to help my people who for so long have been forgotten by the entire world.

Rebeccasreads highly recommends THE JOURNEY OF THE LOST BOYS as well worth the money with stories that will make a difference in your life, & give you glimpses into another way of looking at the world.

As in any dangerous & arduous trek, you have to start with the first step, From The Author gets you in touch with Joan Hecht's frames of references & how she became involved with the Lost Boys. Her writing is both light & compelling. Once you've started, you'll be unable to let go, even as you lift your eyes from the page, wondering where on earth you really are.

Filled with the Lost Boys stories, drawings & photos that all comes together to make a moving testament to their enduring courage & joy of life.

"Joan Hecht has surely finished a labor of love. The Journey of the Lost Boys of Sudan

is a meticulously detailed history of the Southern Sudanese children's flight from place to place,

running from the government forces of Northern Sudan. Ms. Hecht also pulls together the history

of the long running conflict in Sudan, which sets the stage for this incredible saga.

Her love for the people of Southern Sudan shines through these pages and her commitment to telling

their story is one that you cannot deny. She has captured an inspirational story of

survival and strength."

Judy Walgren, author of "The Lost Boys of Natinga : A School for

Southern Sudan's Young

Refugees"

This is the book you need to read if you are unfamiliar with the background of the issues in Sudan, the Lost Boys, and the issues faced by refugees who come to America. Ms. Hecht might not be an " academic", but she is the person with an enormous amount of first hand information on these subjects, and she breaks it down into managable pieces. Even if you are knowledgable on these subjects, this book is still useful as a clarifying tool. Ms. Hecht is also very committed, and that comes through on every page.

Readers of this book will be touched by the stories of these incredible young men, who, at an early age, were separated from their parents and families. The atrocities witnessed by the boys are unspeakable. The author has provided the readers with stories that make those who have lived a life without fear take a new appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States.

The Journey Of The Lost Boys by Joan Hecht is the incredible but true story of thousands of young men and their family's who struggled against all odds to seek refuge from the their homeland's war and the death it was certain to bring them at the hands of their oppressors. Readers will learn of a time in which the natives of Sudan were witness to slaughter, disease, and hunger ridden death of friends and family as their journey took them a strenuous thousand miles from their homes to the nearest refugee encampment. The Journey Of The Lost Boys is very highly recommended to all students of Middle East history, International Studies, as well as non-specialist general readers interested in discovering one the many hardships historically significant in the development and shaping of modern Africa.

Much has been written about the Lost Boys of Sudan, but nothing compares to the heart-rending story as told by Joan Hecht in "The Journey of the Lost Boys." Her love and admiration for the Sudanese people, in particular the Lost Boys, is evident in every page. I loved the original drawings of the boys,featured throughout the book, and also the photographs of them as children.
And although many of the stories about their new lives in America are rather funny, I'd suggest using extreme caution when reading the story of Ezekiel Kong Deng (located in the acknowledgement section)in public. This story will definitely make you cry! I loved this book and I think you will too!