Lost Boys of Natinga: A School for Sudan's Young Refugees [Hardcover]

Judy Walgren (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

In the remote foothills of southern Sudan thousands of boys live together in a place called Natinga. They are displaced people. The bitter civil war raging in Sudan has claimed the lives of an estimated 1.5 million people and driven more than 4 million others from their homes. Among them are countless children, many of whom have no home left to return to when and if the conflict is resolved. Natinga is the temporary refuge for about 2,000 boys, ranging in age from 8 to 18, from many different tribes. The camp is protected by the Sudanese People's Liberation Army, a group who is engaged in a fierce battle with the Islamic Arab regime that took control of the Sudanese government in 1983. The rebels claim to want to educate the boys for peace and self-government. School supplies are scarce, however, as are basic necessities such as food and medicine. In addition to the war, disease and famine are constant threats. It is unclear whether these boys will ever return to what remains of their

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 7^-10. Far from media images of Africa as safari adventure and famine, this photo-essay brings us close to the experience of refugee children by focusing on the boys in one school in the southern Sudan. Walgren, a Dallas photojournalist, spent three months at the school in 1994, and her color photos and vivid text make us see what daily life is like for these individual young people driven from home by civil war. Orphaned or separated from their families, they come to the school seeking food, clothing, shelter, and safety. Walgren tells how they got there, how they study without classrooms or enough books, often hungry, struggling to stay healthy and clean, sometimes without basic medical supplies or fresh water. The school is their shelter and hope, yet we feel their loss, not only of home and family but also of roots and culture as they read old American textbooks, go to church, and learn in English about a world far from where they are. Hazel Rochman

Review

"Far from media images of Africa as safari adventure and famine, this photo-essay brings us close to the experience of refugee children by focusing on the boys in one school in the southern Sudan. Walgren, a Dallas photojournalist, spent three months at the school in 1994, and her color photos and vivid text make us see what daily life is like for these individual young people driven from home by civil war." (Booklist, ALA )

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (September 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395705584
• ISBN-13: 978-0395705582
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,197,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, vivid, May 31, 2001

By 

Hillary Rettig "The Lifelong Activist" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lost Boys of Natinga: A School for Sudan's Young Refugees (Hardcover)

As the foster mother of two "Lost Boys" who have immigrated as refugees to the U.S., I found this book invaluable for understanding the day-to-day conditions under which my boys grew up. We've read lots of scholarly books and newspaper articles, but seeing the photos of the boys at school (scratching out their numbers in the dirt using a twig), grinding maize with a giant mortar and pestle (a 2 hour-a-day chore, according to one of my boys), and wasting away from lack of medicine provided me with a much clearer view.

The writing is also terrific and moving, and photography vivid and beautiful. Recommended for anyone with an interest in Africa, refugees, and stories of human endurance and dignity. A good book for adults as well as younger people.

Hillary

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really great book!, December 27, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lost Boys of Natinga: A School for Sudan's Young Refugees (Hardcover)

I am working with adults who were "lost boys" and there is much speculation about the quality of their past education in the refugee camps and if they will be able to go on to college. This portrait allows me to better understand their lives in the refugee camps and look at their experiences and build upon them. A lack of education should be remedied by continured education not by telling people they are "incapable."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully heart-breaking book, November 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Lost Boys of Natinga: A School for Sudan's Young Refugees (Hardcover)

I've got five lost Boys from Sudan in my Sunday School class and was trying to find more about them, their country and their situation. I found myself in tears as I read the book and looked at the wonderful photos. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting more information. It's easy to read for children but not so simplistic that adults can't benefit from it also.