The Lost Boys of Sudan: An American Story of the Refugee Experience Review

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The Lost Boys of Sudan: An American Story of the Refugee Experience ReviewIn 1983, while the rest of the world looked away, a civil war broke out in Sudan between the Islamic controlled government in the north and the people of the south who were Christians or animists. This conflict would eventually result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands, more than five million people driven from their homes and would would force two million Sudanese to seek refuge in neighboring countries. Among these refugees was a group of at least 20,000 children aged 7 to 17 years of age who were separated from their families and forced to make their way alone over hundreds of miles of an unforgiving wilderness until they finally arrived at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Northwest Kenya where the United Nations Committee for refugees created a sanctuary for "The Lost Boys of Sudan." By that time, more than half were lost to starvation, disease, attacks by wild animals, and bandits.
I first met the Lost Boys in Kakuma in February 1998, while on an inspection tour for the U.S. Department of State. I was amazed by their story and was even more amazed by their dedication to each other and to making the best of their existence at Kakuma. Even though there were food shortages in the camp. They asked if they could get more books and teachers because both were in short supply and education was the most important thing in their lives. I learned that they were still at risk in Kakuma and that hardly a week went by without one or more of the boys being kidnapped and forced to fight in the civil war. These were children to whom fate had dealt a cruel hand but who were adaptable enough to survive. As there was no future for them in Kakuma, I made the decision to recommend that they be resettled in the United States.
After a great deal of debate over issues such as the boys' ability to adjust to life in the U.S., the decision was made and the surviving Lost Boys, about 3,300 were resettled in the U.S. In The Lost Boys of Sudan, Mark Bixler follows the paths of four of the Lost Boys, Jacob Magot, Peter Anyang, Daniel Khoch, and Marko Ayii as they arrive in Atlanta, and begin their cultural adaptation to America. It was not an easy transition and Bixler does an excellent job of describing the journey from a refugee camp with no electricity or plumbing to the land of consumer excess and MTV. Bixler describes how the boys had to put their education dreams on hold while they found jobs and dealt with the reality of earning a living in the U.S. Once they had found jobs, the boys discovered ways to go to school so that they could return to Sudan and help rebuild their country. Their dedication in the face of huge obstacles makes for an inspiring story.
Bixler also does an excellent job of explaining the history of the Sudanese Civil War, the Dinka culture that most of the boys were born into, and the continuing struggle in Sudan. He reminds us that as this book is published the war in Sudan continues with the deaths of thousand of Sudanese in Darfur province of Sudan. There has been a "peace agreement" signed but the killing still goes on and refugees still come to Kakuma for sanctuary.
This book should be required reading for every student in America. To our sham we often take our access to education for granted, and the story of the Lost Boys emphasizes education as an empowering tool where individuals can improve their lives and truly become whatever they want to be. Few in our country have gone through the hell that these boys experienced on their journey to American. Their story is a lesson for all of us and Mark Bixler's The Lost Boys of Sudan is a book that should be read not only by people interested in Africa or refugees, but by everyone who cares about the future of America and the world.

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