Lost Girl Found
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“Breach,” NCIS: Los Angeles. Season 1. 2011.
An episode that concerns a Sudanese refugee and his past links to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).
Carter, Lonnie. The Lost Boys of Sudan. New York: Broadway Play Publishing, 2011.
A play that takes place in the Kakuma Refugee Camp and in a high school in Fargo, Minnesota. First performed by Children’s Theater Company, Minneapolis, in 2007.
Childers, Sam. Another Man’s War: The True Story of One Man’s Battle to Save Children in the Sudan. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009.
A book about Childers’ work with Sudanese war orphans in Africa. His story was also turned into a film, Machine Gun Preacher, 2011, directed by Marc Forster.
Coates, Jan L. A Hare in the Elephant’s Trunk. Markham, ON: Red Deer Press, 2010.
A novel based on the life of Jacob Deng, now living in Nova Scotia.
Dau, John Bul, and Michael Sweeney. God Grew Tired of Us: A Memoir. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2007.
The story of John Dau, also chronicled in the 2006 documentary directed by Christopher Dillon Quinn and Tom Walker, about three Lost Boys who migrated to the United States.
Deng, Benson, Alephonsion Deng, Benjamin Ajak and Judy A. Bernstein. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys of Sudan. New York: PublicAffairs, 2005.
Told in their own words, the true story of the fourteen-year journey of three Lost Boys who came to the US in 2001 before 9/11.
Dinka Diaries. 2005.
A documentary by Filmon Mebrahtu about Lost Boys in Philadelphia.
Duk County: Peace Is in Sight in the New South Sudan. 2013.
A documentary about the efforts of now grown Lost Boy John Dau to provide a clinic, and the work of Dr. Geoff Tabin and Dr. Alan Crandall’s work to restore eyesight to residents in the Dinka area of Duk County. Directed by Jordan Campbell.
Eggers, Dave. What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng. San Francisco: McSweeney’s, 2006.
A novel based on the story of Valentino Achak Deng, now living in Atlanta. The novel documents the many struggles Achak faced both in the United States and in Sudan and Kenya.
Hecht, Joan. 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.” Jacksonville, FL: Allswell Press, 2005.
The book describes the epic journey taken by the Lost Boys, beginning in their rural villages of Southern Sudan and ending with their arrival as young men in the United States. The book is written by the boys’ American mentor, “Mama Joan.”
Lomong, Lopez, and Mark Tabb. Running for My Life: One Lost Boy’s Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012.
The autobiography of the US Olympian and former Lost Boy.
Lost Boys of Sudan. 2003.
A documentary film directed by Jon Shenk and Megan Mylan, about two Lost Boys, Santino Majok Chuor and Peter Kon Dut, who came to the US. The film follows the Sudanese boys on their journey to Kakuma Refugee Camp and from there to the United States.
McMahon, Felicia R. Not Just Child’s Play: Emerging Tradition and the Lost Boys of Sudan. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2007.
An anthropological analysis of the music, dance and folklore of the Didinga community living around Syracuse, New York.
Nhial, Abraham, and DiAnn Mills. Lost Boy No More: A True Story of Survival and Salvation. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2004.
The autobiography of Abraham Nhial, who fled to Ethiopia from Sudan.
Park, Linda Sue. A Long Walk to Water. New York: Clarion, 2010.
This story follows the intersecting lives of a Lost Boy and a girl in Sudan.
Pipher, Mary. “African Stories,” in The Middle of Everywhere: Helping Refugees Enter the American Community. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt, 2002.
Pipher describes the “transformation” of her quiet hometown — Lincoln, Nebraska — after it is chosen as a “preferred community” for refugees. Lincoln becomes “a richer curry of peoples” as newly arrived refugees, including Lost Boys, settle there.
Rebuilding Hope. 2009.
A documentary, directed by Jen Marlowe, that follows three Lost Boys as they return to South Sudan after being resettled in the US.
War Child. 2008.
A documentary, directed by C. Karim Chrobog, about the life of hip-hop musician and former child soldier Emmanuel Jal.
Yang, Daniel Cheng. Kakuma Turkana: Dueling Struggles: Africa’s Forgotten Peoples. Saint Paul, MN: Pangaea, 2002.
A photographic journal of Kakuma Refugee Camp and the indigenous Turkana peoples of northwest Kenya.
GLOSSARY
Acacia A genus of shrubs and trees common in the arid regions of Africa. Also known as a thorn tree.
Askari A Kiswahili word for guard or policeman.
Baobab A tree found in Africa, Australia and the Arabian Peninsula. Also called a monkey tree or upside-down tree.
Bari An ethnic group from the Equatoria region of South Sudan.
Batis A small bird common in sub-Saharan Africa.
Bongo One of the largest African antelopes. They are chestnut colored with white stripes.
Bozibozi A Kiswahili word meaning stupid or useless.
Changaa A Swahili word for alcohol made from palm sugar and yeast.
Chevdo A spicy Indian mix of nuts and potato crisps.
Didinga An ethnic group living in South Sudan close to the Ugandan border, near the Didinga Hills.
Duka A Kiswahili word for a small shop that sells incidental items such as packets of spice, laundry detergent and matches.
Garang, John The leader of the Southern Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).
Guinea worm A long threadlike worm that is a subcutaneous parasite of humans and other mammals. The worm causes ulcer-like lesions on the legs and feet and can destroy tissue and muscle if untreated.
Igbo An ethnic group of southeastern Nigeria.
Jacaranda A sub-tropical tree native to South America; it has been widely planted in Africa because of its beautiful lavender flowers.
Kali A Kiswahili word meaning harsh.
Kiberiti Kiswahili for matches.
Kikuyu A powerful ethnic group in Kenya. Jomo Kenyatta, the first African president of Kenya, was Kikuyu.
Kimbo An East African brand of pure white cooking fat.
Kiswahili A language that combines Bantu and Arabic words.
Kitu kidogo A Kiswahili saying that literally means “little thing.” It has come to refer to bribe money.
Latuka An ethnic group in the Equatoria region of South Sudan. Also referred to as Lotuko or Lotuka.
Lokembe A musical instrument played with the thumbs.
Lucozade An energy drink sold in East Africa.
Maale (sometimes spelled Male) A greeting in the Nuer language that is the equivalent of “How are you?” or, “Is there peace?” The response, “Maale madit,” means “How are you and is it a big peace?”
Maasai (sometimes spelled Masai or Masaai) A Nilotic ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. Historically, they raised cattle for a living but now participate in farming and have migrated to urban areas to work as guards or in the mining industry.
Malaya A Kiswahili word for prostitute.
Mancala An East African game played with pebbles or seeds on patterned boards consisting of a number of pits arranged in two or four rows. These pits may be carved into wooden boards or scooped into the sand.
Médecins Sans Frontières / MSF (Doctors without Borders) A French humanitarian nongovernmental organization that has won the Nobel Peace Prize and is best known for its projects in war-torn and developing countries facing endemic
diseases.
Merti A locally brewed Sudanese beer.
Miraa A flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa. Its bitter plant stem can be used as a stimulant, similar to caffeine.
Murahaleen An Arabic word that refers to the Baggara Arab tribal militia. It literally means “on the move.” During the Sudanese civil war it referred to traveling members of the Arab militia.
Mwizi A Kiswahili word meaning thief.
Nuer A Nilotic ethnic group of South Sudan and western Ethiopia.
Peptang A tomato sauce popular in Nairobi. Peptang is a product line that produces sauces, spices and juices.
Red Army Youth members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), recruited to fight as child soldiers.
Safi A Kiswahili word that literally means clean, but the colloquial meaning is “good.”
Samosa A fried or baked pastry with a savory filling such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas or ground beef.
Shamba A Kiswahili word for farm or garden.
Sharia The Arabic word for Islamic law.
Shifta A term used in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia; it means rebel, outlaw or bandit.
Shuka A Maasai word for a decorative fabric made of handwoven cotton, usually in bright red and blue plaid.
Simba Mbili Literally means “two lions” in Kiswahili; a popular brand of curry powder used in East Africa.
SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) The rebel army that fought against the Sudanese government for independence.
Sukamawiki A Kiswahili word that literally means “push the week.” It refers to green vegetables like collard greens that are less expensive to purchase than meat and thus help save the week’s budget.
Taposa An ethnic group in South Sudan that primarily inhabits the Kapoeta region of Eastern Equatoria.
Tukul A round hut with a cone-shaped roof.
Turkana A nomadic pastoralist group from northwestern Kenya, whose land was used to form the Kakuma Refugee Camp.
Ugali A stiff maize porridge (a bit like polenta or grits) that is a staple food in Kenya, Tanzania and other East African countries.
UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) The agency mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
LEAH BASSOFF is a writer and teacher and a former assistant editor at Penguin. She has written for Denver Voice and The Coloradan. LAURA DELUCA teaches anthropology at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She has done extensive fieldwork in East Africa and has written articles on her experiences with Sudanese refugees in Anthropology News, Anthropology Matters and Journal of Refugee Studies. Leah and Laura met at a conference about Sudanese affairs and were compelled to combine their talents and expertise to work together and give voice to this previously untold story.
Leah and Laura live in Colorado.
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Groundwood Books, established in 1978, is dedicated to the production of children’s books for all ages, including fiction, picture books and non-fiction. We publish in Canada, the United States and Latin America. Our books aim to be of the highest possible quality in both language and illustration. Our primary focus has been on works by Canadians, though we sometimes also buy outstanding books from other countries.
Many of our books tell the stories of people whose voices are not always heard in this age of global publishing by media conglomerates. Books by the First Peoples of this hemisphere have always been a special interest, as have those of others who through circumstance have been marginalized and whose contribution to our society is not always visible. Since 1998 we have been publishing works by people of Latin American origin living in the Americas both in English and in Spanish under our Libros Tigrillo imprint.
We believe that by reflecting intensely individual experiences, our books are of universal interest. The fact that our authors are published around the world attests to this and to their quality. Even more important, our books are read and loved by children all over the globe.