Such self awareness and an inspirational life story!
An incredible poignant and inspirational story – how this boy soldier survived and then went on to do great things (**more on this later) is nothing short of amazing and inspiring.
This narrative begins by stating the importance of Songs to the Dinka people; "They're our avatars, and our biographies. They precede us, introduce us and live on after we die. They are also how our deeds escape our villages, and they pass on our code of morality, culture and law.
When I was a boy I dreamed of having my own songs, but now I am a man, I have no songs. It's likely I never will, in the traditional sense. For the Dinka, these songs are only for men. In the eyes of my culture, I am still a boy.
And so begins the poignant and remarkable story of a childhood interrupted by adults' politics and greed. Somehow this child soldier survived. Read this story and you will be amazed how anyone, let alone a child could endure such trauma – and endure Deng Adut has – Deng Adut's adult life is testimony to how one man can make a difference (his brother John Mac in the first instance) and many other's later in his life's journey. This is Deng Adut's story but it is many peoples story – listen and feel.
This personal narrative has much to offer; hope, inspiration, an honest cultural exchange…proof that education changes lives.
Wise and humble, inspiring and honest, this life, this book asks just one thing of you – open your heart and see the world with compassion.
An outstanding read! An inspiration to all.
At an awards ceremony last night (Monday 7th November 2016) Deng Adut, Sudanese child soldier, refugee, man of hope, was announced as the 2017 NSW Australian of the Year. Deng's incredible story is told in his book with Ben Mckelvey, Songs of a War Boy, which was released last week and is already captivating readers across Australia.
Deng's is an inspiring story of a man who has overcome deadly adversity to become a lawyer and committed worker for the disenfranchised, helping refugees in Western Sydney, where he now has his own law practice with legal partner Joe Correy, the AC Law Group. His story is an important reminder of the power of compassion and the benefit to us all when we open our doors and our hearts to those fleeing war, persecution and trauma. Media Release Hachette Australia.
History has never been so important.
The chance discovery of a vintage wedding dress weaves together the fascinating stories of three women from different eras: Sophie, in hiding from a troubled past; Belle, who must lose everything to learn what really matters; and Martha, forced to give up those she loves in order to avoid exposure.
Kaye Dobbie has masterfully married two times fames to produce an exciting narrative that is both historical (1930's) and contemporary (1980's) fiction and there are aspects of life in both time periods that are relevant to the world we live in today. I found the history and social commentary of Australia between the wars and of the Great Depression illuminating; PTSD, the aftermath of war on families and communities, poverty, the role of women in society, unemployment were and are significant worldwide issues and it was exciting to learn a little more about this period by the device of using Sophie and Ian's search for the provenance of the wedding dress.
Chapters alternate between the two periods and each chapter is clearly marked with the location, the year and whose voice we are listening to– Sophie's (1980's) or Belle's (1930's) – there is no chance of getting lost in this duality of time that sometimes happens in novels that employ this device – all is very clear and I thank the author for making it so – I never had to go back and re read to work out where I was or who I was listening to.
In both time periods we have protagonists that are strong, determined, resourceful and caring women. Dobbie writes her lead characters with poise, grace and humanity. The issue of small town attitudes and prejudices of the 1930's – in particular the perceived social, economic and moral attitudes towards the "travellers," the displaced victims of the Depression is comparable to attitudes today to the to the displaced people of Syria – the same fears and misconceptions surrounding their plight leapt out at me as I read this book. I think there is a lesson or two here we can all take from Belle and Michael's attitudes of social responsibility.
Belle lived in a time of great upheaval, upheaval is a theme that is also prevalent in Sophie's life too. Sophie's story evokes much empathy and her situation is just as relevant to many women today as it was back in the 1980's (no spoilers here.) Dobbie successfully reflects upon attitudes of the time as we discover more about the life and history of both female protagonists.
A blend of historical and contemporary fiction, with a dash of empathetic characters, drama, suspense and social commentary and Kaye Dobbie has created a recipe for success.