Book Review: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

2008. Nya spends all day every day walking to the pond to carry water home to her family. 1985. Salva is fleeing a war and soldiers that threaten to conscript him in to the army. In a dual narrative, we see the hardships people in Sudan face through the eyes of two children.

At 115 pages, this is a slim novel, but the story of survival against the odds is so heartfelt and moving, the emotional takeaway is massive. Salva’s story is based largely on the childhood memories of Salva Dut, one of the “lost children of Sudan” who was later relocated to the US from a refugee camp. While some of his experiences were horrifying (imagine being shot at and forced to cross a river full of hungry crocodiles), the novel never sensationalizes. The detached “reporter” tone takes the edge off, making the story more suitable for young readers.

It is ultimately a story of hope and the triumph of the human spirit and is well worth the read.

A LONG WALK TO WATER will be released next Monday November 15th in hardcover. Find out more about it at the author’s website.

FUN FACT: I won an ARC of this book in a contest on the author’s website (thanks to Cynsations for the link). Included with the book was a sticky note in the back with Salva’s phone number! I am sure that it was an accident, but it served as a gut-wrenching reminder that a real person went through what I had just read. Very sobering indeed.