"A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park

4 of 5 stars

The Basics: This novel tells two stories that eventually merge into one encounter. Nya’s story is told in the beginning of each chapter. She is a Southern Sudanese girl who has to take a long walk, barefoot to a river twice a day to provide water for her family. During the months when the river dries up, Nya and her family move closer to a water source. The water is often tainted and people have fallen sick, including her younger sister. Medical relief is a day’s walk away so it is not always easy for people from her village to get medical care when needed. Nya’s story starts in 2008.

Salva’s story starts in Southern Sudan in 1985 when war is a constant as southern rebels attempt to attack the Northern Sudanese government for religious freedom. An attack near the school separates Salva from his well-off family. Often, young boys are forced to join the rebels so Salva’s teacher instructs the boys to hide amongst the bushes. Salva encounters a group of people that later desert him because it is too much work to feed another mouth when they are seeking refuge.

Salva later meets up with another group of Dinka, which is the same tribe Salva originates from. He meets a friend, Buksa, who is met by a terrible fate as he sleeps. Salva’s uncle later leads the group toward Ethiopia where they will find a refugee camp and get assistance. The horrors that ensue among their journey and Salva’s continuous lose and extraneous journey from one camp to another is certainly a gripping tale.

 My Thoughts: Reading a story such as this makes me thankful for the luxuries of the life I live. It makes me not want to complain about anything because even though I feel like I don’t have enough, I really have more than many people. This book only touches the surface of the horrors of war between the Northern Sudanese government and the Southern Sudanese rebels. Salva’s story is heart-wrenching. As Americans, we don’t think about how it feels to deal with natural predators (like lions and alligators), rebel soldiers, losing one’s family, and walking for weeks, months or even years to find some type of refuge. 

Luckily, Salva’s story is one that turns out prosperous as he is given the opportunity to come to America and later creates a foundation to build wells in Sudan (which is how the story of Salva and Nya become connected).

I read this book as part of the summer reading list for the incoming 8^th graders at my school. I wanted to become familiar with the books they were reading so I could grade the assignments accordingly. I am completely happy I read this book. It is not something I would pick out on my own but it teaches many valuable lessons.

~Remember, teachers read fun stuff too!