USU professor writes about boys of Sudan
“It’s the most fun I’ve had writing a book,” said journalism and communication department head Michael S. Sweeney, who recently published his sixth book, “God Grew Tired of Us.”
Sweeney has had three other books published for the National Geographic. Meeting a deadline is nearly unheard of in the book-publishing world, but as a journalist, Sweeney impressed National Geographic by meeting every deadline.
The National Geographic asked Sweeney to write a book to accompany the award-winning film “God Grew Tired of Us.” The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006. It won both the “Grand Jury” and “Audience” awards. The documentary was directed by Christopher Quinn, narrated by Nicole Kidman and executive-produced by Brad Pitt.
The documentary tells the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan. The Lost Boys were a group of refugee boys who were orphaned during the second Sudanese Civil War between black Christians and Arab Muslims. In 2001, 3,800 Lost Boys were relocated to the United States.
The book is a memoir of one of the boys, John Bul Dau, a member of the Dinka tribe. One night his village, Duk Payuel, was shelled, and everyone evacuated it. Dau accidentally followed one of his neighbors, thinking it was his father. They had to hide in the wilderness. Unable to return home, their group walked hundreds of miles, seeking refuge in Ethiopia.
The group walked naked and had to eat mud and drink urine to survive. They made it to a small camp in Ethiopia, where many of the boys got cholera. One day the camp was attacked and the boys were forced to swim across a crocodile-infested river. Thousands of the boys died as they trekked onward toward Kenya.
Dau settled into a refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya. Many of the Lost Boys embraced the motto “Education is my mother and father.” The Dinka always stressed the importance of education. John worked hard, learning both English and Swahili in order to graduate from high school.
Dau was one of the 3,800 Lost Boys sent to the United States in 2001. The boys were given 90 days to become self-reliant.
“John not only survived; he thrived,” Sweeney said in a press release. John’s first pay check was for $1,010. He kept $10 and sent the rest home to his family and friends.
Sweeney spent 10 days in Syracuse, New York, interviewing Dau, who stands at an amazing 6 feet 8 inches and is very skinny. Sweeney said, “John is very smart in a variety of ways. He is book smart and street smart.”
As part of the interview, Sweeney took Dau to the grocery store, and Dau recounted how shocked he had been on his first trip to the grocery store to see an aisle dedicated to selling food for cats and dogs.
Dau and the other Lost Boys were introduced to a completely different world in the United States. They were amazed by running water and the ability to cook without fire. In the book, Dau recalls the first time he saw snow. He brought a ball of it inside to show his roommates, and they were astounded by it as they watched it melt.
Dau adjusted to life in the United States very quickly. He went to college in Syracuse. He married Martha, one of the Lost Girls, and is now a father. Dau has dedicated his life to helping his people. He founded the Duk Lost Boys Clinic, the first clinic in his home town. He also set up the American Care for Sudan Foundation.
Sweeney spoke fondly of the time he spent with Dau interviewing and writing the book. “I consider him my friend,” Sweeney said.
The film “God Grew Tired of Us” was released in select theaters through the country on Jan. 12, and the book hit shelves on Jan. 16. Both the film and book have received rave reviews.
-katreeves@cc.usu.edu