GOD GREW TIRED OF US
WASHINGTON (Dec. 20, 2006)–John Bul Dau is a survivor. In 1987, when he was just 13, civil war came to his peaceful Sudanese village, forcing him to flee for his life. So began a tortuous, 14-year journey that took him on a 1,000-mile walk, barefoot, to Ethiopia, back to Sudan, then to a refugee camp in Kenya, where he lived with thousands of other “Lost Boys” until the age of 27 when he immigrated to the United States.
Dau’s experiences as a Sudanese Lost Boy both in Africa and in America are recounted in his inspiring memoir, GOD GREW TIRED OF US (National Geographic Books; ISBN: 978-1-4262-0114-1; Jan. 16, 2007; $26), written with Michael S. Sweeney and published by National Geographic Books. It will be available in bookstores Jan. 16, 2007.
The book’s publication coincides with the release of a major feature film “God Grew Tired of Us,” a National Geographic Films/LBS production, distributed by Newmarket Films, in theaters starting mid-January 2007. Narrated by Nicole Kidman, it tells the story of Dau and his fellow Lost Boys Panther Bior and Daniel Abul Pach, as they journey from despair to hope, from Africa to America.
Movingly written, the book traces Dau’s journey through hunger, exhaustion, terror and violence, as he fled his homeland, dodging ambushes, massacres and attacks by wild animals. “I have witnessed my share of death and despair. I have seen the hyenas come at dusk to feed on the bodies of my friends. I have been so hungry…that I consumed things I would rather forget. I have crossed a crocodile-infested river while being shelled and shot at. I have walked until I thought I could walk no more. I have wondered…if my friends and I would live to see another day. Those were the times I thought God had grown tired of us,” he writes.
Once he reached the refugee camp in Kenya where he was to remain for nearly a decade, he began his first formal schooling. He was 18. There were few books and little paper. The students practiced their letters in the sand. As the years passed, Dau progressed through the Kenyan school system, eventually gaining his Certificate of Secondary Education. He also took on leadership roles in the camp, mentoring and teaching younger refugee children and instilling in them the simple, strong values of his Dinka culture.
In May 2001 Dau was one of a group of Sudanese Lost Boys selected for immigration to the United States. With his arrival in Syracuse, N.Y., a whole new cultural journey began, with Dau being introduced for the first time to telephones, appliances, snow, running water, grocery stores, women drivers and a plethora of other new experiences.
Since his arrival in the United States five years ago, through hard work and the generosity of church groups and many friends and supporters, Dau has pursued the American dream. While working 60 hours a week as a security guard, he completed an associate degree at Onondaga Community College and is currently studying for a bachelor’s degree at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
“I want to make a difference in the lives of refugees and immigrants. My dream is to get a job with the United Nations and work in Africa or America. If I have the time and money I would like to study immigration law. Refugees in Africa would be best served by someone who knows the ins and outs of international law, yet who understands the depths of their troubles firsthand. I need to change the law so they will let more refugees out of their misery. That is my mission,” Dau writes.
His life in the United States has been a remarkable story of cultural adaptation, building a sound family life (he is now married and has a newborn daughter) and above all being a human rights activist for the Lost Boys of Sudan. He has set up two foundations — the Sudanese Lost Boys Foundation of New York, to channel funds to help Lost Boys pay for education, equipment and other necessities they need to succeed in America, and the American Care for Sudan Foundation, which is raising funds to build the first medical clinic in Duk County, where Dau lived as a boy before fleeing the civil war. He has just been appointed director of the Sudan Project for Direct Change, an organization established to assist orphans and other vulnerable children of Africa. In recognition of his efforts as a young, visionary trailblazer and inspiring adventurer, Dau has been selected as a 2007 National Geographic Emerging Explorer.
GOD GREW TIRED OF US is an engrossing and uplifting account by a courageous man who has met every challenge with a steadfast spirit and a refusal to despair. Dau’s memoir speaks of terror and triumph, horror and humor, and a hard-won wisdom that is inspiring and totally unforgettable.
A screening of the film “God Grew Tired of Us” will be held at National Geographic headquarters in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007, at 7:30 p.m., as part of the NG Live! program. Dau will take part in a panel discussion and sign books after the screening. A profile of Dau also appears in the January 2007 issue of National Geographic magazine.
Michael Sweeney is head of the journalism and communications department at Utah State University. He is the author of “The Military and the Press: An Uneasy Truce,” “From the Front: The Story of War Featuring Correspondents’ Chronicles” and “Secrets of Victory: The Office of Censorship and the American Press and Radio in World War ll.”
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