Forrest Gump (1994) meets the Lost Boys of Sudan. I was first introduced to Dave Eggers through A Heartbreaking Book of Staggering Genius (2001) (*****). Eggers apparently polarizes his audience — you either like his writing or you don’t. His are certainly not the polished letters of Somerset Maugham. In What is the What (2006) (538 pages) (****), Eggers introduces us to Valentino Achek Deng, one of the lost boys of Sudan. Deng’s exodus from the civil wars of Sudan took him to Ethiopia, Kenya, then the United States. Deng is there — or at least the voice of Deng is there — narrating to whomever will listen. About life and the proverbial box of chocolates. Only here there is deprivation, starvation, death, pathos, savagery, and ultimately bittersweet hope. Strongly recommended.