Walk Toward the Rising Sun

August 1, 2020
Actor, model, and activist Duany's tale of going from being a Sudanese child soldier to becoming an activist for Sudan. Trying to survive in a time of constant war in southern Sudan, exposed to monumental trauma and loss, Duany became a child soldier. After facing death in more ways than he could cope with, Duany made it to a Kenyan refugee camp and then to America, where he found that things were harder than he anticipated. He encountered embedded racism and learned that PTSD meant he could not escape his ghosts by running away. Eventually, Duany became a model and later an actor. Despite having known constant instability and many years as a refugee with no sense of permanence, Duany has never forgotten his homeland and gives back to his family and home country in part by sharing his childhood experiences and talking about the realities of life for many in what is now South Sudan. With co-author Thomas, Duany tells his life story, naming many of the folks who impacted him along the way through honest, detailed, straightforward prose. The book explores survival, hope, and the meaning of kinship--whether forged by blood, friendship, or shared experiences of war. An intimate look from a refugee's perspective at the toll war takes. (Memoir. 12-18)

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October 1, 2020

Gr 9 Up-Duany recalls his transformation from child soldier in Sudan to refugee and activist in America. During the second Sudanese civil war in the 1990s, Duany, his father, and his brothers fought for the Sudan People's Liberation Army against Anya Anya II. The violence forced his family to flee the village of Liet for the Itang refugee camp in Ethiopia. While they lived in the camp, several of his siblings tragically died. He writes: "We Sudanese do not dwell on death. If we did, we'd be in a perpetual state of mourning." With assistance from the United Nations, he resettled in America, where he endured racism and experienced culture shock. Refuge came through bonding with family members and other Sudanese immigrants and earning basketball scholarships. Learning about his own post traumatic stress disorder inspired him to help others. Duany also found success modeling in fashion shows and acting in films like I Heart Huckabees and The Good Lie. Eventually, he traveled back to Sudan to film a documentary, reunite with his family, and vote for South Sudan's independence. This intense look at the struggle of refugees will open readers' eyes. Duany marvels at his first experiences riding an escalator and using a shower in the United States, privileges most people take for granted. Despite his native country's ongoing violence, he leaves readers with a sense of hope. VERDICT Recommended for school and public libraries. Duany offers a harrowing but ultimately inspiring memoir.-Amy Duffy, Chicago P.L.

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 19, 2020
This highly personal memoir reveals Duany’s childhood as a child soldier in South Sudan and his subsequent path as a refugee, actor, model, and peace activist for the region. The book’s opening at a village meeting roots the narrative in Dueny’s Nuer culture. Duany contextualizes political factors while describing his family’s life in and out of villages and a refugee camp in Ethiopia, until he becomes a soldier in the second civil war in 1992, when he was 13. After enduring war and violence, Duany befriends a minister who helps him leave for America, via a harrowing journey through Kenya. The final third of the book focuses on Duany’s experience in the U.S., where he faces PTSD, culture shock, and the expectations of American adolescent life. Dramatically rendered scenes of remembered dialogue, such as a political debate between Duany’s powerful soldier father and uncle, offer a sense of immediacy. Throughout, potent details illustrate Duany’s experiences, such as how he felt when his school uniform got dirty while hiding from AK-47 fire in the woods. While the narrative’s pacing is somewhat uneven, this is a powerful story of survival. Ages 12–up.