A Long Walk to Water - Linda Sue Park - ★★★★.¾

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AUTHOR: Linda Sue Park
GENRE: YA Historical Fiction
PUBLICATION DATE: November 15, 2010
RATING: 4.75 stars.


1985. A little eleven year old boy, Salva, ends up separating from his family because of the Sudanese war.

2008. A little eleven year old girl, Nya, ends up unable to enjoy her childhood or go to school because the task of fetching water for her family everyday is hers.

Two different time periods. Two different struggles. But two equally challenging young lives.


Through the dual narrative from the points of view of Salva and Nya, we get a glimpse into the troubles of the Sudanese children. Salva is one of the "Lost Boys", the name given to a group of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups. These boys were displaced or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Some of the events mentioned are unbelievably horrid but, as the tagline reminds us, the book is based on a true story. Salva Dut is not a fictional character.

The author, Linda Sue Park, is a Korean-American. The story of Salva the character is based on the life of Salva Dut who lives in Rochester, New York, not far away from Park's residence. Park learned of Dut several years ago when her husband, a journalist, began writing about Dut’s non-profit 'Water for Sudan' project, which drills wells to bring clean drinking water to residents in southern Sudan’s remote villages.

While everything in Salva’s story is true, Park admits to toning down some of the graphic details witnessed along his journey out of Sudan. Some events are simply too horrific to believe. If this is the toned down version, I wonder what further horrors Salva might have encountered on his long road to freedom... 😞

Nya isn't a real person but her story has its roots in reality. The struggle for clean water amid the tribes of Africa is an open secret and this book teaches us to treasure the precious resource even more.

I was confident that I would complete the book within an hour as it is only 128 pages long. But I couldn't. After every few chapters, I needed a break to compose myself.

The book is written as teen fiction, but I won't advise it for sensitive children as a part of the content is really alarming. But it needs to be read, either now or later, and will definitely provide a wonderful opportunity for a greater understanding of the world beyond the one we urban citizens encounter every day. 

A must-read for teens and adults.

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