Walk Toward the Rising Sun, Ger Duany
Walk Toward the Rising Sun, Ger Duany
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Walk Toward the Rising Sun
From Child Soldier to Ambassador of Peace

Author: Ger Duany, Garen Thomas

Narrator: Ger Duany

Unabridged: 7 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/22/2020

Synopsis

The amazing autobiography of a young Sudanese boy who went from a child soldier and struggling refugee to international peace activist and Hollywood actor.

Sudan, 1980s: Ger Duany knew what he wanted out of life--make his family proud, play with his brothers and sisters, maybe get an education like his brother Oder suggested, and become a soldier for his people when he's old enough. But then his village was attacked by the North Sudanese military, death kept taking his loved ones away, and being a child soldier was not what he thought it would be. Amid heartbreak, death, and violence, can this lost boy find his way to safety?

America, 1990s: After boarding a flight without his family to seek refuge in a foreign country, Ger worked tirelessly to adjust to a new life. It wasn't long before he was thrown into the spotlight, as people discovered his talents for basketball, modeling, and acting. Yet the spotlight wasn't the only thing following him, as he battled the effects of PTSD, resisted the siren call of the excesses of fame, and endured a new kind of racism in America. Amid fame, trauma, and the memory of home, can this lost boy find himself?

About The Author

Ger Duany is a survivor of the tragic exodus of an estimated 20,000 Sudanese children, the "Lost boys of Sudan," and has been appointed as UN Goodwill Ambassador. Born in the town of Akobo, Ger was caught up in Sudan's north-south civil war and was forcefully recruited as a child soldier. At the age of 14, he managed to escape to neighbouring Ethiopia and was eventually resettled to the United States from the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. In 2014, UNHCR helped Ger reunite with his mother and other family members in Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp. He is also a model and actor. To learn more about Ger, his inspiring life story, and his constant work to help refugees around the world, visit GerDuany.com or @GerDuany on Twitter.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Mia | The Bookish Feminist on July 16, 2020

Walk Toward the Rising Sun is a breathtaking, raw, beautifully written memoir about a Sudanese boy whose life, and entire childhood, are completely upended when the civil war breaks out. He experiences losses and extraordinary trauma as he witnesses war ravaging his communities, people turning on ea......more

Goodreads review by Kathy on August 22, 2020

Actor, international model and UNHCR ambassador and Sudanese refugee, Ger Duany’s memoir is filled with contrasts. He begins his story by recounting watching his uncle undergo ritual scarification in his small village in southern Sudan. Family is important to him and, since his father has several wi......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on February 21, 2021

I would give this autobiography or memoir a 3.5. This fascinating and inspiring story of a boy soldier whose initial dreams for the future were changed when civil war came to Sudan in the 1980s shows that it is possible to survive against great odds. Ger Duany endured many losses as his family had t......more

Goodreads review by C. on August 02, 2021

Walk Toward the sun is a moving memoir of family life, death, turmoil, survival, and a map to light for others still fighting to get out of the war-torn areas of Sudan. Mr. Duany writes with heart, truth, and honor. This story deserves to be read by every child who thinks they have a rough life. I h......more

Quotes

“An intimate look from a refugee’s perspective at the toll war takes.” --Kirkus Reviews
"A powerful account"--The Horn Book 
"Duany ­offers a harrowing but ultimately inspiring ­memoir."--School and Library Journal

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