They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky

Three former Sudanese "Lost Boys" tell the harrowing story of their torturous lives as refugees from the brutal civil war in their homeland. Alepho, Benson, and Ben were each seven years old or younger when they were forced to flee their village amidst chaotic military attacks that killed their families. After wandering through a merciless terrain pocked with landmines and prowled by snakes, lions, and crocodiles, they eventually made it to a refugee camp, only to find that disease was steadily devouring the inhabitants and that putrid "grass soup" was often the only food available. Somehow the boys survived and made it to the United States, which naturally seems like a paradise compared to their former lives. Their moving memoir proves that courage and perseverance can keep us going through even the direst of circumstances.