WHAT IS THE WHAT

The title, from an African creation myth, is also a metaphor for making sense of an alien world. Sudanese refugee Valentino Achak Deng escapes his homeland, spends years in refugee camps, and then emigrates to America. The novel is told with a touch of humor, without which the brutality of Deng’s experiences would be hard to take. Dion Graham’s accent sounds authentic enough and colors the reading without overpowering it. He catches Deng’s mystified wonder as he tries to make sense of the contrasts he discovers in American life. Graham also moves fluidly from Deng’s African accent to urban-American black accents. The novel’s first-person point of view is compelling. Graham does it justice as he takes listeners into the story. R.C.G. AudioFile Best Audiobook of 2007 © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]