Status Updates From They Poured Fire on Us from...

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As hard of a read that this is, I really cannot stop thinking about this book and wanting to continue reading it. I found that exchange between Alepho and Peter on 116 to also stand out to me, especially considering Alepho was only five or six? "You have to think about what brought you here. You can't complain about being a hen; you have to do everything to stay alive."

Not even a third-way through the book and this is such a hard-read but obviously as it should be. The glossing-over of the quantity of deaths of such young boys is actually devastating and the detail of that boy Baak going crazy over his family's deaths is actually one of the saddest things I've ever read. The next part where Alepho talks about the girl and getting another detail of how inhumane the war is... wow.

Not even halfway through chapter two and I know for a fact I wouldn't have survived this. I need to constantly remind myself that this book isn't fictional and these young boys really did go through such insane and improbable circumstances just for a chance at survival.

That story of Deng and Asunta is one of the most touching and incredible stories I’ve ever read. This book has been really captivating, and I’ve only really read through the contextual background so far. The raw presentation of life in rural Sudan answered a lot of questions I’ve always wondered about and gave so much insight. My goal is to finish this book before the end of the year.