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Songs of a War Boy cover art

Songs of a War Boy

By: Deng Thiak Adut,Ben Mckelvey
Narrated by: Blessing Mokgohloa,Ben Mckelvey
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Publisher's Summary

The true story of Deng Adut - Sudanese child soldier, refugee, man of hope. Movingly narrated by Blessing Mokgohloa.

Deng Adut's family were farmers in South Sudan when a brutal civil war altered his life forever. At six years old, his mother was told she had to give him up to fight. At the age most Australian children are starting school, Deng was conscripted into the Sudan People's Liberation Army.

He began a harsh, relentless military training that saw this young boy trained to use an AK-47 and sent into battle. He lost the right to be a child. He lost the right to learn. The things Deng saw over those years will stay with him forever. He suffered from cholera, malaria and numerous other debilitating illnesses, but still he had to fight.

A child soldier is expected to kill or be killed, and Deng almost died a number of times. He survived being shot in the back. The desperation and loneliness was overwhelming. He thought he was all alone. But Deng was rescued from war by his brother John. Hidden in the back of a truck, he was smuggled out of Sudan and into Kenya. Here he lived in refugee camps until he was befriended by an Australian couple. With their help and the support of the UN, Deng Adut came to Australia as a refugee. Despite physical injuries and mental trauma, he grabbed the chance to make a new life. He worked in a local service station and learnt English watching The Wiggles. He taught himself to read and started studying at TAFE.

In 2005 he enrolled in a bachelor of law course at Western Sydney University. He became the first person in his family to graduate from university.

This is an inspiring story of a man who has overcome deadly adversity to become a lawyer and committed worker for the disenfranchised, helping refugees in Western Sydney. It is an important reminder of the power of compassion and the benefit to us all when we open our doors and our hearts to fleeing war, persecution and trauma.

Deng Adut is a lawyer working in Western Sydney. He uses his spare time to help other Sudanese refugees. Ben Mckelvey is a freelance writer and editor from Sydney who has filed for Good Weekend, GQ, Voyeur, Rolling Stone, The Bulletin, Cosmo, Cleo and the SMH, Age and West Australian newspapers.

Ben's previous gigs have included editing Sport&Style and Juice magazines and working on the Sydney Morning Herald as a senior feature writer. He has been embedded with the ADF in East Timor and Iraq and has worked independently in Iran and Afghanistan.

©2016 Deng Thiak Adut (P)2016 Hachette Australia Pty Ltd

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What listeners say about Songs of a War Boy

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Inspiring, heartbreaking and amazingly honest.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Everyone should read this book. Deng Thiak Adut is brutally honest in his story telling and the ability to see the world through his eyes is life changing and inspiring.

What does Ben Mckelvey and Blessing Mokgohloa bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Ben McKelvey adds a level of detail to the book that allows you see and smell what you are hearing. Blessing Mokgohloa's narration is wonderful, warm and very easy to listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but not because it isn't a wonderful book, in fact quite the opposite. This book more than most made me have to stop and think about what I was hearing and process it. I couldn't listen to some of the terrible things that have happened it Deng Adut's life and then just move onto the next chapter. I had to digest it, mull it over and then keep listening.

Any additional comments?

A truly wonderful story that is still happening. As a middle class white Australian this book opened my eyes up to just how difficult it is for new migrants to Australia nut for refugees it's just so much harder again. Throughout this book I would imagine if these things were happening to my children, my family and it's a testament to Deng Adut's strength of character that he has managed to achieve the levels of success that he has. A truly inspiring story.

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5 people found this helpful

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Amazing story

Everyone needs to know this story. This is a an amazing story of Deng Adut 'early life. It is heartbreaking that his innocent childhood along with all those hos age was taken away from him so brutally. Deng has given us an insight into a world we have very little knowledge of and the majority of Australian people will be oblivious of the deplorable up war condition. A must read.

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1 person found this helpful

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A lesson to us all

This book is so wise and so personal. There's a lesson in there for all of us about tolerance and the ravages of war. It really should be compulsory reading for all of us. To side the other side of the coin. Thank you Deng; even as an African who thought she knew, you gave me a totally new perspective.

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A story to encourage deep self-reflection

Eye-opening, moving, shocking, humbling and above all, motivating. A story to encourage deep self-reflection. You will not wake up the day after hearing this memoir the same person.

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Amazing

One of the best books I have ever listened to. Such an amazing, inspiring man!

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A must read story that most of us would know little about

On a personal level I did a Christian study course with a group that included three very amazing Sudanese refugees who each had taken very different paths in their lives but all had been child soldiers. This book helped me to have a much better understanding and respect for their stories. While they shared some of the miracles of their survival and all sorts of funny stories around their adjusting to western civilisation this provided much more background information around struggles we should all be more aware of. This is a truly inspirational piece of writing to be shared.

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Great story, well narrated

Finished this on 26th January 2023. What are the odds.

Well written. Captivating story. Well narrated.

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This is a big big story of survival, guts and determination

We are blessed to have Deng living in Western Sydney. Thanks for sharing your story.

This was a big story, often hard to listen to because what happened to Deng should never happen to any child. It was well written and narrated making it easier to listen to.

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Excellent and Real Refugee Autobiography

I really enjoyed heard about Deng's life. What a insightful book about inclusiveness, struggles and community. If only my class were a little older I would have loved to share this with them. I made my partner listen to the Australia Day speech as I think we can all learn from this book and see similarities between ourselves and other refugees. I came to Australia from another country but unlike Deng I was lucky in the fact I come from another country that is free from fear and made an active choice to travel the world and live elsewhere. I respect Deng and all he has managed to accomplish in his life and hope his family in South Sudan are safe, happy and healthy!

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A must read

Deng's story is incredible. To hear how who grew from a child soldier passionate about the war and we'll aquatinted with death to a successful Australian man who is passionate about freedom and safety. I have read several refugee stories now and it always brings home to me how much we owe our fellow man/woman. Every Australian can do tiny things that can change the life course of another, and those small efforts will be repaid 10 fold by those we lift up. This is a must read.

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