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Songs of a War Boy
- Narrated by: Blessing Mokgohloa, Ben Mckelvey
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Military & War
Non-member price: $34.95
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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.
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What listeners say about Songs of a War Boy
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Rani
- 20-11-2016
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.
5 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-12-2016
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.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 25-11-2016
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.
1 person found this helpful
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- Kayla
- 21-11-2016
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.
1 person found this helpful
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- Chloe
- 21-11-2016
Amazing
One of the best books I have ever listened to. Such an amazing, inspiring man!
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 03-06-2019
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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- Vanessa
- 29-05-2018
A must read for all Australians
this book will make you appreciate the freedoms in Australia, the plight of refugees, the issue of self-identity, the greed of human beings, and how nothing can be taken for granted
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- Anonymous User
- 25-05-2018
brilliant! inspiring! amazing!
this book is Truely amazing dengs story is unbelievable to think about my thoughts on refuges are very different now thanks to this book!
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- Sonia Higgs
- 26-02-2018
Amazing story delivered by the author/narrator
Loved this story, how it was written and narrated by the author gave it authenticity. Moving, inspirational story. Don’t miss this.
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- sofia
- 21-12-2017
must read. so moving. much wow!
This book is moving, it is so inspiring to hear his story. i would recomend it to anyone who needs to realise how lucky they are
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- benny
- 08-06-2020
Captivated after the first chapter
The first 3 chapters are enthralling with how it writes with the speech of a child but then bouncing back to an adult. This book is not just a captivating story but also an educational piece on giving us an insight into a group of people who have moved to Australia. It highlights the unknown difficulties of moving to a developed world and the prejudices that the immogrants still face. I am better for coming across this book.
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