A Long Walk To Water
Linda Sue Park
133 pages
Kindle edition
From the Publisher: The New York Times bestseller A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the “lost boys” of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.
Review:
Wow. I was just floored by the impact of this tiny little book.
Let me back up a bit: I’ve been hearing a lot about this book from my kids. My 3rd and 4th graders keep telling me about a book that the “whole school is reading”…I’m not sure how accurate that statement is, but my 6th grader confirmed that they did read it aloud last year with a 5th and 6th grade special unit., so I think it would be safe to say that a lot of the kids at my children’s elementary school are reading this book together. I love to be involved with what my kids are learning, and love to read, so why not, right?
This is a short book. 133 pages to be exact. This can be picked up and finished in one setting. But don’t be fooled by it’s size. I was floored by it’s impact. There were parts I wanted to throw the book across the room, parts that brought me to tears, and (my kids favorite)…I just kept asking them, “I want to keep reading this, right?” They assured me. Keep reading. The end of this book is entirely worth it. In fact, 4th grader had grabbed my copy and read ahead of her class to finish the book, and I saw her reaction…it was priceless. And I knew I needed to finish it. But be warned. There is hard stuff in this tiny book!
This is a work of historical fiction, based on a true story. I LOVE historical fiction, so I knew it would be something I would be interested in. A Long Walk to Water left me really wanting to learn more, learn more about “the lost boys” learn more about water, about world history and left me with the desire to do something about it. I was able to sit down at the breakfast table this morning with my children and really discuss this book with them and how blessed we are to live where we live and have what we have. We even got to talk about what an opportunity school is! It is eye opening for my daughters to hear that girls can’t always attend school. Even in our worst days, we live in such a blessed land.
Overall my favorite quote and take away was this:
“One step at a time, one day at a time, just today, just this day to get through.”
Which of course, could be applied to every single aspect of life. I’ve seen a lot in the news about mental health and suicide awareness this month, this quote could apply. I supported my husband through many long years of medical school/residency,…this quote could apply. Then we opened a practice entirely from scratch, this quote could apply. I love to run, this quote could apply. Even in the gospel of Jesus Christ, sometimes I struggle with my testimony and having faith, this quote could apply.
I would highly suggest everyone reading this book! Read it to your kids, and then discuss it! It really touched my heart. Also, if you are interested in learning more about Salva and his story, you can watch his TED talk by clicking here. My favorite is his message at the end…With Hope, Faith and Perseverance you can accomplish anything in life.
