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Mar 05, 2015JCLChrisK rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Spare, simple, and moving, this book of free verse poetry tells the story of Kek, a young man trying to make a new life in Minnesota after fleeing the ravages of war in Sudan. Kek has always understood himself as defined by his family, culture, and setting, and has no idea who he is without those familiar concepts and surroundings to give him bearing. Language is the least of what he must learn to translate. The horrors of Kek's past are shared but not belabored as he tries to stoically deal with his grief, grateful for this second chance while longing for everything he has lost. "A sandstorm passes; the stars remain." ----- Hungry, Kenya? a boy in the back asks. His voice has knives in it. He holds up an apple half eaten. None for me, thank-you, I say, using my polite English words. And my home, I add, is not Kenya. It's Sudan. He tosses the apple across the room. It lands on my desk and drops to the floor. My homeroom teacher looks up from his newspaper. Can the flying fruit, he says. Of course, I don't want the apple to be wasted. I pick it up off the floor and throw it back to the boy. It hits him on the nose. I'm a fine thrower of rocks and balls. It is not my fault the boy moved. The teacher gives me a detention slip. I'm not sure what this slip means, but I do know I'm the only one in class who receives one. I feel very lucky to be selected by my teacher for such an honor.