Nathan Ankomah-Mensah 4-9

What is the What by Dave Eggers is an autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng. Valentino is a refugee from Sudan, an african country in the middle of a genocide and a war. He later finds refuge in America only to encounter more trouble. As the main character, Valentino is ordinary, which is quite strange given his background. Hes not a leader, he was more of a follower. He wasnt the one to jump through a firefight and by he staying behind cover, Valentino was able to survive. However as the book progress he becomes a leader and a figure to the Sudanese community. Later he tries to be a hero which lead him into trouble. The book cuts from present day Valentino to Valentinos past in between chapters.

The main plot of the book was that Valentino was robbed while house sitting. This happened because Valentino let a troubled girl into his friends house only to get robbed by her and her partner in a cruel crime. Through most of the book Valentino is tied up and is being watched by a small boy with a phone box to keep him quiet, This boy thinks I am not of his species, that I am some other kind of creature, one that can be crushed under the weight of a phone book. (Eggers 52). While being tied up in his friend apartment Valentino has a flashback to his life as Child. Valentino was born in Sudan, a country in Africa. Because of the genocide in Sudan, Valentino was force to leave his village at the young age of seven along with other children who survived the attacks that Sudan government has sent. Valentino had to journey hundred of miles while being attack by militias, government bombers, and animal. Valentino also had to cross three deserts of three countries, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya to finally find the freedom that he and his friends deserves. These flashback happens many times throughout the book to help understand Valentino as a person and how he reacts to others.

The main theme of this book is the Helplessness of Love. Which is ironic since Valentino was give his name from a priest, based on the priests favorite saint, Saint Valentine. Over the course of the book Valentino met many people along his journey that he holds dear. Like his girlfriend Tabitha, who moved to Seattle while Valentino moved to Atlanta. While in Seattle, Tabitha found a new boyfriend. Valentino later got in contact with her again but her boyfriend got jealous and murdered her. Valentino also lost many other friends during his journey to America learned a valuable lesson from it,everyone disappears, no matter who loves them. (Eggers 10). This lesson harden Valentino into the man he is today.