Alephonsion Deng, Benson Deng, and Benjamin Ajak recount the harsh realities of what it is like to be a child in the midst of war, to be a refugee whose life is not valued. Centering the perspective of child civilians during war allows the reader to have a more personable account of the mental, physical, and psychological effects of war on those that are left to navigate life in the midst of it. Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin recall the brief joy of childhood before their lives changes drastically. It is clear by all their accounts that food, community, and education are what allowed them to keep their will to survive despite the numerous times all hope seemed inevitably lost. 

They Poured Fire On Us From The Sky is the book you read after having read one that gives more historical and political context surrounding the war in Sudan. If you don’t have atleast a general knowledge of the landscape, it is somewhat of a challenge to follow the boy’s stories. With this being the anniversary edition, footnotes would have been excellent to provide further context for the reader or the writing structure could have been better formatted to weave historical/political background throughout the book. If you don’t mind a few trips to Google for further explanation or background after the mention of names or dates, you’ll get along fine. 

 I hoped to receive a balance between the comprehensive and personable account of life in Sudan during the war. Despite this, I found myself in awe and horror of how much of childhood was stolen from these men, yet they still managed to find a way to survive when the odds were greatly stacked against them.