Valentino Achak Deng met Dave Eggers in January 2003 in Atlanta, where Valentino had been living since his resettlement to the United States in 2001. He was working while attending community college, and was already well known as a captivating public speaker and spokesman for the Sudanese community. Valentino contacted Dave with the help of his friend Mary Williams, who was the founder of an Atlanta-based organization called the Lost Boys Foundation.
After spending a weekend with Dave in Atlanta, Valentino asked him to help write his autobiography. He felt that his story could convey to the world the realities of what had happened in the civil war in southern Sudan, and its effect on the people there. Dave agreed to help, and they began the process of recording Valentino’s story—a process that took three years of steady work.
::
The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation
::
Interview Dave en Valentino
::
Reisverslag Sudan van Dave Eggers
::
Wat is de wat