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While The Sun Is Above Us (2012)

by Melanie Schnell(Favorite Author)

4.21 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1554810612 (ISBN13: 9781554810611)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Freehand Books (Broadview Press)

review 1: While The Sun Is Above Us is one of those extraordinary books that transports the reader into the hearts of the characters. Melanie Schnell's life experience gives her first novel an authorititave account of the terror reigning in Sudan. In this novel we learn of the lives and hardships of Adut, a native from South Sudan and Sandra, an aid worker who has travelled to Sudan from Canada. Their stories alternate throughout the book and come together to give the reader an understanding of these two very different journeys. Adut has been captured, taken from her village and held as a slave in North Sudan. Sandra ends up entangled in a local conflict and also captured. What an excellent piece of work! This book has opened my eyes to wars and genocide currently raging in S... moreudan. This novel is a story that needed to be told. A story that all should read.*I recieved a copy of this book through a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway*
review 2: This was a birthday gift from a friend (who is, apparently, the author's cousin) so it's one of those books I may never have heard of, let alone read, without friendly intervention. I'm glad it came along. I'm always a bit skeptical when it comes to white North Americans writing about situations - in this case Sudan - from a perspective they can't possibly have experienced or known. That said, Ms Schnell seems to have done thorough research and story gathering and managed to pull it off. (I say "seems" because I have VERY limited knowledge of events in that part of the world at that time.)The way the two women's stories unfold worked really well. I spent most of the book saying to myself "Argh! How did these two women meet? How are they connected? Why are they speaking to each other like this?" The "argh" wasn't one of frustration, though. It was a need to know that made this a "keep me up 'til 4am and make my partner do the driving" type of book. Got to say, too, that I had a fairly heavy emotion response to the last part of the book (this is good). I don't get to the ol' verge of tears too often but this one definitely had me there. less

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