Just So Stories

Fremantle Press

June 2024

ISBN: 9781760993900

RRP: $17.99

When I was commissioned to write the teaching notes for this, I confess I only knew a smidgin about the Sudanese ‘lost boys’, and, in fact, the whole Sudan situation – despite the fact that we have many Sudanese immigrants here in SE Qld.

Their story was certainly an eye-opener and a testament to the leadership of the author’s father. As I read the book and delved into other reports, I found evidence of an amazing tenacity, faith, dedication and self-sacrifice. It was actually a privilege to work on these notes. There is an original version of the book with notes for older students, so this was a matter of creating some that were more suited to middle-grade readers.

In 1989 at the height of the Second Sudanese Civil War, thousands of boys were displaced (these youngsters were habitually at risk of capturing and being forced to become child soldiers). The author’s father, Mecak Ajang Alaak, was a respected Dinka community leader, a bright and well-educated man who put his gifts to use as a teacher. After his own near-misses with the conflict and going missing for almost two years, Mecak realised that the young boys of his homelands needed to be rescued and evacuated.

It took four long years, collecting more boys along the way, of traversing on foot from Ethiopia to Kenya, defying nature, skirmishes with armed soldiers, the elements, hunger and physical exhaustion but eventually, 20 000 boys were saved due to the determination of this man. What a legacy for his son and descendants!

It’s a gripping and powerful history that deserves to be widely shared. If you are in a school that counts Sudanese students among your population, I would suggest this as a significant addition to reading lists. In my draft of teaching notes, I included a lot more material than was needed so have included both the published version and the draft for your use – these can be found on the Freebies page as well.

This really is a powerful addition to any classroom unit on displaced persons, conflicts, modern history or cultural differences. I highly recommend it to you with 🌍🌍🌍🌍🌍.