Showing results for "The Long Home" in Growing Up & Facts of Life

In 1985 southern Sudan is ravaged by war. Rebels and government forces battle for control, with ordinary people…people like the boy, Salva Dut…caught in the middle. When Salva's village is attacked, he must embark on a harrowing journey that will propel him through horror and heartbreak, across a harsh desert, and into a strange new life. Years later, in contemporary South Sudan, a girl named Nya must walk eight hours a day to fetch water. The walk is grueling, but there is unexpected hope.

In this creative retelling of the parable of the Prodigal Son, the youngest son, Wander, was willing to give up everything for his independence—including a relationship with his father and brother Goodness. With his father's cash in hand, he left for the alluring towns of Perfection, Prosperity, and Popularity. Each new town brought a brief sense of happiness, but eventually, as the excitement wore off, he was overcome by a deepening sense of emptiness. It was then that Wander remembered his father's words.

Flora and her brother, Julian, don't believe they were born. They've lived in so many foster homes, they can't remember where they came from. And even now that they've been adopted, Flora still struggles to believe that they've found their forever home. Though Flora is trying her best to trust two new people, when she finds out that there will be a new baby, she's worried that there won't be enough love for everyone. So along with their new mother, Flora and Julian begin a journey to go back and discover their past—for only then can they really begin to build their future.