Dau, John Bul 1975–

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Dau, John Bul 1975–

PERSONAL:

Born 1975, in Duk County, Sudan; married; wife's name Martha. Education: Onondaga Community College, State University of New York, associate degree.

ADDRESSES:

Agent— Keppler Speakers, 4350 N. Fairfax Dr., Ste. 700, Arlington, VA 22203.

CAREER:

Humanitarian and writer. Founder of the American Care for Sudan Foundation; has worked for McDonald's, UPS, XTO and General Super Plating. Featured in the documentary film titled God Grew Tired of Us.

WRITINGS:

(With Michael S. Sweeney)God Grew Tired of Us,(memoir), National Geographic (Washington, DC), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Born in Southern Sudan, John Bul Dau became a refugee from his village in 1987 when he was just thirteen years old. After five years, he finally made his way to a long-term refugee camp and eventually became a group leader for more than 1,000 "Lost Boys" of Sudan, as these young refugees with no home came to be known. In his memoir,God Grew Tired of Us, written with Michael S. Sweeney, Dau recounts his experience during the civil war in southern Sudan, including his trek with other Lost Boys across sub-Saharan Africa. During their grueling travels, he and the other boys, who relied on Dau because he was older than most, were being hunted by soldiers and wild animals. They also faced starvation and dehydration, as well as disease. "We chewed tall grasses and ate mud to stay alive," Dau is quoted as saying in the National Geographic Web site profile of the author. "I was barefoot and wearing no clothes; at night the desert was so cold. We thought about our parents all the time."

Although Dau and some of his companions, half of whom died on the trek, finally made it to an Ethiopian refugee camp, the government was overthrown, and they once again found themselves fleeing from violence as Ethiopian rebels tried to shoot them down. As they fled, they dove into crocodile-infested waters. "Thousands of boys were eaten, drowned, shot, or captured," Dau noted in the National Geographic profile. The boys returned to Sudan only to face constant bombing after the Sudanese government learned of their arrival. Dau eventually made it to a Kenyan refugee camp, where he would spend the next ten years, beginning his formal education writing with sticks in the dirt. He eventually came to America when a church in the United States decided to sponsor some Sudanese refugees. Hazel Rochman, writing in Booklist, reviewed God Grew Tired of Us and noted "Dau tells … [his story] quietly, in fast, simple prose true to the young teen's viewpoint."

A documentary about the efforts of several Lost Boys, including Dau, to succeed in America is chronicled in a documentary film also titled God Grew Tired of Us. Dau has earned a bachelor's degree at a community college and is continuing his education. However, he has not forgotten those he left behind in Africa and has started a foundation to provide them with help. "I am building a medical clinic in Africa right now—raised about one hundred and seventy thousand dollars to build that medical clinic to benefit people of the south," Dau was quoted as saying in a profile of him on the And the Winner Is … Web site. "I am going to be actively involved in a humanitarian kind of capacity and, if I can get it, I want to become an advocate, because I know first-hand—I have been to that situation and I know how bitter it is to be in that situation."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Bau, John Bul, and Michael S. Sweeney,God Grew Tired of Us, National Geographic (Washington, DC), 2007.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 2007, Hazel Rochman, review of God Grew Tired of Us, p. 26.

Daily Variety, January 30, 2006, John Anderson, review of God Grew Tired of Us(documentary), p. 8; January 12, 2007, "Pushy Questions for … John Bul Dau, Subject of the Newmarket Films' Documentary ‘God Grew Tired of Us,’ Which Opens Today in Los Angeles and New York," p. 12.

Hollywood Reporter, January 26, 2006, Anne Thompson, "Lost and Found," p. 27.

People, January 29, 2007, Nina Burleigh, "He Walked 1,100 Miles to Flee War. Now He Helps His Countrymen," interview with author, p. 107.

Reference & Research Book News, August, 2007, review of God Grew Tired of Us.

Variety, February 6, 2006, John Anderson, review of God Grew Tired of Us(documentary), p. 92.